Tyler

Name: John Gritz Birth Date: September 11, 1835 Hometown: Morristown, New Jersey Gender: Male Profession: Store clerk before being drafted into the military Political Views: Republican Religious Views: Christian Hobbies: hunting, reading Likes: Books, North, Dogs Dislikes: South Favorite Quotes: "It isn't a win unless the battle is finished" -General Scott

__//**Notes**//__ Note #1 What were the ideals for which the Revolutionary War was fought? There were many ideals in the Revolutionary War. One was for independence from the British. The American were basically slaves to the British and wanted freedom. The British and Americans had different views on liberty and the Colonists wanted to protect and show the British that their view of liberty was right. There are many more but I’m just talking about three. They Americans want independence from the British. The colonists fought with all their might to drive the British out of the New World and succeeded in the end. 56 men appointed by the citizens of their colony came together and decided the only way to declare independence was to declare independence in the individual colonies. Once they declared the each colony’s independence they formed an alliance to fight against the British. In order to do this they wrote and signed the Declaration of Independence. Five of the signers were captured by the British and named traitors and tortured before they died. 12 other signers had their homes ransacked & burned to the ground. Nine of the others died from wounds in the Revolutionary War. The Americans could be viewed as slaves serving the British since the British were in charge. The Colonists’ won their freedom by guerilla tactics at first but later used military strategies when George Washington was appointed commander-in-chief. An example of guerilla tactics was the Boston Massacre since after that happened it gave Britain a bad name. An instance of military strategy was the Battle of Concord. They lost the battle but took out more than a thousand British soldiers and only lost about four hundred soldiers themselves. George Washington positioned the soldiers on Breech Hill and since they had low ammo they waited until the British were literally right above them to strike. Americans had a different view on liberty than the British. Abraham Lincoln stated once “The shepherd drives the wolf from the sheep's for which the sheep thanks the shepherd as his liberator, while the wolf denounces him for the same act as the destroyer of liberty. Plainly, the sheep and the wolf are not agreed upon a definition of liberty.” This portrays the British as the wolf and the Rebels as the shepherd. There was something John Adams said “The Revolution was effected before the war commenced. The Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people. This radical change in the principles, opinions, sentiments and affections of the people was the real American Revolution.” He was trying to say that the War didn’t start with fighting it started along time before that when the British tried changing different things. John F. Kennedy once stated something that is very influential “Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope...building a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” This states that even one person can make a huge impact on the daily life of people. Those were the ideals of the Revolutionary War. The Americans stood up for their freedom and won because of their courage and commitment to gaining independence. They showed the British that liberty isn’t like they think it is. That is what I consider the true ideals of the Revolutionary War.

Note #2 What is slavery and why does it exist? What is slavery? Slavery is when a person is forced to work for someone for the rest of his/her life. That is what I think slavery is, the real definition for slavery is: “the state of one bound in servitude as the property of a slaveholder or household.” Why does it exist? There are many different reasons you will get if you ask someone, I think it exists because a nation, civilization, etc. that is more advanced than another thinks they can benefit from enslaving them. It exists to others because “slaves were usually war captives. The victors in battle might enslave the losers rather than killing them.” In the past there has been many times when slavery was favored. During the time that ancient civilizations still lived (such as the Aztecs) slavery was basically war prizes that a civilization took as their prize for winning. Also other times it was other religion, ethnicity, race, or nationality. All together in the past slavery was over disagreements or disbelief basically. Slavery to me is really just a disagreement or disbelief taken to far. A lot of times owners would believe that they could deny slaves basic human rights since slaves weren’t as great as them, their nationality was different, etc. That is really what slavery is and why it exists. Slavery still goes on today in Asia and Africa. I really think anyone who starts slavery or enjoys slavery is a sick person or has mental problems. Throughout the past and in the future there will always be slavery.

Note #3 Reflect on the Civil War; where is the country headed in 1865? Once the Civil War ended, America finally started to unify under a common goal. It also started to look more like one nation instead of two nations fighting each other over right and rules. African Americans were finally starting to have rights, There was still a lot of racism in South and there was some in the North. The Declaration of Independence renamed the British North American Colonies, the United States of America and symbolized the unification of the thirteen colonies. After the Civil War, it helped to reunify the USA. The citizens were recovering from the racism, fighting, being reunited with their relatives that participated in the Civil War. When this happened a period called Reconstruction started. During the Reconstruction, the North and South had to deal with the huge amounts of racism though the North didn’t have as much as the South did. There were many reform movements during this period trying to establish equality for all, such as the antimonopoly or the woman’s movement. African Americans were finally able to do more in the nation since they were granted rights. They were now allowed to hold a testimony in court, vote, and were able to enter North states that were originally barred for them. Not only that public life was finally opened to Blacks. Along with gaining public access to things they also didn’t have to serve anyone or get punished if they didn’t have free papers. The Reconstruction was one of the most prosperous times for the African Americans. The post-Civil War conditions were both prosperous and horrible. There was racism everywhere still. The prosperity came from the equality since now black could work, vote, etc. All this was probably the most prosperous times for both the United States and for the African Americans. When the Reconstruction started it gave hope to many people since it was a time where everyone was equal and there wasn’t any worries about Civil War.

I was just a recruit in this picture
 * //__Photo Album__//**

My fellow soldiers and me in line getting ready to do our morning conditioning.

Captain Fin dismounting his horse with me behind him waiting to take the horse to get it food and water.

After I was promoted to sergeant.

The 7th, 8th, and 9th Infantry Units waiting on the front lines for the battle to start.

This was taken when I was promoted to captain of the 7th Infantry Unit

Me after I retired

The day the 7th Infantry Unit took over their first enemy camp.

My last day in the 10th Infantry Unit

The Captain, Sergeant, and First and Second Lieutenant of the 7th Infantry Unit

The 7th Infantry Unit

The day the captain retired and I was promoted to Lieutenant

The picture was taken when HQ wanted photos of all Lieutenants.

The 7th Infantry Unit when the I was promoted to Captain after the captain before me betrayed the unit.

Me right after I retired from military service

The 10th Infantry Unit

__//**Status Updates**//__ (1850) The South is coming together to try and defend the law that allows slaves. The law was later deemed, under the Compromise of 1850, disputable.

(1850) The Fugitive Slave Act has been passed. Now slaves caught on the Underground Railroad in free states were forced to go back to their masters.

(1853) The Gadsden Purchase gives what is now New Mexico and Arizona to the U.S. Alba Scott along with 73 other women petition for the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention to be signed to encourage suffrage for women.

(1855) The pro-slavery Missourians crossed the border to Kansas so they could elect a territorial legislator and turn Kansas into a slave state. The Free State Kansans vote to outlaw slavery and create their own capital at Topeka.

(1857) The Supreme Court passed the decision about the Dred Scott case. The Supreme Court told Dred he never ceased being a slave therefore denying him freedom, denying his claim to be a citizen and his right to sue.

(1858) President Buchanan asks Kansas to become a slave state. Kansas, being a free state, rejected the offer without a thought.

(1858) Lincoln is nominated as a runner in the election against Stephen Douglas for the Senate. The Lincoln-Douglas debates have started.

(1859) Georgia passes a law stating slave owners can’t put their slaves in their will. John Brown leads 21 men to seize arsenal from Harper’s Ferry, Virginia, but is captured and then executed.