@@teviottilehurst Well, it was seen as a civil war at first and many loyalists fled north to avoid persecution after the war. But as they say, The Winners write the history books.
It's taken centuries of Eggs Benedict breakfasts and the ascendance of thespian extraordinaire, Benedict Cumberbatch, to make the name Benedict even somewhat palatable to we Americans.
The joke about Ben Franklin trying to get with the ladies is based on a lot truth. Ben Franklin was a real ladies man and partied it up with the French a lot while he was ambassador to France and John Adams complained about it a lot when he arrived in France. Although it's often been said that Franklin's socializing was more effective diplomatically than Adams more straight to the point negotiations. Ben Franklin wrote in his own autobiography even admits about being quite the ladies man and even mentions how it was a small miracle he never got any diseases.
Franklin was very good at giving people what they wanted. He wore rough furs and leathers and a racoon skin cap around Paris. He didn't normally dress that way, but he knew that's what the French nobility expected an American colonist to look like, so he catered to it. He also knew that in France, it was more about who you knew than anything else. You could convince the king of just about anything if you became friends with the right people. That's an important detail because even by then in Britain the parliament had a lot more power than the king, meaning that nepotism was a much harder political tool to use there. In Britain it was easier to influence policy with facts and money, which is the perspective Adams was coming from. But France was an absolute monarchy, where all the facts in the world don't mean shit if the autocrat of the decade decides they don't like you. In Britain you got ahead with information, allies, and money, but in France you got ahead by making the right friends.
Keep in mind that Franklin often wouldn't take "no" as an answer to his advances. "Ladies man" is a very over sanitized term for what he was, he was a womanizer. Not to say that he wasn't a brilliant man with a great many amazing achievements. It's just that even for the time he was seen as a pretty big creep, when it came to women. He was a great man, but he had his vices and flaws just like anyone else.
@@AbrahamLincoln4 on the flip side, he was sarcastic and self-deprecating in ways modern audiences can relate to and appreciate. I enjoy the pros and cons to men that tend to be taught in class as blandly as possible
Here in America we use Benedict Arnold's name as slander and is synonymous with the word traitor. That's how pretty pissed we still are about him betraying us.
The British didn't really treat the slaves any better. Actually slaves were treated far worse in the Caribbean colonies. They only freed slaves in the 13 Colonies that were revolting as a means to fight the American's. Although shortly after the American Revolution the British would go onto spearhead the anti-Slavery movement. They banned the slave trade and then realizing the slave trade was lucrative decided to wage war on the high seas against every country engaging in the slave trade. Then the British around the same time France did ended Slavery outright in the Empire.
This is an important positive legacy of colonialism. The end of the massive Arab slave trade (Arabs trading African slaves) was also helped along by the British.
An exception was given to the east indian trading company. They were allowed to keep slaving until the 1850s. And weren't actually stopped until the 1870s
America also banned the slave trade in 1808. But let it continue to persist in county. This made slaves very important as those slave owners could not important slaves. This strengthened slaves laws in the country. The types and brutality of slavery varied from country to country in North and South America. There is always an exception, BUT most slaves in America were usually cash crop workers or servants.
Well, they knew slavery was lucrative before they moved for abolition. What they didn't know was how cruel it was because the condition of slavery did not exist in the British Isles and there was very little in the way of news media at the time, the reality of it could be kept overseas by those who didn't care about human dignity. Once abolitionists started exposing slavery and hosting talks by freed and escaped slaves, public sentiment turned very strongly against slavery. You're right that there were strong economic reasons to end slavery globally once Britain had decided not to do it any more, but the abolition movement was driven by moral reasoning, and it's an area of history that Britian doesn't get nearly enough credit for. Not only did they stop sinning, they actual put very large proportions of the antional and military budget (see: West Africa Squadron) into ending the slave trade internationally, and forcibly freed hundreds of thousands of slaves at sea, and diplomatically pushed, threatened or paid off many other nations to end their own slave trades. It doesn't excuse their part in slavery, but it tends to get glossed over in an attempt to push the 'white man = bad' narrative.
As far as I know there are two monuments to Benedict Arnold in the US. One is the Boot Monument, which commemorates his service during the Battle of Saratoga. But the monument does not have his name on it, simply saying it is for a "most brilliant soldier". The other monument is at West Point where there are plaques bearing the names, ranks, and dates of birth for every American General that fought in the Revolutionary War. Arnold's is blank, stating only "major general… born 1740".
You might like the history channel "Voices of the Past" where they read historical primary sources translated to english. Some of them include the first japanese to visit the USA and Europe. One is the japanese visitor's first impression of George Washington.
The British did bring large amounts of supplies- cannon, gunpowder, food, and yes a daily rum ration for their soldiers. Remember they didn’t have nearly as reliable supply chains since they were in mostly hostile territory so they had to bring a lot with them.
Also the rum ration was to kill pathogens in water, more than it was for them to get drunk on. Since at this time reliable sources of clean drinking water basically weren't a thing. Which is also why tea and coffee were seen as necessities. Boiled water was safe to drink, freshly gathered water was not.
@@natsume-hime2473 It was a bit of both, since it was also believed it would make them better fighters. If I remember right, each soldier was entitled to something like a pint or a half pint of rum per day (I don't know if this was different for the Royal Navy). Looking at the size of the forces involved, you can imagine just how much alcohol that amounted to.
11:45 Fun Fact: Rum was a common replacement for storing water when you couldn't guarantee a clean source back then. Commonly with naval and merchant vessels at sea, and armies on the move. This was because storing water was a major issue, as it didn't take very long for it to spoil (they hadn't figured out how to purify it properly yet, so it was full of contaminants that would make the water toxic as it sat). The solution for this was to instead use alcohol in it's place as it would take much longer to go bad (it stayed safe because the water was boiled in the process of making it, not that they realized that was the reason). Originally they used beer, however a common complaint was that it became unpalatable after a short time, and was replaced with rum after it was discovered (as due to it's nature it became sweeter and more enjoyable as it sat in the barrel.) To summarize: Yes, the British Army likely was carting a stock of rum along with it's supplies, although it was more likely a cart of several smaller casks, rather than a single massive one.
Alcohol wasn't used as a replacement for water, because it dehydrates you. Alcohol was used as a means of killing the pathogens in water so it would be safe to drink. Rum rations were added to water to make the water safe to drink. This is also why tea and coffee were considered necessities, since you had to boil water to make them. Also why the tea act went over so famously badly in the Colonies/US leading up to the revolution.
With the heat stroke thing, in the New Jersey- Pennsylvania area, it gets super hot in the summer and petty cold during the winter, so the heat stroke is accurate
Let me put it this way: I grew up in New Jersey very near Morristown, the site of the battle in question (in fact, I went there on day trips with my school more than once). I often hear people who move to Japan warning others that summers are often far worse than what anyone else might be used to, at 35+ degrees C (95 F) with 80%+ humidity. When I first heard that, I was confused at the warning, because that sounded like a typical summer day to me. (Before global warming started really taking off, we'd also get below 0 degrees F (-18 C) during the day at least a couple times per winter. The Northeastern US (by which I mean the entire Northeastern quarter, not just the Northern part of the East coast) has some pretty insane weather variation.)
People often forget, or outright ignore the fact that Thomas Jefferson had a very complicated relationship with slavery. He did personally hate the practice with a fiery passion, but he was stuck with it. He was a Virginian socialite, had he freed his slaves that would have been taken very badly by his peers. Since their slaves would learn of this and demand their masters do the same. Nevermind that it would be seen as a traitorous move in the south. Thomas Jefferson also economically relied on his slaves working the land of his plantation. Without them he could not support himself. Plus he made sure his slaves were treated well, so well that other southern slave owners resented him. Also bare in mind that many free black people in the south owned slaves and treated them just as badly as the typical white southern slave owner. Just as much as we shouldn't sanitize history, we also shouldn't tar it either, we have to take both the good and bad into account. Keeping in mind that bad behaviors from historical figures isn't something that erases their good achievements. Since they weren't perfect after all, they were only human and their behaviors were the product of both their time and peer groups.
He also emphasized the need to train them for a profession before freeing them. The most famous case of this was James Hemings, who became a chef in Philadelphia. Before his freedom became official, Jefferson paid him to work as his personal chef.
For your reference: It was English military tradition in the 18th century to carry provisions of rum for their soldiers, which they would distribute to their men for fulfilling certain duties. It was a cynical way to encourage good behavior and disincentivize mutiny--though it sometimes had the opposite effect on morale.
There is a parallel between British rum rations and the comfort women in Imperial Japan. Armies have an idea that abusive comforts like these are good for morale, but historically ease of access to alcohol and sex slaves has led to low morale, insubordination and deviant behavior within armies.
