“The Strange Case of Silas Deane” creates a new perspective on what people see as history. Although many people would define history as something that occurred in the past, through “The Strange Death of Silas Deane”, the writers make evident that this average view on history can be intensely deceptive. History involves examining evidence and drawing connections. There are opposing opinions to what the truth really is, but given the evidence the case cannot be concretely proven.
Silas Deane, the son of a gentle blacksmith, was a gentleman filled with enthusiasm and hungry for wealth. Deane was driven to evolve from the son of a blacksmith to Minister Plenipotentiary from the United States court of France. People saw him as a determined man who enjoyed “fame, honor, and wealth.” This merchant turned politician was sent to France as an ambassador of colonies. During his time in France, he was charged with the use of his position to make a private fortune. In 1776, Deane had communicated with a friend whom had a home in France, Edward Bancroft, about changing his occupation and being Deane’s “private secretary” in Paris and a spy for America when he was in England. Both Deane and Bancroft used their links in France to conduct lucrative private trades of their own, and both decided to gamble illegally in the London insurance markets. Historians did not realize Edward Bancroft was a double agent until the records of multiple British officials were opened almost one hundred years later. One of the members of the British intelligence organization, Paul Wentworth, realized that Bancroft would be a helpful spy. At this point he introduced him to two Secretaries of State who convinced Bancroft to submit reports on the American negotiations...
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...ach problems after eating and dizziness as well. If he was attempting to kill himself, why would he then complain about his sickness? He was a smart enough man to know that they would be happening.
Although the death of Silas Deane is unsolved, there are many signs that point to what the outcome might be. The most reasonable outcome seems to be that Bancroft got someone to poison Deane in fear of his personal demise and there is a lot evidence to back up this theory. One can assume that Bancroft was probably fearful of the idea that he might lose his high title, income, respect, and possibly his freedom. He was capable of making Deane’s death happen, and certainly had a motive for his death. The one part of the puzzle that is absent is if he actually did it or not. Although the verdict is not established, it is agreed that the death of Silas Deane is a strange one.
Joseph Plumb Martin was born in 1760 just as the American Revolution was about to dawn. Martin never commanded large bodies of troops in battle: he never told major political offices. He never engaged in vital diplomatic negotiations, and he never invented anything of consequence or made a notable scientific discovery. He never acquired great wealth to distribute as a renowned philanthropist. Martin was very much just an ordinary person who, according to one of his admires, had “acquired a fund of knowledge, which with his lively social disposition and ready wit made him a highly entertaining and instructive companion. The winter of this year passed off without any very frightening alarms,
...his seemingly routine case of fornication and premarital pregnancy proved to be significant for early American legal history. The unfolding of this story and the legal changes that it brought about makes evident that by the end of the seventeenth century, The Eastern Shore had shaped a distinct legal culture. The characters involved in each case also revealed the extent the powerful players were able to shape the law to their own self-interests. The goal of the powers to be was to protect property interests, protect personal reputation and liberty, and to maintain social order.
In closing, Kemp--and I must agree with her-- adamantly stressed that Franklin sent the Hutchinson/Oliver letters, though it was a lack of judgment, in order to calm the storm. Which was a mistake, at least in my view. As Kemp states,”If anything, Franklin’s fundamental error was the direct result of his emotional attachment to the Empire and of his naive assumption that men more sympathetic to the colonies might yet rise to positions of power in England.” (Kemp, 94). In her next two chapters Kemp largely focused on the internal insecurities of the British Government, and the ramifications of the Cockpit incident.
Alfred Young is a historian who takes a harder look at the life of an ordinary Boston man, George Robert twelves Hewes, before and after the revolution changes in America. The book looks at the developments that led up to the American Revolution through the life Hewes, who goes from a shoemaker to a rebel. Not only was Hewes a participant in the Boston Massacre, he was also involved in the event that later would be referred to as the Tea party. His involvements in these events paint a clearer picture of what can motivate someone to take up arms and fight for their freedom.
In the true crime/sociology story, “Best Intentions: The Education and Killing of Edmund Perry” the author, Robert Sam Anson had provided an immense amount of information from reportings about Edmund Perry’s death and life before he died. Anson has developed Edmund’s character and experiences through reporting that I have related and connected to. Information reported by Anson has helped me find a deep connection towards Edmund Perry’s home environment, junior high experiences, and personality at Philips Exeter. Themes such as hopes and dreams, loyalty and betrayal, journey, and family ties are intertwined in the story and becomes blatant. The congruences between our lives have better my understanding of the story and Edmund’s life.
