On this day in 1775, George Washington, who would one day become the first American president, accepts an assignment to lead the Continental Army.
Washington had been managing his family’s plantation and serving in the Virginia House of Burgesses when the second Continental Congress unanimously voted to have him lead the revolutionary army. He had earlier distinguished himself, in the eyes of his contemporaries, as a commander for the British army in the French and Indian War of 1754.
Born a British citizen and a former Redcoat, Washington had, by the 1770s, joined the growing ranks of colonists who were dismayed by what they considered to be Britain’s exploitative policies in North America. In 1774, Washington joined the Continental Congress as a delegate from Virginia. The next year, the Congress offered Washington the role of commander in chief of the Continental Army.
After accepting the position, Washington sat down and wrote a letter to his wife, Martha, in which he revealed his concerns about his new role. He admitted to his “dear Patcy” that he had not sought the post but felt “it was utterly out of my power to refuse this appointment without exposing my Character to such censures as would have reflected dishonour upon myself, and given pain to my friends.” He expressed uneasiness at leaving her alone, told her he had updated his will and hoped that he would be home by the fall. He closed the letter with a postscript, saying he had found some of “the prettiest muslin” but did not indicate whether it was intended for her or for himself.
On July 3, 1775, Washington officially took command of the poorly trained and under-supplied Continental Army. After six years of struggle and despite frequent setbacks, Washington managed to lead the army to key victories and Great Britain eventually surrendered in 1781. Due largely to his military fame and humble personality, Americans overwhelmingly elected Washington their first president in 1789.
Some countries did not like the countries we were with an alliance with, so they would attack them and we would attack the country who did it, and so on.
Answer:
The samurai and daimyo gave back the power to the emperor and worked to reform Japan.
Explanation:
Japan had remained strongly isolated from the rest of the world for hundreds of years. Japan especially never trusted Western powers since they had better technology and were very aggressive and powerful. In 1853, American Commodore Matthew C. Perry, arrived with four US military, steam-powered ships which were equipped with very modern and destructive guns. The Japanese had no means to oppose him in any manner and yielded to his demands, that Japan signed an official treaty of trade and commerce with the United States of America. This treaty, the Convention of Kanagawa angered many of the highest-ranking samurais for whom it was seen as a capitulation. They decided that Japan was way behind Western powers and that unless they imposed radical societal, economic reforms, they would be governed by the West. They managed to remove Tokugawa Yoshinobu, the last Shogun of Japan and restored the Emperor.
Traditionalist samurais were lincensed by this act and a civil war ensued, which reformist samurais were able to win with the help of Western technology and military advisors. Most power was transferred to the Emperor and Japan started massively importing technology and methods of social organization from many different countries in the west.
Answer:
Explanation:
An Ordinance for the Government of the Territory of the United States, North-West of the River Ohio, 1787. Considered one of the most important legislative acts of the Confederation Congress, the Northwest Ordinance also protected civil liberties and outlawed slavery in the new territories. ...