@@davewolf6256 The main purpose of the rum ration was actually to purify water of pathogens. Abundant clean water wasn't really a thing in the 18th and early 19th centuries, especially not in the American colonies/US. As a result rum and other hard liquors were a necessity for killing pathogens in water. This is also why tea and coffee were seen as necessities and why the tea tax was taken so badly in the colonies. The bit of truth to your statements is that extra rum rations were awarded, on both sides, for certain behaviors, actions, and duties.
There is an indirect connection between the American Revolution and Japan. In the 1600s, Britain had managed to secure the right to open a factory in Japan through its East Indian Trading company, with the plan to use it to purchase and process Japanese Silk which was in demand in China as a way of gaining tea. (At this time the East Indian Trading Company was still vested in the crown) Japan wasn't eager to let one of the few trade goods it had that China would buy go and the east Indian company eventually decided that the venture wasn't profitable and closed the factory. One of the money making schemes thought up by Britain was to try and replicate the East Indian Trading Company's success in India, but in Japan and China. They wanted to consolidate the out of control East Indian Trading company then forcefully expand into Japan to grab enough silk to turn a profit in China, using the century old permission as a starting point. But the seven year war, then the American Revolution weakened the British power so much, that Britain ended up having to rely on the East Indian Trading Company to stay afloat, giving into pretty much anything the East Indian Trading Company demanded. Then the industrial revolution solidified the East Indian Trading Companies economic power. And they weren't interested in Japan or China until after they finished conquering India. Though public demand for tea eventually forced the East Indian Trading company to think of a non-military way of gaining access to China. AKA Opium. And of course once the tea supply was secured, all interest in Japanese goods vanished.
Yet interestingly since 1853 with Commodore Perry and the Shogun signing the Treaty of Peace and Amity, American demand for Japanese goods soared as Edo cuisine, clothing, silk, and even sauces found plenty of buyers among exotic traders for the West Coast of America. Also however, the biggest good that was in demand was tea...especially sayama tea...so much so that Americans have recorded working with various clans that the Emperor/Shogun (depending on politics and power mind you) put into exclusive tea monopolies that were essential for Japan's import of industrial technology.
@@scavenger6268 You are referring to the result of some very complex geopolitics. The US government had supported the Shogun and the British Empire supported the Emperor. The US was on poor terms with Britain as was the norm until WW1. And so when the US's Shogun ally was overthrown, the US's relationship with the Britain allied Emperor was very frosty and vice versa. Especially as the US had allowed many of the Emperor 's enemies to immigrate from Japan to the US. The US still needed Japan as a refueling port if nothing else though, so the US encouraged the import of Japanese goods to provide enough of an incentive for Japan not to shut the US back out completely.
@@devlinmorin7615 A very true fact. I was referring more to the trade routes and the traders themselves rather than government officials, although i do admit at this time it is hard to discern the difference since Japan was also technically under Tokugawa's old sumptuary laws (dress code...sometimes on pain of death).
Battle of Monmouth Courthouse.. yes every last weekend is extremely hot. I’m a American Revolution reenactor, when we recreate the Battle of Monmouth it can get as hot as 90 degrees (32.2 Celsius). Which it was 95 degrees in the shade back in June 28, 1778
The Ainu and Ryukukan got shafted by the Meiji government. There is a manga set in this period called Golden Kamuy. I like how it depicts the Ainu sympathetically, leaving the reader with a sense of the injustice done against them.
Also, if you ever get the chance, you should totally read about Daniel Morgan. He's only barely mentioned in the original video but he was seriously a beast. He fought under Benedict Arnold at Quebec City and directly took command of Arnold's men when he was wounded, and was literally the first man to scale the British barricade under fire. He was forced to surrender when they were cut off and surrounded in the city, but he refused to give his sword to any British officer because he utterly hated them (he gave to a priest instead.) He was sent back to the Continentals in a prisoner trade, after which Washington promoted him to colonel and gave him command of a riflemen corps (who fought with the Pennsylvania-Kentucky long rifle, one of the first rifles to be used in war, that were much more accurate and long-ranged than smoothbore muskets.) After the battle of Trenton, Morgan's riflemen launched a diversionary attack near the town that allowed Washington's regulars to slip away undetected and hit the British with another surprise attack at the town of Princeton. He later led his riflemen at Saratoga where they hit a British infantry column with a devastating ambush, and they were instrumental in decimating the British-German forces when Arnold attacked against orders (one of Morgan's riflemen named Timothy Murphy even climbed a tree and sniped a British general nearly 300 meters away, ridiculously far for that time.) Morgan was later promoted to brigadier general as one of Nathanael Greene's subordinates and commanded his own division during the southern campaign. He scored the greatest tactical victory that the Continentals ever won in the war when his division of regulars and militia utterly destroyed Banastre Tarleton's brigade at Cowpens in South Carolina. He had to retire shortly after that battle due to health issues, but he certainly earned a reputation as one of the fiercest American leaders in the war. A very under-appreciated figure in American history. (I'll stop bothering you now, lol)
the british Uniforms were based on the expectation of cool summers and mild winters of Northwestern Europe. New York in summer however can get well over 35° C something that happens rarely in England, the Continentals largely did not have Uniforms at all, and were wearing season appropriate clothing, they were also helped by the locals who knew where all the water supplies were. In more than one instance the british Army unknowingly missed several creeks and rivers they could have used, but because they were marching largely blind, missed their chances for water.
Does it get hot in America? Yeah... Yeah it does. It depends on where you live of course, but the battle at Monmouth was done during temperatures of around 90 °F (32 °C) and the fighting began at dawn with Lee's pursuit and didn't stop until the sun went down with a 2 hour artillery interlude in the middle. The battle had been a pursuit, so neither side was with it's supplies or could provide it's men appropriate refreshment at the site of the battle and were tired from the march.
French, Dutch, and Spanish helped the US. In addition to their offivial help we also got Military advisors from Prussia and Poland-Lithuania. British used Hessian and other from around the same area as the Hessian mercenaries.
Japanese Related Fun Fact: The battles of Lexington, Saratoga, and Yorktown were all used as namesakes for aircraft carriers that the Japanese navy would torpedo in WWII.
George Washington really was careful not to be a kind and he truly believed that the Continental Army should be strictly subordinate to the Continental Congress. The principle is that the military be under strict civilian control, and Washington took great pains to see that was carried out in practice while he was General in the Continental Army. Republics have a tendency to devolve into military dictatorships when the military has a vital role in establishing the republic. In fact, this is exactly what happened in France after they became a Republic. Napoleon came along and it became a military dictatorship.
Yes it can get hot in the summer all the way to Canada. There isn’t much geographically to stop the warm moist air from the gulf heading north. It can get to mid 90s in the late summer. That’s around 35ish Celsius. Combine that with the humidity and wool uniforms, it makes a dangerous situation for heat stroke.
11:45 I don't know about actual rum carts, but the British tended to be ludicrously over-equipped, and often carried a ton of unnecessary luxury items.
The soldiers who died of heat stroke at Monmouth probably had their uniforms to blame. It doesn't get super hot up north but the uniforms were made of wool, even the linen or cotton uniforms weren't very light. It was probably only about 80 or 90 °F, but in a wool coat it would be miserable.
5:21 It's fairly hot, yes, but you also have to remember that the soldiers' uniforms consisted of four layers of thick wool and cotton clothing, and that British backpacks were basically canvas-covered wooden boxes.
If you haven't already, I THINK the oversimplified American Civil War would be a much better video in this format of giving Japanese history at that time. If I remember correctly the Japanese bakumatsu was around that time as well.
5:17 As for the heat, it can get hot in that area. On that day, the high was 108°F (42°C). Also, the uniforms both sides wore were made from heavy wool, which exasperated the hot conditions.
Yes the British did carry large amounts of rum rations to keep soldiers happy and to kill fear and cold wasn’t until 1970 that they stopped rationing rum.
The British certainly didn't treat slaves better. It was just a method for gaining allies during the war. In fact, Jefferson referred to slavery as a "great evil" that was "thrust onto us by the British". Interestingly enough, Jefferson was not the only one who thought this way. Washington was against it too and "freed his slaves" when he died. I put that in quotes because many of them actually had to serve his wife after his death. Jefferson wanted to free the slaves but foresaw a lot of conflict between the races. I think that still goes on today, so he was pretty astute. Jeffson also thought it would be wrong to free them without training them to be able to survive on their own. Because of these 2 factors, he put forth the first legislation to free slaves and starting in Virginia but it got rejected by one vote because he wanted to have the US government (through taxing everyone, and there was racism involved) pay for them to be trained and then sent to another country to avoid racial conflict after they were trained. Jefferson found slavery evil (though he had complicated relationships with his slaves) and knew it needed to be dealt with but thought it may take time. Aaron Burr wrote on the evils of slavery. Alexander Hamilton tried to limit slavery. Ben Franklin was an abolitionist. Many were already against it but didn't know how to fix it yet. It saddens me that Jefferson's (albeit imperfect) plan lost by one vote, because America could have ended slavery long, long ago before having a civil war (that tied in other factors) and I wonder how that could have changed things. Though we'll never know now. I love those early ideals that many of the founding fathers had and how many of them did want that to apply to all people.
