The Patriot Movie I Reviewed by WTK Tyler

Dear Tyler.
My name is Antoine Chamberland but you can call me Tony, I am a private in the 6th Connecticut Regiment .Our Militia Company was formed in the 18th century to defend the towne of Lebanon, Connecticut, against its enemies. A typical Sunday started with church services, after which we would train as a militia, honing our skills to serve our community in times of danger.

In 1775, the Lebanon Towne Militia answered the call and saw service at Breed’s Hill and the Battle of Boston, at the beginning of the American Revolution. The Lebanon Towne Militia was disbanded in 1776, with some members becoming part of the 6th Company of the Continental Line, and others supporting the war from their farms…

Your review of The Patriot was wonderfully done and was in fact one of my favorite movies. Keep in mind that what was depicted in the movie was indeed fictional and was the subject of much debate. Hollywood has a tendency to embellish the facts to make them more exciting. Now had this really taken place during the time our Militia group was in operation we would have never met or fought along side Mr Benjamin Martin, you see, He was involved in the Southern theater of operations taking place in South Carolina. Our militia group fought in New England. The battle for bunker hill, Breeds Hill Ect ect. We fought in every major battle that took place in New England.

Please keep up the good work and remember that knowledge is power so stay in school, mind your parents because they were once kids like you. Don’t let bullies be bullies and never do drugs.

Respect and best wishes
Private Chamberland 6th CT Regt.

From Lebanon Connecticut take part in Redcoats and Rebels at Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge Massachusetts. Redcoats and Rebels is one of the largest battle reenactments in New England, it takes place every August once a year and has seen in the past over a thousand soldiers in attendance.

Redcoats and Rebels is a two day event that gives people an almost complete look of what colonial life was like in 1775 please join us next year visit www.oldsturbridgevillage.com for information on next years Redcoats and Rebels.

Hope to see you there,

George Washington inspecting the building of
the White House. N.C. Wyeth for Pennsylvania
Railroad, courtesy Smithsonian
Institution Background

After declaring independence from Britain in 1776, the Congress of the United States had wandered around the Mid-Atlantic States, looking for a home. At various times, Philadelphia, Princeton, Trenton, Annapolis, and other cities had served as the nation’s capital. European observers, accustomed to having capitals hundreds of years old, ridiculed the new nation for lacking a permanent seat of government. More importantly, many Europeans—and some Americans—were skeptical that a republican form of government would endure. History had seen many republics come and go; only the Roman Republic had endured for long, and it collapsed into dictatorship.

In 1789, after the ratification of the U.S. Constitution created a stronger national government, President George Washington and a newly chosen Congress assumed office in the temporary capital of New York City. After deciding to build a permanent capital, Congress authorized President Washington to choose a site for the city and pick a design and site for the President’s House. The building would be the first undertaken as the federal government prepared to move to its new home.

In 1792, at Washington’s request, Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson announced an architectural competition to produce design drawings for the President’s House. Washington insisted that the building should be made of stone, so that it would have a more substantial appearance, much like the most important buildings in Europe. The President’s House would be the largest residence in the country until after the Civil War. The young nation had never seen anything like it, and that was what Washington liked about it. The building was to be more than the home and office of the president; it was to be a symbol of the presidency. A republic could not have a king’s palace, but the building must command respect from citizens in the United States and, just as importantly, foreign visitors who came to visit America’s leader.

President Washington also hoped that the public buildings in the new capital “in size, form, and elegance shou’d look beyond the present day.” The nation could not afford anything too extravagant at this time, but the design should allow for flexibility in the future, when the nation progressed. “For the Presidents House,” wrote the nation’s leader, “I would design a building which should also look forward, but execute no more of it at present than might suit the circumstances of this Country when it shall be first wanted. A plan comprehending more may be executed at a future period when the wealth, population, and importance of it shall stand upon much higher ground than they do at present.”

On July 16, 1792, President Washington examined at least six designs submitted in the President’s House architectural competition. The plans were quite varied. Have your students examine three of these designs. They are presented as elevations, showing the front of the building, as if you were standing outside looking at it from across the street or lawn. One of the designs is by James Hoban, an Irishman whom the president had met a year earlier in Charleston. A second plan was submitted by a mysterious man known only as “A.Z.” Historians have speculated that Thomas Jefferson was the mystery designer, but records suggest that the architect likely was John Collins, a builder from Richmond, Virginia. The third design is by James Diamond, a Maryland inventor.

To learn more go to http://www.whitehousehistory.org/whha_classroom/classroom_documents-1792.html

Re-posted with permission from The White House Historical Association.