We'll be taking tomorrow off here at Tir na Blog, so that we, as good Americans, may reflect on the founding and foundations of this great nation by swilling beer and blowing things up. So today, with American Independence Day fast approaching, a brief lesson in Irish contributions to those early days of the Republic, guaranteed to be mostly true.
Did you know that:
•The Declaration of Independence was written, from Thomas Jefferson's draft, by an Irishman. Charles Thompson, born in Maghera, Co Derry was secretary to the first Congress. His additional line, referring to King George as a "feckin' eejit" and "a cute British hoor" was ultimately removed from the final version of the Declaration.
•John Dunlap, a native of Strabane, first printed the Declaration of Independence, which was first read to the people, from the window of the hall in which Congress met, by Colonel John Nixon, another Irishman. In 1815, John Binns, of Philadelphia, another Irishman, published the document for the first time, with reproductions of the signers' signatures. Those reproductions were also rumored to have been used by Binns to sign for bar tabs across the colonies in ensuing years.
•The Declaration of Independence was signed by fifty-six men, of whom nine (including Secretary Thompson) were of Irish origin or descent. Mathew Thornton, born in Ireland in 1714, signed for New Hampshire. James Smith, who signed for Pennsylvania, was born in Ireland in 1713. George Taylor, a signer also for Pennsylvania, was also born in Ireland. George Read, of Delaware, was the son of Irish parents and would later help author the US Constitution. Signer Charles Carroll was of Irish descent. Other Irish-American signers include Thomas Lynch, Jr., Thomas McKean and Edward Rutledge. And Irishman Colm O'Sullivan was twice sent out for sandwiches and a twelve pack during the first meeting of the Continental Congress.
Happy Independence Day, one and all. Be careful with the explosives.
Your Guide to the 17th Annual Kansas City Irish Fest at Crown Center. www.KCIrishFest.com
About Me
- Danny Regan
- Danny is a founder, past president, and creative director of the Kansas City Irish Fest. He lives in Kansas City, Missouri, the greatest city in America. He's authored Tir na Blog since 2006.
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3 comments:
Not trying to be disrespectful ( I am second generation Irish myself ) but as we celebrate our independence tomorrow let's remember that things are never just "black and white" when it comes
to armed conflicts.
As with any civil war... there are two sides to the story. Everyone did what they felt was in their best interest at the time and the Irish in America were no exception.
There was at least one entire regiment of Irish that fought against the colonists for the British Army during the Revolutionary war.
Line Infantry
18th (Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot
There were also all kinds of "Loyalist" groups that emerged to help the British, one of the most famous of which was...
The Loyal Irish Volunteers
The organization was established on the 7th of December, 1775.
Headquarters for this organization was in Boston but it was a "Colony wide" group.
Boston, of course, had already been the site of a number of "incidents" such as a certain famous "Tea Party" and later, a Massacre in the streets, and the local citizenry ( including many Irish ) weren't happy with any of it.
They were used as sort of a "police force" by the British Army since they knew Boston so well. They were armed and patrolling the streets.
Quote from...
http://www.royalprovincial.com/military/rhist/loyirsh/livform.htm
"Their Guard room and Alarm Post to be near Mill Bridge. This Company will mount a Guard every Evening and Patrol the Streets, and will take into Custody all Suspicious and Disorderly Persons found in the Streets at Improper hours."
They wore a White Cockade (on their hats) to identify themselves as loyal to the crown.
Hence the origin of the name of a popular Irish reel called "The White Cockade" which is, to this day, a popular "session" tune.
John Adams himself talks about the "Loyal Irish Volunteers" in his own autobiography and especially about one Boston Irish merchant named James Forrest who, along with helping to organize and run the loyalist group, was the man who hired the lawyers to defend the British soldiers accused of murder at the Boston massacre.
More about "James Forrest" is here.
http://boston1775.blogspot.com/2006/10/john-adamss-tale-of-irish-infant.html
Fascinating stuff.
History... that is.
Fascinating stuff indeed. Thanks for sharing it, Kevin. One has to wonder though, just how much of that "loyalty" from the Irish soldiers was a direct result of the oppression and domination of the British goverment that occupied their country as well as the fledgling United States. Irishmen have long fought "for" the Crown, in the days before Irish independence. Having a gun pointed at your head can induce some fierce and swift loyalty.
You betcha. Only reason I was pointing out the "other side of the story" is because, I think, it actually enhances the deeds of the men you mentioned. MOST of the Irish in this country at the time were Ulster Irish ( Protestant ). The whole Catholic thing hadn't really happened yet. Regardless of what was happening back home on the sod, the Ulster Irish here in America were successful and flourishing. As with all social upheavals... it's usually all about money and the 1770-ish climate was no exception. I imagine the reaction from a lot of the successful Irish in Boston to the trouble that was being caused by "the rabble" was "they must be crazy". Crazy or not... I think an understanding of the climate in which a few men decided to take on an empire just enhances the bravery of their acts. Happy 4th of July to everyone and can't wait for KC Irishfest!
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