I see some people calling Benjamin Franklin a "ladies man" and that's a really tame sanitized version of what he was. He was a well known womanizer and while most women were receptive to his charms... He wasn't exactly known for taking "no" as an answer for his advances.
When they weren't trying to win the war, the British did treat slaves badly. Thing is, the Southern Colonist rebels wanted to live with the slaves as slaves, and the Northern Colonist rebels had to have the Southern Colonist rebel to win. The British could afford to be generous where the Colonists felt they could not.
I found your channel today. I love history and believe it is the best way to learn. Every country or kingdom has had it own unique experiences that has lead to its culture. I like these videos because you give insight into japans history and point of view durinv major conflict even if they dont invole japan keep up the good work
yes its true and its not a joke the british used to have small cities following them around to supply and take care the troops woman and children and it was not unheard of for officers to bring their wifes to war with them.
@@Wilderwolfman They're not wrong. The lack of camp followers resulted in more unsanitary conditions, lack of proper food preparation, and a general lack of ability to stay properly supplied in food and supplies like firewood. A not insignificant amount of American troops got sick and even died because of this. It also lead to a lot of American troops getting fed up and deserting the continental army. Which weakened their forces and lead to deaths that might have been avoided.
@@natsume-hime2473 i never said anything about the americans all i did was point out a fact. if you do want to get into camp followers and their benifits and downsides we can. the benefits are there yes you mentioned unsanitary conditions, food prep, firewood. yet all these things would be resolved by the army itself unsanitary conditions where resolved with discipline and camp reorganization . LACK OF PROPER FOOD PREP there is something known as a chuck wagon or a camp cook in fact it was an entire job in the army, the issue was simply a lack of food in general which camp followers need to eat too, Not proper food preparation. staying properly supplied with thousands of troops is a feat in its self. as for FIRE WOOD its called men with axes which was really easy to come by IN AN ARMY. With the american combat doctrine in late war being more mobile it allowed for picking and choosing engagements rather than being engaged camp followers would have been more a detriment than a benefit (ASK GENERAL JOHN BURGOYNE WHAT ITS LIKE HAVING ALL THOSE TROOPS AND 2,000 CAMP FOLLOWERS IN A WILDERNESS WHILE BEING ENGAGED AND HARRASSED BY DANIEL MORGAN AND HIS RANGERS ARMED WITH KENTUCKY LONG RIFLES FOR 6 WEEKS ON HIS MARCH SOUTH). This is why the americans where capable of quick mobile engagements and rapid reaction forces hence why camp followers where phased out of most armies in the following wars around the world and then entirely removed to ensure quick mobile armies with strict discipline.
@@natsume-hime2473 if anything the american condition would have been resolved with proper supplies which they would receive with frances full commitment to the conflict
This was the first series of yours I’ve watched and I’m so impressed because your perspective creates a whole new meaning for what was going on at the time. But also, a bacteriologist on your money?! That’s to new to me too! Americans only put presidents on our money, except for Benjamin Franklin. I wish we opened up who could be on a bill to more than just presidents. We should also strive to honor people who do good, honest work and benefit society, president or not.
What about Sacagawea and Susan B. Anthony? Respectively both on dollar coins. We also approved putting Harriet Tubman on the $5 by vote, but the current administration stonewalled its implementation*
@@ThatOneGuy-dc3xq Harriet was approved for the $20 as she would be replacing a notorious, genocidal racist Andrew Jackson. I like the idea of Sacagawea on a paper dollar, but not so much Susan B Anthony. While Anthony is correctly regarded as one of the leading women of the suffragist movement, it is often omitted from how we remember her that she was on record saying she’d cut off her arm before she ever campaigned for a black woman’s right to vote. She was an outspoken racist as well, unfortunately.
I like these videos a lot because learning about Japanese history has sadly never been something I looked much into as I did medieval studies so the furthest east I got was the Abbasid Caliphate. I’d be interested in seeing more of this sort of content (as well as your cooking videos), but as I am a fan of musical and history, and knowing you know English, I was wondering if you’d ever consider doing a reaction to Hamilton (sorry, but Hamilton is what came to mind here!). Regardless of your answer to that, thanks for making such interesting videos!
Nathaniel Greene was a tough bastard besides being a military genius. He got shot six times at Guilford Courthouse and still managed to lead his men in an organized retreat, and lived a relatively long happy life afterward.
5:22 I’m from New York (which pretty much has the same temperature) and in fall and winter it gets very cold over here, but it also gets really hot in the spring and defiantly during the summer and very rarely it will get so hot it reaches up to 106 degrees
You wouldn't hear about Benedict Arnold because even after all this time he's still mostly hated in the US. Even the memorial that use to have his name on it at Saratoga I think had it scraped off. Now it's just very vague about who it's to. It's also only of his boot since his foot was wounded valiantly fighting for this country. Yes that's right his foot has more respect then the man himself here in the states. Or as the old story goes. When Benedict Arnold was leading the forces of the King against his former compatriots in Virginia, among his prisoners was a certain plucky and witty officer, who, in answer to Arnold's question, "What will the Americans do with me if they catch me?" replied, "They will cut off the leg which was wounded when you were fighting so gloriously for the cause of liberty, and bury it with the honors of war, and hang the rest of your body on a gibbet. Also Ironically enough since Major Andre was executed as a spy over the whole deal the British weren't to fond of him either. As they didn't even get West Point over it.
I love these reactions to US history from people across the world. I’ve always love history myself, and have a pretty basic idea of history except for certain regions like Southeast Asia and most of Africa. It’s cool to see other people in other cultures see my own history. So far I’ve seen an Estonian, and Australian, a Swede, and a Russian react to American history. Now I can add a Japanese person to the list. Didn’t realize so many other countries taught about my history already, as most of the people I watch already know the base essentials like the heavy taxes, the French support, the minutemen, Boston massacre, continental congress and the Declaration of Independence. In my history classes we only went over other countries in VERY broad strokes, usually summing up other regions in just a paragraph or two. It’s cool to know other cultures go a little more in depth
Really enjoyed putting the Japanese timelines in. I have always felt those 200 years of isolation stopped a lot of technical innovation in Japan because it wasn’t’t needed...until Perry arrived and it was desperately...missing. Japan also missed learning diplomatic skills. When Japan finally exploded outward, they seemed, to a westerner, to lack the concept of diplomacy. But, Europe and then the US, were used to maneuvering diplomatically. Diplomacy: fighting a war without firing a shot. Japan was up against Russia, China, Korea, everything and everybody to the south. They were past desperate for raw materials. As far as I can tell, there were no diplomatic ties to anyone else. Sorry, change of timelines in my text.
summers in the mid us are as hot as japanese summers in southern japan. not to mention back then they dressed in full underclothes with vests and jackets. almost 3 - 4 layers of clothing.
You really should check out the civil war oversimplified video to get an idea of a defining period in American history and a better idea of slavery in the U.S
There was a mexican restaurant in the town I grew up that would accept any foreign money they didn't have yet as payment and put it up on the wall for display. It was honestly amazing seeing money from 50+ countries. Some of it was old stuff not even used anymore from halfway across the world! If I ever own a business I want to do the same thing.
Fun Fact: Benjamin Franklin hated his only son William because William stayed loyal to the crown. Left him very little in his Last Will and excised him from his autobiography. Yes, it can get VERY hot out here in the right places, pair that with the fact that those coats they wore were very thick and heavy and lots of extra heat from gunpowder, you're gonna get heatstroke. Same coats for Winter AND Summer doesn't necessarily work out very well. Rum barrels were not THAT large, but they did transport a lot of them because liquor is required to keep an army's morale up, especially for long marches. The large size is for comedic effect as transporting giant barrels is a recipe for disaster, all it takes is one accident and you've wasted liters and liters of booze. Safer to transport smaller kegs and deliver them throughout the encampments.
Hey man, great job with the videos. Dia dhuit agus Jon is ainm dom.( Thats Gaelic) Shout out from Ireland. I'm hoping you can do some more history reactions. Would be cool if you could do one on the Irish potato blight! See how politics under British rule starved the country and movement from Ireland to the states. Check it out with extra history they give a great description on it. Keep up the good work!
