King George III – reigned from 1760-1820 the third of the House of Hanover (the other two had German as their first language). How much he was directly responsible for the loss of the colonies is a matter of debate. He was opposed to the Independence but did not develop the policies which led to the various tax acts which brought on colonial unrest. In his later years he was unfit to rule due to growing mental illness. Good sites for more information about George II are www.royal.gov.uk and www.britannia.com/history/monarchs

 

German mercenaries – during the Revolutionary War, the governor of the principality of Hesse-Kassel and other German leaders hired out thousands of conscripted subjects as auxiliaries to Great Britain to fight the revolutionaries. About 30,000 of them were hired and came to be known as Hessians. Some were actually direct subjects of George III (the House of Hanover having originated in Germany). They were not mercenaries in the modern sense of professional soldiers, but were debtors or even petty criminals.

 

saltpeter – potassium nitrate, used for fertilizer and as an explosive

 

Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510) – Renaissance artist, one of his two most famous paintings is The Birth of Venus (ca. 1483)

 

Thomas Paine’s Common Sense – published in 1776, it challenged the authority of the British government and the royal monarchy and was the first work to openly suggest independence. Many of the common people of America responded to its plain language.

 

F.F.V. (First Families of Virginia) – an informal association of families in the state most of whom trace their origins to the original colonists. Most did not land in Jamestown, as these were tradesmen and the women did not arrive until much later, after which many of them had died. Large numbers of royalists and wealthy Englishmen arrived later. The list of family names is very long and does indeed include the Lees, whose many prominent members are known for their accomplishments in politics and the military.

 

Quaker hat – the Quakers are a religious sect founded in England in the 17^th century. Known as a peace religion, they settled in a variety of areas around the world. In this country, many were in Pennsylvania. The hat has a wide flat brim.

 

“tria juncta in uno” – “three joined in one;” Rutledge is no doubt referring facetiously to the three delegates from Delaware. This is the motto of the Order of the Bath, an English military regiment.

 

gout – a disease of the cartilage and tendons, caused by a buildup of uric acid crystal deposits on the joints. Pain is caused by the deposits and by the resulting inflammation. It usually does attack the big toe, but also other joints can be affected. The causes are dietary and an inability to manage the acid in the body.

 

Royal Governor of New Jersey – William Franklin was the son of Benjamin Franklin. He was educated in England and became governor at the age of 32. At a time when relations with England were becoming strained, public opinion was not with him, and his relationship with his father was not good. At the end of his life, Benjamin forgave his son any debts owed, but did not will him any money, noting that if his England had won the war, there would have been no money to bequeath.

 

“New England has been fighting the devil for more than a hundred years” – reference most likely to the witch trials, mostly in Massachusetts, during the 17^th century.

 

Spartacus (ca. 120-70 B.C.E.) – gladiator/slave from Thrace who became the alleged leader of an eventually unsuccessful uprising against the Roman Republic. This story has been an inspiration to writers (and filmmakers) since the 19^th century.

 

mark of Cain – Hancock is referring to the biblical story of Cain and Abel in which Cain was marked by God after killing his brother.

 

Thomas Jefferson, “Declaration of the Causes and the Necessity of Taking Up Arms” – this piece was written in 1775 as a justification for war with Britain. It was co-authored by John Dickinson.

 

Plato – among his many writings was a critique of democracy as a form of government, which he felt would lead to: “mob rule” by pleasure seekers, rule by the stupid, and to disagreement and conflict.

 

Edmund Burke (1729-1797) – one of the foremost political thinkers of 18^th century England, he was a lawyer and a writer of essays and speeches.