Congress At Valley Forge Essay

If you were a soldier at Valley Forge, would you have quit? After the defeat at Boston, New York, and Philadelphia, George Washington decided to build a winter camp at Valley Forge, 18 miles away from Philadelphia. Running low on supplies, George Washington repeatedly asked for more money and supplies for the army. As a soldier in the continental army, staying would be the best option because the congress is supporting us, Thomas Paine’s pamphlet inspires us, and you have a 90% chance of survival at Valley Forge. To begin, the Continental Congress is supporting us.William Henry Powell portrays “committee of Congress at Valley Forge which is a portrait of congress, George Washington, and soldiers(1866) “The committee of 5 Congressmen stayed several weeks and was helpful in getting more food and clothing to the soldiers.”(Powell,1866) This quote shows that

Low on morale, Thomas Paine wrote 18 pamphlets in a series called The American Crisis that tries to inspire the soldiers to stay and fight. These pamphlets highlight key points that inspired the Americans to fight the British. “These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriots will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country.”(Paine, 1776) “Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right(not only too Tax but ‘ to BIND us in ALL CASES WHATSOEVER,’ as if being bound in the manner, is not slavery, than there not such a thing as slavery upon earth.”(Paine, 1776) This quote shows that Thomas Paine is saying that those who leave do not deserve recognition. The second quote is Thomas Paine calling Britain out for tyranny. This was important because the soldiers would read it, and realize how unjust it was for Britain to fight to keep the colonies under their control. This is important because it inspired the soldiers to fight with a stronger reason, making them fight