I hope you can understand the American spirit being how it is, our nation was literally born out of blood and war…and not only that, but held together by it. Our Civil War is still considered to be one of the highest casualty wars we have ever had, most of which is to be attributed to infection, disease, and general poor conditions.
Yorktown was enabled by one of the very few times the French beat the British at sea. The mission to reinforce Cornwallis was blocked by the French defeating the British relief force.
Ironically enough, the American Revolution was in fact a world war as France starting fighting the British across their other colonies from Gibraltar to India. The British East India Company even fought multiple wars with the Indian kingdom of Mysore as a consequence.
Yep, we know the name of the first leader of our government. We all learn about the revolution, he's held in high regard, on our money, and national capital and a state named after the man.
The issue of slavery is one of those topics that is a dark part in US history. Many of the founding leaders like Jefferson and Washington hated it but were reluctant owners themselves (this is based off journals and letters they had written). They had wanted to free them in the beginning, but as explained in the video the southern colonists would not have supported the revolution, and then later the founding of their new country, had slavery been abolished. It was what some would call a necessary evil that does not bring pride to the nation. This even has played a role in a lot of the unrest going on currently in the US with certain jurisdictions throughout the country destroying statues and renaming streets and landmarks of American founding fathers and later leaders.
Yes. They would often transport rum. Alcohol was considered medicinal, it improved morale, it was often safer to drink than the local water when you didn't have time to boil it. No, it wasn't smart, but it was 250 years ago.
I read about why Washington and Jefferson did not free all their slaves. Racism was so rampant freed slaves were mistreated very badly but as slaves of Washington and Jefferson they would be treated with some respect. I think one of them experimented by freeing some of their slaves and it didn’t go well. Anyway that’s some extra insight.
Comment on rum. Rum was a standard ration for all soldiers. Though I don't know the exact ration of Cornwallis's forces a standard ration at the time was 1/2 pint/day. So for every 1000 men that's 500 pounds of rum per day or 14,800 pounds per month. Add to that all the fine plates and flatware the officers used and that's a huge amount of weight. All were burnt or destroyed at this point.
Benjamin Franklin is being portrayed unfairly here. He understood something that John Adams didn't. The French hated the British, but they didn't have a lot of motivation to help the American rebels revolt against a king and certainly didn't want to support rebels who would ultimately lose. Franklin understood that his only real tool was to make himself loved by the French and that's exactly what he did. When he went to a party, he may or may not have enjoyed it, but he was doing his job. He was successful, and finally the French supplied money, supplies, ships, and soldiers.
It skipped over the Articles of Confederation. That was what defined the American government before the Constitution. It was a complete mess with virtually no federal government and led to all the states competing with one another over the pettiest of reasons. Practically the entire world was taking bets on how long it would take for us to crawl back to the British.
"Was it a joke or did the British Army really carry that ridiculous amount of rum?" I don't know, but it wouldn't surprise me. Alcohol would have probably been safer to drink than water in those days, thanks to infection.
I really like your channel. Do you think you could find out what Japanese people think about the events in history? I'd be interested to know what they think if they know at all.
10:40 - I'm not surprised you've never heard of the Waxhaws Massacre. This is my first time hearing about it, and I was born in America! I suspect it's because it wasn't a major battle, so it gets glossed over in the history books.
Do I know the first leader of my current government? Of course I do! Konrad Adenauer was the first chancellor of the federal republic of Germany, after WW2. He was a very staunch anti-communist and worked hard to restore Germanys good reputation with Britain, USA and even with France (Germany joined the EEC under his leadership, the EEC was a precursor organization of the European Union) But at the same time he also worked to assert Germanys sovereignty over itself and played a role in creating the German constitution, rebuilding the German military and not accepting the status quo of an East and West division. He even received some medals of honor in Japan for his efforts to protect Japanese-German friendship even if our nations lost the war. He was also very old. He was chancellor until he was 87 years old and died just a year later. According to his daughter, his inspiring final words to her were: "There is nothing to cry about." I believe the restoration of Germany is thanks to great individuals like him and Willy Brandt, even if he was his main political rival
I realize I'm late to the party on this, but the Hudson River Valley not only was to interrupt the American communication lines but it also was where a lot of the American food was grown. It was also an effort to starve the Americans out. They burned farms along the way.
I know this is not a strong comparison, but the American forces functioned similarly to ninjas. Both were often just regular people with relatively little combat experience compared to their better supplied and more honorable counterparts, the British and samurai respectively. However, both were very smart and resourceful, using the tools they had and their deep knowledge of the land to catch their enemies off guard. Both were especially good at espionage and sneak attacks, usually resorting to dirty tactics that their enemies wouldn't be able to do.
I actually like your video, but I don't want to sound like an audiophile, but is the video's sound playing through the main speaking or was it recorded straight from the pc? just wanted to know.
Fun fact about the 2 term limit Washington set as a tradition. Believe it or not it was not law up until the mid 1900s and was almost never broken by any president except for during WW2 by FDR.
Washington was the first executive leader of our current government, but our current government wasn’t the first “American” government per se. There was a previous government, existing under the “Articles of Confederation.” John Hanson was the first leader of this government, but there was no executive branch....he was a part of Congress. His roll wasn’t the same as the Constitutional president, but he did make many important decisions. I believe he introduced the treasury, established cabinet-like positions that are a precursor to the current model, and set a number of other precedents in American governance. Edit: I forgot to mention that the Articles of Confederation government was considered an ineffective failure and replaced by the Constitution. Adding the Executive branch and putting the office of president in it, with special powers, was the result of lessons learned from the first government.
Most Americans can probably name the first three presidents since they were all over the Revolution, the founding of the country, and all. In fact, the third President, Thomas Jefferson is considered among the best by some people - no small feat given that there's probably barely a handful of presidents that would make a best list. Also idk what wrong with that user, but it is history that Thomas Jefferson inherited and owned slaves. A lot of famous/important names up until the end of the American Civil War did... It is important that we acknowledge that so that we can then discuss with even more context. He did disagree with the practice and regret being burdened financially with them, while also considering the development of this brand new nation. As a Black American, it is definitely a complicated and painful topic so it is difficult to look at these people allowing this inhumane practice to continue. But we must also look to the greater arc of history and allow for context to emerge. I do hope you watch the Oversimplified Civil War video and maybe comment on what was happening in Japan in the mid-late 1800s. It's kinda interesting to see another country basically having a peace period while Europe and the Americas were just going at it.
Being a "Benedict Arnold" is a name for being a "traitor"
I think I'm actually related to Benedict Arnold
Well, that and Judas.
It's Washington who was a traitor, a traitor to his English ancestors.
@@teviottilehurst
Well, it was seen as a civil war at first and many loyalists fled north to avoid persecution after the war. But as they say, The Winners write the history books.
It's taken centuries of Eggs Benedict breakfasts and the ascendance of thespian extraordinaire, Benedict Cumberbatch, to make the name Benedict even somewhat palatable to we Americans.
The joke about Ben Franklin trying to get with the ladies is based on a lot truth. Ben Franklin was a real ladies man and partied it up with the French a lot while he was ambassador to France and John Adams complained about it a lot when he arrived in France. Although it's often been said that Franklin's socializing was more effective diplomatically than Adams more straight to the point negotiations.
Ben Franklin wrote in his own autobiography even admits about being quite the ladies man and even mentions how it was a small miracle he never got any diseases.
Franklin was very good at giving people what they wanted. He wore rough furs and leathers and a racoon skin cap around Paris. He didn't normally dress that way, but he knew that's what the French nobility expected an American colonist to look like, so he catered to it. He also knew that in France, it was more about who you knew than anything else. You could convince the king of just about anything if you became friends with the right people. That's an important detail because even by then in Britain the parliament had a lot more power than the king, meaning that nepotism was a much harder political tool to use there. In Britain it was easier to influence policy with facts and money, which is the perspective Adams was coming from. But France was an absolute monarchy, where all the facts in the world don't mean shit if the autocrat of the decade decides they don't like you. In Britain you got ahead with information, allies, and money, but in France you got ahead by making the right friends.
Keep in mind that Franklin often wouldn't take "no" as an answer to his advances. "Ladies man" is a very over sanitized term for what he was, he was a womanizer. Not to say that he wasn't a brilliant man with a great many amazing achievements. It's just that even for the time he was seen as a pretty big creep, when it came to women. He was a great man, but he had his vices and flaws just like anyone else.
"Didn't get any diseases" i spit my drink out lol.
Adams was known to have a short temper
@@AbrahamLincoln4 on the flip side, he was sarcastic and self-deprecating in ways modern audiences can relate to and appreciate. I enjoy the pros and cons to men that tend to be taught in class as blandly as possible
Here in America we use Benedict Arnold's name as slander and is synonymous with the word traitor. That's how pretty pissed we still are about him betraying us.
