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Wartime Concerns

In this lesson, we will focus on some of the challenges that the Revolutionaries faced during their War for Independence. The first lecture discusses the Smallpox Epidemic that raged in North American during the time of the American Revolution. It is broken up into two parts - Smallpox in the time of Revolution, parts I and II. The last lecture is on American alliances during the Revolution with a primary focus on the French and Dutch.

Smallpox in the Time of Revolution

Americans in the second half of the 20th century and the first decades of the 21st century have lived in a place and time where vaccines provided protection against an array of diseases including smallpox, which have dramatically reduce child mortality and increased life expectancy. The last natural outbreak of smallpox in the U.S. occurred in 1949. While the initial vaccine against smallpox was developed in the 1790s, an improved vaccine was developed in the 1950s and there was a world-wide effort to eradicate smallpox, which was achieved by 1980. Perhaps it is hard for modern Americans to imagine a time when people were so fearful of a disease that soldiers would attempt to inoculate themselves by cutting the skin with needles or pins under the fingernails and then injecting smallpox material. That happened. Continental soldiers did just that when faced with an outbreak during the Quebec campaign. As you watch the first two lecture videos, try to imagine that other time and the choices that George Washington and others faced.

Watch part I of Smallpox in the Time of Revolution (almost 12 minutes):

Click here for the transcript

https://youtu.be/jjUW7gjcUlg

Watch part II of Smallpox in the Time of Revolution (10:25 mins):

https://youtu.be/TbMw9Dq54h8

Alliances

American diplomats, assigned by the Continental Congress, sought alliances with major European powers, particularly with the French and later the Dutch (The Netherlands). Even before these formal alliances, the French, Spanish, and Dutch aided the American revolutionaries in their conflict with Great Britain. The video lecture below discusses both the informal (or secret) aid and the formal alliances.

Watch the video lecture on Alliance in the American Revolution (13:15 mins). The transcript is available here.

Let's end with a brief documentary clip by the Mount Vernon historical site. It dives into the strategy and discussions leading up to Yorktown and focuses on Washington, Rochambeau, and the Comte de Grasse.

https://youtu.be/fYcTI8rmpHw