The Shot Heard 'Round the World
I've spent the day watching The Revolution miniseries on the History Channel. It was a fantastic way to mark the Fourth, especially since I did the fireworks/outdoor concert of patriotic music thing over the weekend.
One of the things the miniseries brought home to me was how important the quirks of individuals are to the decisions made in times of great historical importance. The officers' personalities, their past histories, and their relationships with those around them had everything to do with whether they made good tactical choices or not. Same goes for the politicians.
It makes me wonder what choices we are making now will have the most impact, for good or ill, on the future. What will the History Channel of a hundred years from now be talking about?
I also wondered about my own ancestors who, I believe, were here during the Revolutionary period. Given that they were in Connecticut and Pennsylvania (I think), they likely never owned slaves, but I wonder if they were Loyalists or Patriots? Patriots, likely, since they stayed where they were after the war, and most of the Loyalists left. But still--I wonder if they were fired with the nobility of the cause, or were they in the 50 percent who wanted to be left alone?
One of the things the miniseries brought home to me was how important the quirks of individuals are to the decisions made in times of great historical importance. The officers' personalities, their past histories, and their relationships with those around them had everything to do with whether they made good tactical choices or not. Same goes for the politicians.
It makes me wonder what choices we are making now will have the most impact, for good or ill, on the future. What will the History Channel of a hundred years from now be talking about?
I also wondered about my own ancestors who, I believe, were here during the Revolutionary period. Given that they were in Connecticut and Pennsylvania (I think), they likely never owned slaves, but I wonder if they were Loyalists or Patriots? Patriots, likely, since they stayed where they were after the war, and most of the Loyalists left. But still--I wonder if they were fired with the nobility of the cause, or were they in the 50 percent who wanted to be left alone?
posted by Violet at 6:32 PM
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