@YESSIR Yessir And you must be American for asking such a dumb question.
Eh, speak for yourself. I'd have turned traitor too if I'd been treated like Arnold.
Radek Kosil
*And Indians like India so what's your point ?*
YESSIR Yessir
Lol true mate
Hearing what happened to him I don't blame him haha
The British didn't really treat the slaves any better. Actually slaves were treated far worse in the Caribbean colonies. They only freed slaves in the 13 Colonies that were revolting as a means to fight the American's.
Although shortly after the American Revolution the British would go onto spearhead the anti-Slavery movement. They banned the slave trade and then realizing the slave trade was lucrative decided to wage war on the high seas against every country engaging in the slave trade. Then the British around the same time France did ended Slavery outright in the Empire.
This is an important positive legacy of colonialism. The end of the massive Arab slave trade (Arabs trading African slaves) was also helped along by the British.
But the end effects were def worse in America were new laws were passed and till this day inequality
An exception was given to the east indian trading company. They were allowed to keep slaving until the 1850s. And weren't actually stopped until the 1870s
America also banned the slave trade in 1808. But let it continue to persist in county. This made slaves very important as those slave owners could not important slaves. This strengthened slaves laws in the country. The types and brutality of slavery varied from country to country in North and South America. There is always an exception, BUT most slaves in America were usually cash crop workers or servants.
Well, they knew slavery was lucrative before they moved for abolition. What they didn't know was how cruel it was because the condition of slavery did not exist in the British Isles and there was very little in the way of news media at the time, the reality of it could be kept overseas by those who didn't care about human dignity. Once abolitionists started exposing slavery and hosting talks by freed and escaped slaves, public sentiment turned very strongly against slavery. You're right that there were strong economic reasons to end slavery globally once Britain had decided not to do it any more, but the abolition movement was driven by moral reasoning, and it's an area of history that Britian doesn't get nearly enough credit for. Not only did they stop sinning, they actual put very large proportions of the antional and military budget (see: West Africa Squadron) into ending the slave trade internationally, and forcibly freed hundreds of thousands of slaves at sea, and diplomatically pushed, threatened or paid off many other nations to end their own slave trades. It doesn't excuse their part in slavery, but it tends to get glossed over in an attempt to push the 'white man = bad' narrative.
As far as I know there are two monuments to Benedict Arnold in the US. One is the Boot Monument, which commemorates his service during the Battle of Saratoga. But the monument does not have his name on it, simply saying it is for a "most brilliant soldier". The other monument is at West Point where there are plaques bearing the names, ranks, and dates of birth for every American General that fought in the Revolutionary War. Arnold's is blank, stating only "major general… born 1740".
So we do thank and recognize his service, but due to his betrayal his name bares no mention, kinda fitting.
@@kaleoarnold3709 and all he ever wanted was name recognition.
"Ouch."
You might like the history channel "Voices of the Past" where they read historical primary sources translated to english. Some of them include the first japanese to visit the USA and Europe. One is the japanese visitor's first impression of George Washington.
Yo! He should totally react to that. That translator guy was such a pure soul. Heck, he was featured on the 10 thousand Yen note!
@@SeymoreSparda for a moment I assumed you meant the person who reads "voices of the past" and I was so confused. (I figured it out)
The British did bring large amounts of supplies- cannon, gunpowder, food, and yes a daily rum ration for their soldiers. Remember they didn’t have nearly as reliable supply chains since they were in mostly hostile territory so they had to bring a lot with them.
Also the rum ration was to kill pathogens in water, more than it was for them to get drunk on. Since at this time reliable sources of clean drinking water basically weren't a thing. Which is also why tea and coffee were seen as necessities. Boiled water was safe to drink, freshly gathered water was not.
@@natsume-hime2473 It was a bit of both, since it was also believed it would make them better fighters. If I remember right, each soldier was entitled to something like a pint or a half pint of rum per day (I don't know if this was different for the Royal Navy). Looking at the size of the forces involved, you can imagine just how much alcohol that amounted to.
11:45 Fun Fact: Rum was a common replacement for storing water when you couldn't guarantee a clean source back then. Commonly with naval and merchant vessels at sea, and armies on the move. This was because storing water was a major issue, as it didn't take very long for it to spoil (they hadn't figured out how to purify it properly yet, so it was full of contaminants that would make the water toxic as it sat). The solution for this was to instead use alcohol in it's place as it would take much longer to go bad (it stayed safe because the water was boiled in the process of making it, not that they realized that was the reason). Originally they used beer, however a common complaint was that it became unpalatable after a short time, and was replaced with rum after it was discovered (as due to it's nature it became sweeter and more enjoyable as it sat in the barrel.)
To summarize: Yes, the British Army likely was carting a stock of rum along with it's supplies, although it was more likely a cart of several smaller casks, rather than a single massive one.
Alcohol wasn't used as a replacement for water, because it dehydrates you. Alcohol was used as a means of killing the pathogens in water so it would be safe to drink. Rum rations were added to water to make the water safe to drink. This is also why tea and coffee were considered necessities, since you had to boil water to make them. Also why the tea act went over so famously badly in the Colonies/US leading up to the revolution.
With the heat stroke thing, in the New Jersey- Pennsylvania area, it gets super hot in the summer and petty cold during the winter, so the heat stroke is accurate
Let me put it this way: I grew up in New Jersey very near Morristown, the site of the battle in question (in fact, I went there on day trips with my school more than once). I often hear people who move to Japan warning others that summers are often far worse than what anyone else might be used to, at 35+ degrees C (95 F) with 80%+ humidity. When I first heard that, I was confused at the warning, because that sounded like a typical summer day to me.
(Before global warming started really taking off, we'd also get below 0 degrees F (-18 C) during the day at least a couple times per winter. The Northeastern US (by which I mean the entire Northeastern quarter, not just the Northern part of the East coast) has some pretty insane weather variation.)
Man! Now I am interested in the Murakami Pirates! never knew about Japanese pirates!
Same
Vastly more piracy in East Asia than anywhere else. The famous period of piracy in the Caribbean lasted like ten years.
Have you never heard of Monkey D Luffy
@@ostormblessed5831 No! neither heard of the Devil's fruit!
Everywhere there was maritime trade, there was piracy.
People often forget, or outright ignore the fact that Thomas Jefferson had a very complicated relationship with slavery. He did personally hate the practice with a fiery passion, but he was stuck with it. He was a Virginian socialite, had he freed his slaves that would have been taken very badly by his peers. Since their slaves would learn of this and demand their masters do the same. Nevermind that it would be seen as a traitorous move in the south. Thomas Jefferson also economically relied on his slaves working the land of his plantation. Without them he could not support himself. Plus he made sure his slaves were treated well, so well that other southern slave owners resented him. Also bare in mind that many free black people in the south owned slaves and treated them just as badly as the typical white southern slave owner. Just as much as we shouldn't sanitize history, we also shouldn't tar it either, we have to take both the good and bad into account. Keeping in mind that bad behaviors from historical figures isn't something that erases their good achievements. Since they weren't perfect after all, they were only human and their behaviors were the product of both their time and peer groups.
He also emphasized the need to train them for a profession before freeing them. The most famous case of this was James Hemings, who became a chef in Philadelphia. Before his freedom became official, Jefferson paid him to work as his personal chef.
For your reference: It was English military tradition in the 18th century to carry provisions of rum for their soldiers, which they would distribute to their men for fulfilling certain duties. It was a cynical way to encourage good behavior and disincentivize mutiny--though it sometimes had the opposite effect on morale.
There is a parallel between British rum rations and the comfort women in Imperial Japan. Armies have an idea that abusive comforts like these are good for morale, but historically ease of access to alcohol and sex slaves has led to low morale, insubordination and deviant behavior within armies.
@@davewolf6256 The main purpose of the rum ration was actually to purify water of pathogens. Abundant clean water wasn't really a thing in the 18th and early 19th centuries, especially not in the American colonies/US. As a result rum and other hard liquors were a necessity for killing pathogens in water. This is also why tea and coffee were seen as necessities and why the tea tax was taken so badly in the colonies. The bit of truth to your statements is that extra rum rations were awarded, on both sides, for certain behaviors, actions, and duties.
@@natsume-hime2473 Also used on ships in much the same way for similar reasons. Grog was just (neat) rum mixed with water.
There is an indirect connection between the American Revolution and Japan.
In the 1600s, Britain had managed to secure the right to open a factory in Japan through its East Indian Trading company, with the plan to use it to purchase and process Japanese Silk which was in demand in China as a way of gaining tea. (At this time the East Indian Trading Company was still vested in the crown)
Japan wasn't eager to let one of the few trade goods it had that China would buy go and the east Indian company eventually decided that the venture wasn't profitable and closed the factory.
