Even the night before the Fourth of July, it’s easy to obtain (where legal, of course) nearly an unlimited supply of fireworks, sparklers and other brilliant incendiary devices. Though such gunpowder-based confections stir delight in children and swelling patriotism in grown-ups, they belie the true state of affairs that General George Washington and his troops faced during the American Revolution more than 230 years ago.

But don’t take our word for it. You can see for yourself in this letter – and many others in our free Birth of America preview this month. Notice Washington’s distinctive signature as he endorses yet another plea to the Continental Congress begging for more gunpowder and ammunition.

In a time when it was customary to fill correspondences with platitudes, excessive praise and indirect requests, Washington makes the situation clear:

“… but there are operations, which may hereafter become practicable, and adviseable, that we should not be able to undertake for want of ammunition, unless we can derive a supply elsewhere.”

– General George Washington to the Continental Congress on 29 July 1779

What are the Papers of the Continental Congress?

The Papers of the Continental Congress are comprised of nearly 180,000 official records from the first three representative bodies of the original United Colonies and ultimately the United States of America. The First Continental Congress was formed in 1774 to address “intolerable acts” by the British Parliament.

It ultimately formed the Second Continental Congress in May 1775 which, through 1781, was famously responsible for the Declaration of Independence and many critical articles establishing the United States of America.

The Congress of the Confederation (1781-1789) immediately succeeded it after ratification of the Articles of Confederation and lasted through the end of the War for American Independence.

These are the important papers, letters, treaties, reports and assorted records—famous and obscure—relating to the formation of the United States government. While they contain exceedingly important reports, many of which may be well-known, they also contain much covering the day-to-day government of a fledgling country.

The original documents are currently held at The National Archives.

The Papers give you a privileged view that few other resources can. They show the dangers, debate and ultimate consensus that gave birth to the country we’ll be celebrating this Fourth.

How did Footnote get these online for the first time?

Getting nearly 200,000 documents digitized and online was not the hardest part – making them easily findable was.

Computers are getting good at reading typewritten text but handwritten text is nearly impossible for them – and many of us – to decipher.

Paying a staff to cross reference the millions of different names, dates, places and topics would have been too time consuming and expensive.

Instead we found a printed five-volume set of books that referenced each document in the microfilm and had our computers “read” that typewritten text. We then matched those descriptions up with our digitized collection and indexed that with our search engine and it worked.

For the first time, anyone can access, annotate, comment or share this great American collection.

Where do I start?

Here’s a small sampling of some of interesting finds:

• Read George Washington’s Acceptance as General of the Continental Army
• Read the first printed draft of the Constitution
• John Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail, “The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival…It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations…” Read what Adams was referring to
• Read a letter by Thomas Jefferson
• A timeline of British colonization of America
• Franklin wanted to call America “The United Colonies of North America”
• Read about medical treatment during the Revolutionary War
• Read Adams’ report on European opinion of the Revolutionary War
• Read George Washington’s Acceptance as General of the Continental Army
• Read Washington’s resignation speech

If you find some interesting writings, please share them with us by either annotating the document in the Viewer or creating a Spotlight or Story Page with more details.

We look forward to your discoveries.

In the bibliography of David McCullough’s bestselling book, “1776“, (see what else we’re reading) lies an interesting source: “Revolutionary Pension Records.”

Much of the power of McCullough’s writing comes from his ability to recount an event that happened more than 220 years ago and make seem like it happened yesterday.

The powerful drama unfolds in an unending series of unique, rich and personal details gathered from extensive research. Details like the ones you can now read for the first time online in the Revolutionary War Pension Records.

These newly digitized records contain historical information as well as information useful to those researching their family’s past. And each name contains a complete file of pension documentation – usually about 30 pages.

The pension records are even more valuable when you consider that most of the original service records and the earliest pension records of the Revolutionary War were destroyed in fires in 1800 and 1814.

So we’re proud this week to release the first portion (about 10 percent) of the applications. Soon, we’ll have more than 2 million documents containing 80,000 pension and Bounty-Land-Warrant applications.

To those who think this might sound like something interesting only to librarians or doctoral students, take a look inside.

When a person applied for a pension, he or she had to appear in court and describe – under oath – their service in the Revolutionary War. Widows had to provide information about their marriage.

Details that could be found in files include:

• Marriage certificates
• Property schedules
• Letters
• Pages from family Bibles
• Diaries
• Journals
• Witnesses’ affidavits
• Details of battles and campaigns
• Troop movement
• Civil events and conditions
• Family relationships

Each file offers an intensely human story of the brave individuals who sacrificed life and limb to make the ideals of the Declaration of Independence something more than words on parchment.

Take the typical case of Matthias Armbruster, “an old Soldier of the American Revolutionary Army.”

He enlisted in 1776 for one year in Germantown and then marched to Quebec.

He fought at the battles of Brandywine, Trenton, Princeton, Monmouth and the capture of Stoney Point.

He received bayonet wounds to the front of his head and his right arm from a “horseman whom he shot dead but afterwards.”

Check out the first-hand account of Mr. Armbruster, just 79,999 stories left to tell.

When complete, all of the images and indexes of this collection can be found on Footnote or will be freely viewable at the more than 4,500 LDS Church-run family history centers around the world.

It’s an expensive way to spend President’s Day but, by all accounts, worth it.
According to The Washington Post:

It was a speech so moving the crowd wept. It was a speech so personally important George Washington’s hand shook as he read it until he had to hold the paper still with both hands. After the ceremony, he handed the thing to a friend and sped out the door of the State House in Annapolis, riding off by horse.

For centuries, his words have resonated in American democracy even as the speech itself — the small piece of paper that shook in his hands that day — was quietly put away, out of the public eye and largely forgotten.

Today, however, amid festivities celebrating his birthday, Maryland officials plan to unveil the original document — worth $1.5 million — after acquiring it in a private sale from a family in Maryland who had kept it all these years. It took two years to negotiate the deal and raise money for the speech, which experts consider the most significant Washington document to change hands in the past 50 years.

The speech, scholars say, was a turning point in U.S. history. As the Revolutionary War was winding down, some wanted to make Washington king. Some whispered conspiracy, trying to seduce him with the trappings of power. But Washington renounced them all.

Read the full transcription and view Washington’s speech.
Footnote Members (subscription required) can see the copy of Washington’s 20 Dec 1783 letter stating his intention to resign to Congress.

Update: Almost forgot to mention this document detailing the motion of Congress regarding Washington’s resignation (subscription required).