On this day in 1775, delegates from the American colonies convene in a Continental Congress. They’d met the day before to appoint officers and to ask that the Reverend Duché be available to start the next day’s proceedings with prayer. Now they were ready to get down to business.
The Congress was badly needed! Armed conflict between Great Britain and her colonies had broken out mere weeks before at Lexington and Concord.
This Congress was the second one of its kind. The First Continental Congress (1774) had accomplished several objectives, including a petition to the King and a planned boycott of British goods if the Intolerable Acts were not repealed. The colonists still blamed Parliament more than they blamed the King. They hoped that a direct appeal to him would bring about a reconciliation with Great Britain.
Unfortunately, the King didn’t share the colonists’ perspective. He responded badly to the petition. In fact, he delivered a rather scathing response. He told Parliament that “a most daring spirit of resistance, and disobedience to the law still unhappily prevails” in America.
The story continues here: https://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-second-continental-congress
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On this day in 1975, Gerald Ford survives an assassination attempt. A second failed attempt would be made just 17 days later.
Oddly, both of the attempts were made by women: Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme and Sara Jane Moore. Fromme and Moore are the only two women in our history who have ever attempted to assassinate an American President. Kind of odd that both instances occurred with Ford, isn’t it?
Another odd coincidence: Both attacks occurred in California. Ford was then spending a lot of time in the state because he anticipated a tough presidential election contest the following year.
The first assassination attempt came in Sacramento on September 5. Ford was slated to give a talk to state legislators, and he was walking the short distance from his hotel to the California State Capitol building.
The story continues here: https://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-gerald-ford-attempt
On this day in 1780, Francis Marion wins a victory against Loyalist forces at the Battle of Blue Savannah. Marion later came to be known as the “Swamp Fox.” Perhaps you will see why!?!
Americans in South Carolina needed some good news. The British had been holding the state in the wake of their victory at the Battle of Camden. The remaining Patriot resistance was in the back country and came from men such as Francis Marion, the wily commander who has been called one of the fathers of guerrilla warfare.
The story continues here: https://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-blue-savannah
On this day in 1777, the Battle of Cooch’s Bridge occurs. Some believe this battle was the first at which the Stars and Stripes were flown. Appropriate, if so? This battle was the only Revolutionary War battle to occur in Delaware—later the first state to ratify the Constitution.
The battle occurred mere days after General William Howe had made the long trip up the Chesapeake with a fleet of British ships. The British and Hessians had been cooped up on their ships for weeks. When they finally disembarked at the mouth of the Elk River, they were a bit of a mess. The soldiers lacked fresh food and water, and their horses were doing even worse. Hundreds had died either during the voyage or shortly after landing.
The story continues here: https://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-coochs-bridge