One of the money making schemes thought up by Britain was to try and replicate the East Indian Trading Company's success in India, but in Japan and China.
They wanted to consolidate the out of control East Indian Trading company then forcefully expand into Japan to grab enough silk to turn a profit in China, using the century old permission as a starting point.
But the seven year war, then the American Revolution weakened the British power so much, that Britain ended up having to rely on the East Indian Trading Company to stay afloat, giving into pretty much anything the East Indian Trading Company demanded. Then the industrial revolution solidified the East Indian Trading Companies economic power. And they weren't interested in Japan or China until after they finished conquering India. Though public demand for tea eventually forced the East Indian Trading company to think of a non-military way of gaining access to China. AKA Opium. And of course once the tea supply was secured, all interest in Japanese goods vanished.
Yet interestingly since 1853 with Commodore Perry and the Shogun signing the Treaty of Peace and Amity, American demand for Japanese goods soared as Edo cuisine, clothing, silk, and even sauces found plenty of buyers among exotic traders for the West Coast of America. Also however, the biggest good that was in demand was tea...especially sayama tea...so much so that Americans have recorded working with various clans that the Emperor/Shogun (depending on politics and power mind you) put into exclusive tea monopolies that were essential for Japan's import of industrial technology.
@@scavenger6268 You are referring to the result of some very complex geopolitics. The US government had supported the Shogun and the British Empire supported the Emperor. The US was on poor terms with Britain as was the norm until WW1. And so when the US's Shogun ally was overthrown, the US's relationship with the Britain allied Emperor was very frosty and vice versa. Especially as the US had allowed many of the Emperor 's enemies to immigrate from Japan to the US. The US still needed Japan as a refueling port if nothing else though, so the US encouraged the import of Japanese goods to provide enough of an incentive for Japan not to shut the US back out completely.
@@devlinmorin7615 A very true fact. I was referring more to the trade routes and the traders themselves rather than government officials, although i do admit at this time it is hard to discern the difference since Japan was also technically under Tokugawa's old sumptuary laws (dress code...sometimes on pain of death).
Yay! I learned something really interesting. That's rare from youtube comments. Thank you, guys.
Battle of Monmouth Courthouse.. yes every last weekend is extremely hot. I’m a American Revolution reenactor, when we recreate the Battle of Monmouth it can get as hot as 90 degrees (32.2 Celsius). Which it was 95 degrees in the shade back in June 28, 1778
ya the battle when charles lee shit the bed
5:22 Temperatures in that area can rise up to 95 or to 100 degrees every summer.
The Ainu and Ryukukan got shafted by the Meiji government. There is a manga set in this period called Golden Kamuy. I like how it depicts the Ainu sympathetically, leaving the reader with a sense of the injustice done against them.
Also, if you ever get the chance, you should totally read about Daniel Morgan. He's only barely mentioned in the original video but he was seriously a beast.
He fought under Benedict Arnold at Quebec City and directly took command of Arnold's men when he was wounded, and was literally the first man to scale the British barricade under fire. He was forced to surrender when they were cut off and surrounded in the city, but he refused to give his sword to any British officer because he utterly hated them (he gave to a priest instead.)
He was sent back to the Continentals in a prisoner trade, after which Washington promoted him to colonel and gave him command of a riflemen corps (who fought with the Pennsylvania-Kentucky long rifle, one of the first rifles to be used in war, that were much more accurate and long-ranged than smoothbore muskets.) After the battle of Trenton, Morgan's riflemen launched a diversionary attack near the town that allowed Washington's regulars to slip away undetected and hit the British with another surprise attack at the town of Princeton.
He later led his riflemen at Saratoga where they hit a British infantry column with a devastating ambush, and they were instrumental in decimating the British-German forces when Arnold attacked against orders (one of Morgan's riflemen named Timothy Murphy even climbed a tree and sniped a British general nearly 300 meters away, ridiculously far for that time.)
Morgan was later promoted to brigadier general as one of Nathanael Greene's subordinates and commanded his own division during the southern campaign. He scored the greatest tactical victory that the Continentals ever won in the war when his division of regulars and militia utterly destroyed Banastre Tarleton's brigade at Cowpens in South Carolina. He had to retire shortly after that battle due to health issues, but he certainly earned a reputation as one of the fiercest American leaders in the war.
A very under-appreciated figure in American history. (I'll stop bothering you now, lol)
Fun fact: "Benedict Arnold" is used as another word for "Traitor." In the USA.
It's also a recipe for eggs.
9:34 His name is used in place of calling someone a traitor or backstabber, you would call them a Benedik Arnold. Its so common we still say it
the british Uniforms were based on the expectation of cool summers and mild winters of Northwestern Europe. New York in summer however can get well over 35° C something that happens rarely in England, the Continentals largely did not have Uniforms at all, and were wearing season appropriate clothing, they were also helped by the locals who knew where all the water supplies were. In more than one instance the british Army unknowingly missed several creeks and rivers they could have used, but because they were marching largely blind, missed their chances for water.
Does it get hot in America? Yeah... Yeah it does. It depends on where you live of course, but the battle at Monmouth was done during temperatures of around 90 °F (32 °C) and the fighting began at dawn with Lee's pursuit and didn't stop until the sun went down with a 2 hour artillery interlude in the middle. The battle had been a pursuit, so neither side was with it's supplies or could provide it's men appropriate refreshment at the site of the battle and were tired from the march.
French, Dutch, and Spanish helped the US. In addition to their offivial help we also got Military advisors from Prussia and Poland-Lithuania.
British used Hessian and other from around the same area as the Hessian mercenaries.
Japanese Related Fun Fact: The battles of Lexington, Saratoga, and Yorktown were all used as namesakes for aircraft carriers that the Japanese navy would torpedo in WWII.
Not gonna lie, seeing your face on the dollar bill cracked me up a bit lol
George Washington really was careful not to be a kind and he truly believed that the Continental Army should be strictly subordinate to the Continental Congress. The principle is that the military be under strict civilian control, and Washington took great pains to see that was carried out in practice while he was General in the Continental Army. Republics have a tendency to devolve into military dictatorships when the military has a vital role in establishing the republic. In fact, this is exactly what happened in France after they became a Republic. Napoleon came along and it became a military dictatorship.
Yes it can get hot in the summer all the way to Canada. There isn’t much geographically to stop the warm moist air from the gulf heading north. It can get to mid 90s in the late summer. That’s around 35ish Celsius. Combine that with the humidity and wool uniforms, it makes a dangerous situation for heat stroke.
"At that time we enjoyed this kind of thing." I think they still do lol
now in 2D!
11:45 I don't know about actual rum carts, but the British tended to be ludicrously over-equipped, and often carried a ton of unnecessary luxury items.
The soldiers who died of heat stroke at Monmouth probably had their uniforms to blame. It doesn't get super hot up north but the uniforms were made of wool, even the linen or cotton uniforms weren't very light. It was probably only about 80 or 90 °F, but in a wool coat it would be miserable.
5:21 It's fairly hot, yes, but you also have to remember that the soldiers' uniforms consisted of four layers of thick wool and cotton clothing, and that British backpacks were basically canvas-covered wooden boxes.
If you haven't already, I THINK the oversimplified American Civil War would be a much better video in this format of giving Japanese history at that time. If I remember correctly the Japanese bakumatsu was around that time as well.
US summers can be brutal depending on where you live. We get freezing cold winters and burning hot summers here.
5:17 As for the heat, it can get hot in that area. On that day, the high was 108°F (42°C). Also, the uniforms both sides wore were made from heavy wool, which exasperated the hot conditions.
Yes the British did carry large amounts of rum rations to keep soldiers happy and to kill fear and cold wasn’t until 1970 that they stopped rationing rum.
Also because adding rum rations to water made water safe to drink.
@@natsume-hime2473 unfortunately rum can’t sterilize water it would have to be pure alcohol
The British certainly didn't treat slaves better. It was just a method for gaining allies during the war. In fact, Jefferson referred to slavery as a "great evil" that was "thrust onto us by the British".
Interestingly enough, Jefferson was not the only one who thought this way. Washington was against it too and "freed his slaves" when he died. I put that in quotes because many of them actually had to serve his wife after his death. Jefferson wanted to free the slaves but foresaw a lot of conflict between the races. I think that still goes on today, so he was pretty astute. Jeffson also thought it would be wrong to free them without training them to be able to survive on their own. Because of these 2 factors, he put forth the first legislation to free slaves and starting in Virginia but it got rejected by one vote because he wanted to have the US government (through taxing everyone, and there was racism involved) pay for them to be trained and then sent to another country to avoid racial conflict after they were trained.
