Gobstoppers: The Jawbreaker that is the American Revolution
...dge of how to shoot a rifle, let alone how to use one. The only reason that kept them from deserting was the promise of land and wealth at the end of the war. In the same context, the American Army did not possess the resources to properly clothe and feed the masses that joined for the American cause. Many soldiers lived on diets consisting of only alcohol and hardtack or another well-keeping food. In “From the Diary of Albigence Waldo, Surgeon and Valley Forge, 1777,” he describes the conditions, “All at our several posts. Provisions and whiskey very scarce. Were soldiers to have plenty of food and rum, I believe they would Storm Trophet.” He proceeds to say several days later, “…We were ordered to march over the River – it snows – I’m sick – eat nothing – no whiskey – no forage – Lord – Lord – Lord…” These simple thoughts by a surgeon truly express the hardships faced by the soldiers and other individual that accompanied the troops. Yet the worst aspect of being a soldier is the medical attention given when sick or wounded. Revolutionary rifles were built to main, kill, and severely destroy bone and tissue. The injuries inflicted by these inefficient weapons were brutal, and in many cases led to amputation. The procedures used in battlefield operating rooms are quite lacking in comparison to today’s medical practices. Surgeons used bone saws and other tools repeatedly without washing or cleaning, spreading disease and sickness throught a camp. Additionally, the lack of a traditional anesthetic as commonly used today scared many soldiers away from medical attention. Throughout history, society classified soldiers as a different group of people. Soldiers function and think completely differently from the masses. The horrors seen on a battlefield remain with a person forever. Additionally, the constant views of death affect the individual’s senses and emotion and forever alter their reactions and mental health. Soldiers are a group unto themselves simply because of the experiences faced on the battlefield. Life in 1783 exemplified the struggle for power within the different political groups then living in the United States. The Articles of Confederation were designed in favor of yeomen and large planters, since much of the Continental Congress was made up of these two groups. However, Americans did not solely consist of farmers. In that time period, artisans, merchants, Indians, slaves, women, free blacks, and landless poor made up the bulk of the population. This large difference of interest between the signers of the Articles of Confederation and the majority of the population led to many different conflicts. One such conflict is Shay’s Rebellion, in which Massachusetts’s farmers marched on the federal armory at Springfield. This small rebellion made the differences between the different political groups very real. Only the large planters and the yeomen benefited from the Articles of Confederation. Their support of this document stemmed from the absence of taxes imposed on American citizens. As stated in Article VIII, “The taxes for paying that proportion shall be laid and levied by the authority and direction of the legislatures of the several States within the time agreed by the United States in Congress assembled.” This passage directs the collection of taxes by the states. However, since the central government had little power to force the collection of these duties, they remained uncollected. Due to this lack of enforcement and therefore the Articles of Confederation, many planters amassed huge sums of money. The landless poor, free blacks, women, slaves and Indians shared a common dislike of the Articles. As stated in Article IV, “The better to secure and perpetuate mutual friendship and intercourse among the people of the different States in this Union, the free inhabitants of each of these States, paupers, vagabonds, and fugitives from justice excepted, shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of free citizens in the several States…” Thus the Articles neatly excluded any person without home or land. Since most of the Untied States lived in poverty, a large number of Americans were disenfranchised by the Articles. Additionally, the document explicitly stated that any citizen must possess freedom, and therefore excluded what had then grown to become a very large slave population. Women did not receive even the slightest mention. In the 1780’s, women possessed almost no political standing. Rather, they were viewed as an inferior breed that endlessly fainted and were therefore incapable of making any important decisions. However, two very important pieces to the American economy have been left unmentioned. Artisans and merchants were considered the middlemen of American finances. Both parties strongly opposed the Articles due to the lack of taxes and tariffs. Artisans depended on the demand of their products to make a ...