John’s was born on January 16, 1736 in Braintree, Massachusetts. He was the middle child of three. He was the son of John Hancock, who was born on June 1, 1702 in Lexington, Massachusetts and child of Mary Hawke, who was born on October 13, 1711 in Hingham, Massachusetts. His mother was married once before she married Johns farther. Her marriage ended in her former husband’s death. John Hancock Sr was a “faithful Shepard.” He always kept an alert watch over the ethics and religious well-being of all members of the neighborhood. Ever since John’s (Jr.) birth, he was perceived to go to Harvard. When he was six, his parents sent him to a local dame school. Later he was sent to another institute, in where he met John Adams, whom became a friend of his. Like all the other children, John learned the basics of writing, figuring, and reading. All things appeared to be going well, until spring of 1774. His father had gotten sick, that later would kill him. His grief grew more because they would have to move. His mother’s parents were both dead and a very difficult choice would have to be made by her. Her anxiety to make that decision was diminished by the offer from the bishop and his wife, to live with them in Lexington. A year later, John was sent away to live with his uncle Thomas and aunt Lydia, and attend Boston Latin School. The move genuinely altered John Hancock’s life.
The conflict between Benjamin Franklin and his only living son is a microcosm of the little-understood clash between those Americans who strived for independence from British occupation and those that felt the country was either not or never would be ready for self-governance. Benjamin Franklin felt strongly enough about his son’s actions to label them betrayal; William Franklin felt strongly enough about the foolhardiness of the Revolution to suffer his father’s wrath. The actions of the loyalists are understood by Americans to constitute treason, but this is a simplification. Many loyalists felt that r...
THESIS: Although some historians believe that Silas Deane committed suicide, it is without a doubt that Edward Bancroft murdered Deane. Deane could not have not committed suicide, for he was not depressed, Bancroft was nervous that Deane would expose his secrets while traveling back to America and Bancroft could have easily poisoned Deane before he got on ship.
Here I write in the closing days of my life. My life has been full of many wonderful experiences, and I thank God for that. However, the events of almost ten years ago are a black mark on my legacy, an event that will forever haunt my spirit, while it walks the Earth within my body and when I have ascended to heaven to be with the Lord. The unjust hangings of many of God 's people, including the honourable John Proctor and Rebecca Nurse, was a regrettable moment in my life and all of New England.
.... (2013). Foreign Relations in the Gilded Age: A British Free-Trade Conspiracy? Diplomatic History, 37(2).
It was a cold morning in Newark, NJ, on the 16th of February 1756 when my good friend Aaron Burr, Jr. was born. My family lived next door to the Burr residence and became very friendly with the Reverend Aaron Burr, Sr and his wife Esther. Aaron and I attended Princeton University where we originally studied theology, but later gave up it began the study of law in Litchfield, Connecticut. Our studies were put on hold while we served during the Revolutionary War, under Generals Benedict Arnold, George Washington, and Israel Putnam.
As the inspector begins to investigate the murders of the boys he collects history books that he believes will give him insight into Richard III and his horrible crime. The first history book he comes upon is a historical reader which bears “the same relation to history as Stories from the Bible bears to Holy Writ.” This book explains the tale of the princes in the tower using short paragraphs and full page illustrations which teaches an important moral, but adds no insight to the real story of Richard III. The second text he uses to investigate the crime is a proper school history book. The first realization he comes to while reading this book is that all school history books seem to separate history into easy to digest sections associated by the different reigns that never intersect or overlap. The second realization is that Richard III must have had a towering personality to have made himself “one of the best-known rulers” in two thousand years o...
“The Wonders of the Invisible World”, written by Cotton Mather, is an account of the Salem Witch Trials. He retells information that has been passed down to him without actually being present at the trial and simultaneously explains his theory to why witches were suddenly emerging in Salem, Massachusetts. There were quite a few holes in the Salem Witch Trials, especially regarding whether or not these events occurred the way they are said to. Mather’s book shows us how intense the Puritan ideals were, attaching anything out of the ordinary to a higher power and in doing this shows the flaws of the religion which caused to Salem Witch Trials.
The Culper Spies were instrumental in providing Washington with excellent intelligence; yet the most important piece of information may have been the discovery of Benedict Arnold’s plot to give West Point to the British. Unfortunately, it is uncertain whether the spy ring actually played a significant part in the capture of Arnold’s co-conspirator, John Andre, and thus saving West Point from the British. This uncertainty is either due to a lack of ...
What did they read? The newest developments during the Reign of Terror, a title assigned to a period during the French Revolution. No one sat down to their breakfast and read about Eli Whitney patenting the cotton gin, nor did intellectuals discuss it in their social clubs, nor did monarchs and legislatures consider its ramifications. Additionally, Britain, Russia, Prussia, and other major nations watched the American Civil War with great interest, yet one doubts any of them gave nearly as much attention to Cyrus McCormick's steel plow. By these means, one must determine political revolutions more important to history.