Jefferson found slavery evil (though he had complicated relationships with his slaves) and knew it needed to be dealt with but thought it may take time. Aaron Burr wrote on the evils of slavery. Alexander Hamilton tried to limit slavery. Ben Franklin was an abolitionist. Many were already against it but didn't know how to fix it yet. It saddens me that Jefferson's (albeit imperfect) plan lost by one vote, because America could have ended slavery long, long ago before having a civil war (that tied in other factors) and I wonder how that could have changed things. Though we'll never know now. I love those early ideals that many of the founding fathers had and how many of them did want that to apply to all people.
Chinese American here love your videos 🤟
I see some people calling Benjamin Franklin a "ladies man" and that's a really tame sanitized version of what he was. He was a well known womanizer and while most women were receptive to his charms... He wasn't exactly known for taking "no" as an answer for his advances.
When they weren't trying to win the war, the British did treat slaves badly. Thing is, the Southern Colonist rebels wanted to live with the slaves as slaves, and the Northern Colonist rebels had to have the Southern Colonist rebel to win. The British could afford to be generous where the Colonists felt they could not.
I found your channel today. I love history and believe it is the best way to learn. Every country or kingdom has had it own unique experiences that has lead to its culture. I like these videos because you give insight into japans history and point of view durinv major conflict even if they dont invole japan keep up the good work
yes its true and its not a joke
the british used to have small cities following them around to supply and take care the troops
woman and children
and it was not unheard of for officers to bring their wifes to war with them.
Their death rate from disease was lower. Washington was a prude who tried banishing camp followers and it costed lives.
@@sld1776 ......ok
@@Wilderwolfman They're not wrong. The lack of camp followers resulted in more unsanitary conditions, lack of proper food preparation, and a general lack of ability to stay properly supplied in food and supplies like firewood. A not insignificant amount of American troops got sick and even died because of this. It also lead to a lot of American troops getting fed up and deserting the continental army. Which weakened their forces and lead to deaths that might have been avoided.
@@natsume-hime2473 i never said anything about the americans all i did was point out a fact.
if you do want to get into camp followers and their benifits and downsides we can.
the benefits are there yes you mentioned unsanitary conditions, food prep, firewood. yet all these things would be resolved by the army itself
unsanitary conditions where resolved with discipline and camp reorganization . LACK OF PROPER FOOD PREP there is something known as a chuck wagon or a camp cook in fact it was an entire job in the army, the issue was simply a lack of food in general which camp followers need to eat too, Not proper food preparation. staying properly supplied with thousands of troops is a feat in its self. as for FIRE WOOD its called men with axes which was really easy to come by IN AN ARMY.
With the american combat doctrine in late war being more mobile it allowed for picking and choosing engagements rather than being engaged camp followers would have been more a detriment than a benefit
(ASK GENERAL JOHN BURGOYNE WHAT ITS LIKE HAVING ALL THOSE TROOPS AND 2,000 CAMP FOLLOWERS IN A WILDERNESS WHILE BEING ENGAGED AND HARRASSED BY DANIEL MORGAN AND HIS RANGERS ARMED WITH KENTUCKY LONG RIFLES FOR 6 WEEKS ON HIS MARCH SOUTH).
This is why the americans where capable of quick mobile engagements and rapid reaction forces
hence why camp followers where phased out of most armies in the following wars around the world and then entirely removed to ensure quick mobile armies with strict discipline.
@@natsume-hime2473 if anything the american condition would have been resolved with proper supplies
which they would receive with frances full commitment to the conflict
This was the first series of yours I’ve watched and I’m so impressed because your perspective creates a whole new meaning for what was going on at the time. But also, a bacteriologist on your money?! That’s to new to me too! Americans only put presidents on our money, except for Benjamin Franklin.
I wish we opened up who could be on a bill to more than just presidents. We should also strive to honor people who do good, honest work and benefit society, president or not.
The $10 has Hamilton on it. He wasn’t a president on it either
@@BrianHall33 true.
What about Sacagawea and Susan B. Anthony? Respectively both on dollar coins. We also approved putting Harriet Tubman on the $5 by vote, but the current administration stonewalled its implementation*
@@ThatOneGuy-dc3xq Harriet was approved for the $20 as she would be replacing a notorious, genocidal racist Andrew Jackson. I like the idea of Sacagawea on a paper dollar, but not so much Susan B Anthony. While Anthony is correctly regarded as one of the leading women of the suffragist movement, it is often omitted from how we remember her that she was on record saying she’d cut off her arm before she ever campaigned for a black woman’s right to vote. She was an outspoken racist as well, unfortunately.
@@grantdowling8550 thank you for the correction and for the knowledge about SBA, I had not known that C:
I like these videos a lot because learning about Japanese history has sadly never been something I looked much into as I did medieval studies so the furthest east I got was the Abbasid Caliphate. I’d be interested in seeing more of this sort of content (as well as your cooking videos), but as I am a fan of musical and history, and knowing you know English, I was wondering if you’d ever consider doing a reaction to Hamilton (sorry, but Hamilton is what came to mind here!). Regardless of your answer to that, thanks for making such interesting videos!
Nathaniel Greene was a tough bastard besides being a military genius. He got shot six times at Guilford Courthouse and still managed to lead his men in an organized retreat, and lived a relatively long happy life afterward.
5:22 I’m from New York (which pretty much has the same temperature) and in fall and winter it gets very cold over here, but it also gets really hot in the spring and defiantly during the summer and very rarely it will get so hot it reaches up to 106 degrees
I like how this guy shows some of what was going on in Japan at the same time as in the USA
You wouldn't hear about Benedict Arnold because even after all this time he's still mostly hated in the US. Even the memorial that use to have his name on it at Saratoga I think had it scraped off. Now it's just very vague about who it's to. It's also only of his boot since his foot was wounded valiantly fighting for this country. Yes that's right his foot has more respect then the man himself here in the states. Or as the old story goes.
When Benedict Arnold was leading the forces of the King against his former compatriots in Virginia, among his prisoners was a certain plucky and witty officer, who, in answer to Arnold's question, "What will the Americans do with me if they catch me?" replied, "They will cut off the leg which was wounded when you were fighting so gloriously for the cause of liberty, and bury it with the honors of war, and hang the rest of your body on a gibbet.
Also Ironically enough since Major Andre was executed as a spy over the whole deal the British weren't to fond of him either. As they didn't even get West Point over it.
I love these reactions to US history from people across the world. I’ve always love history myself, and have a pretty basic idea of history except for certain regions like Southeast Asia and most of Africa. It’s cool to see other people in other cultures see my own history. So far I’ve seen an Estonian, and Australian, a Swede, and a Russian react to American history. Now I can add a Japanese person to the list. Didn’t realize so many other countries taught about my history already, as most of the people I watch already know the base essentials like the heavy taxes, the French support, the minutemen, Boston massacre, continental congress and the Declaration of Independence. In my history classes we only went over other countries in VERY broad strokes, usually summing up other regions in just a paragraph or two. It’s cool to know other cultures go a little more in depth
Really enjoyed putting the Japanese timelines in. I have always felt those 200 years of isolation stopped a lot of technical innovation in Japan because it wasn’t’t needed...until Perry arrived and it was desperately...missing. Japan also missed learning diplomatic skills. When Japan finally exploded outward, they seemed, to a westerner, to lack the concept of diplomacy. But, Europe and then the US, were used to maneuvering diplomatically. Diplomacy: fighting a war without firing a shot. Japan was up against Russia, China, Korea, everything and everybody to the south. They were past desperate for raw materials. As far as I can tell, there were no diplomatic ties to anyone else. Sorry, change of timelines in my text.
Not exactly giant barrels of rum but they did have massive cannons that would get stuck in mud and slow them down.
summers in the mid us are as hot as japanese summers in southern japan. not to mention back then they dressed in full underclothes with vests and jackets. almost 3 - 4 layers of clothing.
The thumbnail 🤣🤣🤣
Perfection!
You really should check out the civil war oversimplified video to get an idea of a defining period in American history and a better idea of slavery in the U.S
There was a mexican restaurant in the town I grew up that would accept any foreign money they didn't have yet as payment and put it up on the wall for display. It was honestly amazing seeing money from 50+ countries. Some of it was old stuff not even used anymore from halfway across the world! If I ever own a business I want to do the same thing.
Fun Fact: Benjamin Franklin hated his only son William because William stayed loyal to the crown. Left him very little in his Last Will and excised him from his autobiography.
Yes, it can get VERY hot out here in the right places, pair that with the fact that those coats they wore were very thick and heavy and lots of extra heat from gunpowder, you're gonna get heatstroke. Same coats for Winter AND Summer doesn't necessarily work out very well.
Rum barrels were not THAT large, but they did transport a lot of them because liquor is required to keep an army's morale up, especially for long marches. The large size is for comedic effect as transporting giant barrels is a recipe for disaster, all it takes is one accident and you've wasted liters and liters of booze. Safer to transport smaller kegs and deliver them throughout the encampments.
