Carol:
The Beat of the Historical Conun-Drum
Most of my American history textbooks seemed dull and lifeless. I guess I wanted someone to make it fun and to make it about me. I needed something more than dry facts to capture my attention. In 1956, that “something more” came directly to my house via the mailman. The Grosset and Dunlap We Were There series narrated historical events through the eyes of fictional girls and boys. Twenty-five books arrived at my door between 1956 and 1959 when we moved to Canada, and they turned me into a historical time-traveler.
Colonial America became my favorite destination. We Were There At the Boston Tea Party (1956) gave me the time frame, the 1770’s. Johnny Tremain (1957) supplied the characters, and a family trip to Williamsburg provided the locale. In my story, I walked the length of the Duke of Gloucester Street after school, and we worshipped at the Bruton Parish Church, where I might catch a glimpse Thomas Jefferson or Patrick Henry.
When we moved to Calgary, the books stopped coming and I got too old for Johnny Tremain. In Canada, I experienced history from a different slant, which forced me to re-examine my notions of friends and enemies, victory and defeat. We were learning about New France, not New England, the Seven Years War, not The French and Indian War, and the hero was Montcalm not Wolfe. At the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, 2000 French soldiers and Indians (mostly Algonquins) were defeated by 17,000 British and American troops. The Treaty of Paris (1763) gave possession of New France to Great Britain. (source: The Canadian Encyclopedia).
Trying to sort out the facts of history creates a conundrum, Who were the friends, who the foes? Some historians say General Montcalm was a “helpful enemy” to the British because he made strategic military blunders Montcalm might be called a “helpful enemy” to the colonists because the huge debt incurred by the British during the “French and Indian Wars” compounded with the cost of governing the new territory and its mostly French inhabitants, led to tax levies that led to colonial unrest that led to the fall of the British and the rise of the United States.
A key military hero began to emerge in the early skirmishes of 1775, first at Fort Ticonderoga and then into Quebec. At the age of 15, he had enlisted in the Connecticut army and fought for a short time during the early French invasions that would lead to the Seven Years War. He became a patriot hero. But, in 1780 when he conspired to turn over the fort at West Point to the British, Benedict Arnold became the most famous “helpful enemy” in American history.
Sources:
Benedict Arnold
General Montcalm
We Were There
Megan:
Colonial America became my favorite destination. We Were There At the Boston Tea Party (1956) gave me the time frame, the 1770’s. Johnny Tremain (1957) supplied the characters, and a family trip to Williamsburg provided the locale. In my story, I walked the length of the Duke of Gloucester Street after school, and we worshipped at the Bruton Parish Church, where I might catch a glimpse Thomas Jefferson or Patrick Henry.When we moved to Calgary, the books stopped coming and I got too old for Johnny Tremain. In Canada, I experienced history from a different slant, which forced me to re-examine my notions of friends and enemies, victory and defeat. We were learning about New France, not New England, the Seven Years War, not The French and Indian War, and the hero was Montcalm not Wolfe. At the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, 2000 French soldiers and Indians (mostly Algonquins) were defeated by 17,000 British and American troops. The Treaty of Paris (1763) gave possession of New France to Great Britain. (source: The Canadian Encyclopedia).
Trying to sort out the facts of history creates a conundrum, Who were the friends, who the foes? Some historians say General Montcalm was a “helpful enemy” to the British because he made strategic military blunders Montcalm might be called a “helpful enemy” to the colonists because the huge debt incurred by the British during the “French and Indian Wars” compounded with the cost of governing the new territory and its mostly French inhabitants, led to tax levies that led to colonial unrest that led to the fall of the British and the rise of the United States.
A key military hero began to emerge in the early skirmishes of 1775, first at Fort Ticonderoga and then into Quebec. At the age of 15, he had enlisted in the Connecticut army and fought for a short time during the early French invasions that would lead to the Seven Years War. He became a patriot hero. But, in 1780 when he conspired to turn over the fort at West Point to the British, Benedict Arnold became the most famous “helpful enemy” in American history.
Sources:
Benedict Arnold
General Montcalm
We Were There
Megan:
When I looked up "Helpful Enemies" all I could find were bible quotes and video game tips. And then I got distracted by a mention of Super Mario Brothers and wondered if I could find a way to play the original game online, and I could and so I did for a while and it turns out I’m not very good. Not that I ever was; I never beat the game. I’d make it all the way to the monster on the 12th level and then hand my Gameboy to my brother so he could finish it for me, even though at that age, my brother was sort of my enemy.
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| We didn't start on good terms |
I don’t remember what it was like before he was born, but according to my mom I did not take his admission into the family very well. So, I guess that resentment carried into our childhood. For a long time he was nothing more than a living toy for me to play with and cast aside at my whim, and his lack of cooperation frustrated me. Looking back, I think I was the main instigator for our fights. And when he had enough and locked himself in his room, I would shove notes of apology under his door until he came out and I could torture him some more.
I started to tone it back once he grew taller and stronger than me. I think the last time I
instigated a physical fight, he sat on my chest and pinned my arms under his knees and slapped me repeatedly across the face. After that, the attacks were purely psychological. I used to be able to goad him into a rage, but at some point the roles switched and I was the one screaming and slamming doors, while he just stared at me calmly with no reaction. So he won the psychological wars too, but again, only after I started them.
We got along better after I learned to drive and had my own car, by which I mean, he grew more tolerant of me once I had something he needed. But it wasn't until I left for college that I think we became friends. Before then, we really only managed to set aside our differences when we had a common enemy like a parent, a bully or a Panamanian drug lord.
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| About 1986 |
instigated a physical fight, he sat on my chest and pinned my arms under his knees and slapped me repeatedly across the face. After that, the attacks were purely psychological. I used to be able to goad him into a rage, but at some point the roles switched and I was the one screaming and slamming doors, while he just stared at me calmly with no reaction. So he won the psychological wars too, but again, only after I started them.
We got along better after I learned to drive and had my own car, by which I mean, he grew more tolerant of me once I had something he needed. But it wasn't until I left for college that I think we became friends. Before then, we really only managed to set aside our differences when we had a common enemy like a parent, a bully or a Panamanian drug lord.
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| Panama, 1995 |
Okay the Panama thing needs further explanation.
ReplyDeleteWe took an oath never to speak of it...
ReplyDeleteActually, we had a cousin stationed down there with the Naval Intelligence Service (and later, Homeland Security). He let us play with his guns.
-Megan
Naw...I'm not buying the Panama story about that picture. It appears to me that Megan is portraying Patty (AKA "Tania") Hearst and that rascal brother of hers Marshall is pretending to be SLA leader General CinQue from the infamous 1974 Bank of America holdup. Don't let those cherub-like faces fool you!
ReplyDeleteLovingly, Uncle Doug
Thanks for sharing the good experience of the reality.I find write interesting.And agreed with The Wily Quadruped that Panama things need more explanation.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteCarol replies: I don't want to come off as an irresponsible parent who let my kids play with deadly weapons. And I don't want our former intelligence officer relative to get a bum rap for squandering expensive confiscated weapons on kids. We visited him in Panama, went to his office, and he let the kids hold the uzi and the other big thing long enough for a photo. Also, notice Megan is wearing Bo Derrick-style beaded corn rows. It was a wild and crazy week!
ReplyDelete