Expanding on History – New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island

In today’s post we will take a look at our northernmost colonies in The World Turns Upside Down, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.  Let’s jump right in by starting with the home of the Green Mountain Boys, New Hampshire.

Despite there being no actual battles fought in New Hampshire, the northern colony played a prominent role in the war.  Before any other colony, New Hampshire drafted a constitution asserting its independence from the British.  Later Lt. Col. Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys helped Benedict Arnold capture Fort Ticonderoga; an unexpected American success that brought cannon and fame to its leaders.  As George Washington made preparations for the march to Yorktown in 1781, he left the remaining two New Hampshire regiments behind to monitor the British force occupying New York City.  A better example of a colony firmly leaning toward the side of independence is difficult to find.

If a more independence minded state were to be found, it would be Massachusetts, where it could be argued, “this whole affair began”.  Massachusetts was the setting for many of the early battles of the war, and the actions of it’s populace would serve as inspiration for the enlistment of many.  Many of the revolution’s greatest heroes hailed from Massachusetts, among them Henry Knox and Henry Burbeck.  Starting with the Boston Tea Party and ending in Yorktown, men from Massachusetts were involved in almost every aspect of the war.

For such a small colony, Rhode Island played a vital role during the revolution.  The British captured and held Newport from 1776 till 1779.   After the British abandoned the city as the war moved south, it became a base of operations for the French army.  Of all the colonies, Rhode Island recruited the largest proportion of African Americans into its ranks.  The Rhode Island officer to rise to greatest prominence was Nathanael Greene, one of the Continental Army’s most brilliant strategists and the commander who turned the tide of the southern campaign.

So we close this post after a brief look at some of the more passionately independent New England states.  Will you continue the tradition of independence or will your love of the mother country be too much for you to lash out fight?  Will you work behind the scenes to show the rebels the “errors” of their ways? You can make those decisions and more by joining us on December 3rd for The World Turns Upside Down.

Don’t forget The World Turned Upside Down will be held in Smithtown, New York on December 3rd! Tickets are on sale now. Do not throw away your shot…