Well done William 🇬🇧
I gotta say, your thumbnails are very creative. I wouldn't mind having a dollar bill of Yuya Washington
I love your reactions because I learn a lot about Japanese history and it's people.
Hey man, great job with the videos. Dia dhuit agus Jon is ainm dom.( Thats Gaelic) Shout out from Ireland. I'm hoping you can do some more history reactions. Would be cool if you could do one on the Irish potato blight! See how politics under British rule starved the country and movement from Ireland to the states. Check it out with extra history they give a great description on it. Keep up the good work!
I hope you can understand the American spirit being how it is, our nation was literally born out of blood and war…and not only that, but held together by it. Our Civil War is still considered to be one of the highest casualty wars we have ever had, most of which is to be attributed to infection, disease, and general poor conditions.
Yorktown was enabled by one of the very few times the French beat the British at sea. The mission to reinforce Cornwallis was blocked by the French defeating the British relief force.
Ironically enough, the American Revolution was in fact a world war as France starting fighting the British across their other colonies from Gibraltar to India. The British East India Company even fought multiple wars with the Indian kingdom of Mysore as a consequence.
So glad I found your channel, should should react to the history of the Alamo's Japanese memorial
Yep, we know the name of the first leader of our government. We all learn about the revolution, he's held in high regard, on our money, and national capital and a state named after the man.
The issue of slavery is one of those topics that is a dark part in US history. Many of the founding leaders like Jefferson and Washington hated it but were reluctant owners themselves (this is based off journals and letters they had written). They had wanted to free them in the beginning, but as explained in the video the southern colonists would not have supported the revolution, and then later the founding of their new country, had slavery been abolished. It was what some would call a necessary evil that does not bring pride to the nation. This even has played a role in a lot of the unrest going on currently in the US with certain jurisdictions throughout the country destroying statues and renaming streets and landmarks of American founding fathers and later leaders.
Yes. They would often transport rum. Alcohol was considered medicinal, it improved morale, it was often safer to drink than the local water when you didn't have time to boil it. No, it wasn't smart, but it was 250 years ago.
Sound is a lot better now. I wasn't able to watch the Cold War video because it was hard to hear, but this is great!
Hello from Texas I want to visit Japan I respect Japanese culture.
i must say you are good with history
but there is this video called the russain revulotion one of the kings went to japan
its on the same channel
I love your insight into what was happening in Japan at this time.
The name of the first Prime Minister of Canada is Sir John A MacDonald.
Love your content keep it up!!
I read about why Washington and Jefferson did not free all their slaves. Racism was so rampant freed slaves were mistreated very badly but as slaves of Washington and Jefferson they would be treated with some respect. I think one of them experimented by freeing some of their slaves and it didn’t go well. Anyway that’s some extra insight.
Comment on rum. Rum was a standard ration for all soldiers. Though I don't know the exact ration of Cornwallis's forces a standard ration at the time was 1/2 pint/day. So for every 1000 men that's 500 pounds of rum per day or 14,800 pounds per month.
Add to that all the fine plates and flatware the officers used and that's a huge amount of weight. All were burnt or destroyed at this point.
I loved the thumbnail of the Japanese Washington. 😂
Benjamin Franklin is being portrayed unfairly here. He understood something that John Adams didn't. The French hated the British, but they didn't have a lot of motivation to help the American rebels revolt against a king and certainly didn't want to support rebels who would ultimately lose. Franklin understood that his only real tool was to make himself loved by the French and that's exactly what he did. When he went to a party, he may or may not have enjoyed it, but he was doing his job. He was successful, and finally the French supplied money, supplies, ships, and soldiers.
Franklin's the greatest traitor Britain ever had, a traitor to his English ancestors.
@@teviottilehurst You mean because, as an American, he supported America in the American Revolution?
It skipped over the Articles of Confederation. That was what defined the American government before the Constitution. It was a complete mess with virtually no federal government and led to all the states competing with one another over the pettiest of reasons. Practically the entire world was taking bets on how long it would take for us to crawl back to the British.
"Was it a joke or did the British Army really carry that ridiculous amount of rum?"
I don't know, but it wouldn't surprise me. Alcohol would have probably been safer to drink than water in those days, thanks to infection.
Lol I love your channel especially the thumbnails they are hilarious 😂😂😂
Interesting to watch and read comments from foreigners about my country 🇬🇧
The character Colonel William Tavington in a Mel Gibson movie called The Patriot was based on Tarleton.
I really like your channel. Do you think you could find out what Japanese people think about the events in history? I'd be interested to know what they think if they know at all.
10:40 - I'm not surprised you've never heard of the Waxhaws Massacre. This is my first time hearing about it, and I was born in America! I suspect it's because it wasn't a major battle, so it gets glossed over in the history books.
Do I know the first leader of my current government? Of course I do!
Konrad Adenauer was the first chancellor of the federal republic of Germany, after WW2. He was a very staunch anti-communist and worked hard to restore Germanys good reputation with Britain, USA and even with France (Germany joined the EEC under his leadership, the EEC was a precursor organization of the European Union)
But at the same time he also worked to assert Germanys sovereignty over itself and played a role in creating the German constitution, rebuilding the German military and not accepting the status quo of an East and West division. He even received some medals of honor in Japan for his efforts to protect Japanese-German friendship even if our nations lost the war. He was also very old. He was chancellor until he was 87 years old and died just a year later. According to his daughter, his inspiring final words to her were: "There is nothing to cry about."
I believe the restoration of Germany is thanks to great individuals like him and Willy Brandt, even if he was his main political rival
You should react to "the Armchair Historian's" videos someday too
It's as good as Oversimplified but with a good animation and serious motive lol
I DO KINDA BE LOVING THESE VIDEOS
Can you react to the American Civil War next?
the rum was an analogy. the british had more soldiers(hevey rum) to they where slower
The thumbnail is so cool😂👌🏾❤️
I realize I'm late to the party on this, but the Hudson River Valley not only was to interrupt the American communication lines but it also was where a lot of the American food was grown. It was also an effort to starve the Americans out. They burned farms along the way.
I know this is not a strong comparison, but the American forces functioned similarly to ninjas. Both were often just regular people with relatively little combat experience compared to their better supplied and more honorable counterparts, the British and samurai respectively. However, both were very smart and resourceful, using the tools they had and their deep knowledge of the land to catch their enemies off guard. Both were especially good at espionage and sneak attacks, usually resorting to dirty tactics that their enemies wouldn't be able to do.
12:49, The brits were known to be very Anti slavery
1:17 Ok, that was pretty funny. Probably just because I didn't expect that response. So short.
I actually like your video, but I don't want to sound like an audiophile, but is the video's sound playing through the main speaking or was it recorded straight from the pc? just wanted to know.
Fun fact about the 2 term limit Washington set as a tradition. Believe it or not it was not law up until the mid 1900s and was almost never broken by any president except for during WW2 by FDR.
I would be very interrested in learning about Japanese history and I would watch any videos about it
I love how you put your face in the thumbnail !
I LOVE THE THUMBNAIL HAHA
Nice video. Sending love from Virginia 🇺🇸
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boot_Monument Arnold did get recognition for his good work eventually. Part of him.
Washington was the first executive leader of our current government, but our current government wasn’t the first “American” government per se.
There was a previous government, existing under the “Articles of Confederation.” John Hanson was the first leader of this government, but there was no executive branch....he was a part of Congress.
His roll wasn’t the same as the Constitutional president, but he did make many important decisions. I believe he introduced the treasury, established cabinet-like positions that are a precursor to the current model, and set a number of other precedents in American governance.
Edit: I forgot to mention that the Articles of Confederation government was considered an ineffective failure and replaced by the Constitution. Adding the Executive branch and putting the office of president in it, with special powers, was the result of lessons learned from the first government.
Most Americans can probably name the first three presidents since they were all over the Revolution, the founding of the country, and all. In fact, the third President, Thomas Jefferson is considered among the best by some people - no small feat given that there's probably barely a handful of presidents that would make a best list.
Also idk what wrong with that user, but it is history that Thomas Jefferson inherited and owned slaves. A lot of famous/important names up until the end of the American Civil War did... It is important that we acknowledge that so that we can then discuss with even more context. He did disagree with the practice and regret being burdened financially with them, while also considering the development of this brand new nation. As a Black American, it is definitely a complicated and painful topic so it is difficult to look at these people allowing this inhumane practice to continue. But we must also look to the greater arc of history and allow for context to emerge.
I do hope you watch the Oversimplified Civil War video and maybe comment on what was happening in Japan in the mid-late 1800s. It's kinda interesting to see another country basically having a peace period while Europe and the Americas were just going at it.