Everybody knows something about the American Revolution. But how many people know about the eerily similar, yet drastically different Irish Easter Rising and subsequent revolution? Causes, leaders, battles, treaties, resolutions, and effects are a part of every country. Sometimes they are similar, and other times not, as is the case with America and Ireland. Padraig Pearse and George Washington were both elected commander in chief over armies. Neither of them had ever commanded large armies before, although Washington had commanded squadrons. They both also lost more battles than they won. However, the similarities mostly end here. The outcome was the most different. Washington won, after a long struggle. Pearse eventually surrendered, saving countless lives. …show more content…
Many of the Irish leaders were writers, poets, or scholars with little to no military training. In contrast, the Americans had a lot of trained and capable leaders. These drastically different leaders had drastically different effects on the Revolutions. Washington’s unique military tactics won the American Revolution, starting when he had the idea to cross the Delaware. And Pearse, although he lost, went down in history for his bravery when faced with insurmountable odds. One of Pearse’s most famous quotes reads “They think that they have pacified Ireland. They think that they have purchased half of us and intimidated the other half. They think they have foreseen everything, think that they provided against everything; but the fools, the fools, the fools! - they have left us our Fenian dead, and while Ireland holds these graves, Ireland unfree shall never be at peace." This quote meant much more after the executions of sixteen Irish rebel commandants than it did when it was first said at Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa’s funeral. It gave hope to young revolutionaries and incited rebellion against
Both Napoléon Bonaparte and George Washington are viewed as influential leaders for their respective countries. They lived about thirty years apart, were in different continents but had some similar situations that helped them rise to power. They both were great leaders and still leave their mark on history. Most people agree that while Washington was a better man, Napoléon was a better leader in and his rise to power, strategy, and being supported by the people.
“Washington fought as a general in the army in the American Revolutionary War, which was from 1775-1783 and eventually gave America its independence” (Cox 893). Probably the most memorable moment in the war was in december of seventeen seventy six. Washington took his troops in freezing cold weather over the Delaware River to defeat the British and their mercenary hessians, which made a huge turning point in the war. In contrast, Adams wars were fought in the courtroom. He was from the north and went to law school at Harvard University (Peabody 37). His most notable event is when he defended British troops after the Boston Massacre had occurred. Eight soldiers were convicted of murder and Adams took their case and soon made history as all were forgiven of their
Chief Diplomat is defined as a leader who oversees, creates, and executes foreign relations and policies between the United States and other countries. The two most influential “Chief Diplomats” the US has ever had were George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. George Washington thrusted into the presidency by unanimous vote of the electoral college. Throughout his presidency, George Washington developed the country further than any president who would follow did. Washington was able to defend the homeland and support the United State’s foreign relations through his passing of the Neutrality Proclamation, Jay’s Treaty, and the Treaty of Tripoli. Many historians would argue that Thomas Jefferson made strides in advancing the nation much further through his accomplishment of acquiring the Louisiana Territory. Although neither president perfectly accomplished all goals they set out to complete, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson single-handedly accomplished, shaped, and developed the nation through treaties and foreign relations far more than any other pair of presidents during their terms as president.
He became the aide-de-camp to Nathanael Greene at Fort Lee. Here Paine wrote propaganda reports. Paine was very good making Washington look good. Paine played up small victories and played down large defeats. He tried to make it look like the army was unstoppable so that the colonists would stay hopeful that they could beat the British.
What exactly was happening in America? The Continental Army had been weakening through defeats, while the people began to lose moral. The motivation to fight and the notion of patriotism were declining. As a result, many writers came out to inspire them to take a stand and return to war. Two influential writers encouraged them not to give up their fight against the British. Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine wrote two different works targeted at two different demographics. Thomas Paine uses strong language and exciting words to grab your attention and get you believing in what he's saying, while Jefferson uses lawyer-like diction and repetitive lists that appeal to a whole different crowd. Thomas Paine’s writes very
George Washington was commander in chief of the continental army during the American revolutionary war. Although some argue that George Washington was an excellent leader, others argue that he didn’t know what he was doing and that it was out of luck that he won the revolutionary war, George Washington was without a doubt a fine general, because George Washington played roles in which he showed exemplified character and leadership, he stuck by his men and led the colonial forces to victory over the British and became a hero, he and his continental army spread ideals of freedom, liberty and showed there is hope for new heroes in the world.
The iconic imagery of George Washington is present in various aspects of everyday life to the average American citizen; his portraits are displayed in government buildings, museums, a mountainside, and even loose pocket change. In a sense, his image has become a pseudo-allegorical figure representing the stability and power of the United States. Although the humble Washington has been documented as discontent with the act of sitting for artists, he patiently allowed hundreds of painters and sculptures to capture his likeness throughout his lifetime. None more frequent than the prominent renaissance-man and close friend, Charles Willson Peale and his family of artistic prodigies. Therefore, on account of his father’s status and success, Rembrandt
Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson both being enlighten thinkers and friends who shared the same ideology. Both believe in man natural rights for mankind and the liberty to pursue them at all cost. Both men wrote about these ideas, Paine prevailed to the colonies in “Common Sense and Jefferson prevailed to the king of England in” the Declaration of Independence. I am not sure if one influences the other, considering both men writing were around the same time. However, I am sure both wanted the same equality, justice, and freedom for mankind.
Years of British occupation and oppression led to a sustained campaign to regain freedom from Britain beginning in the early twentieth century. Both the loyalist (supporters of the Union with Britain) and the republicans (supporters of a united Ireland) were willing to use violence for their cause. This took form in the 1916 Easter Rising, where Irish rebels declared the independence of the Irish Republic and fought in Dublin against the British to regain control of their homeland. The rebels were unsuccessful and were forced to surrender. This lead to the later Irish War of Independence, and the introduction of the Government of Ireland Act in 1920 and the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921, which resulted in the partitioning of Ireland into six counties in the North ruled by Britain and twenty-six counties in the south, newly named the Irish Free State. However, a significant minority in the North of around forty percent were Irish nationalists who wanted independence from Britain. “Therefore, from its creation in 1920, Northern Ireland was a state whose citizens differed over their national allegiance.” This situation in the North caused a great deal of tension, as the leaders of the Protestant, unionist majority discriminated against the Catholic, nationalist minority. So, by the 1960s, Catholic nationalist frustration was manifested in a campaign for civil rights, to which the state responded with vicious intensity. Those who were
Read from the steps of the General Post Office, the Easter Proclamation declared “the Irish Republic as a Sovereign Independent State” . Almost comically, no one hearing the proclamation seemed to care and when the British military arrived many Dubliners cheered . The Easter Rising was led mainly by The Irish Volunteers, which would later become the IRA during the Irish War of independence. An interesting aspect of the Easter Rising set for the later wars was how it foreshadowed the indifference many Irishmen felt towards the IRA during the later wars, as many seemed to be perfectly content under British rule. Additionally, the war strategy employed by the Volunteers was that of attempting to force a decisive encounter against the British and sought to get help from foreign countries sympathetic to their cause or countries that hated the British. During the Easter Rising the British deployed troops to simply quell the uprising, which they did with ease. Within 5 days, the Easter Rising ended and Ireland would be quiet for another three
For hundreds of years, since approximately AD1171, when King Henry III invaded Ireland, England had had control of Ireland. Nevertheless, Ireland became a separate nation in 1949, after many years of struggling to be independent of Great Britain. The English, predominantly Protestant, had treated the mostly Catholic Irish badly, while the Catholics had started uprisings against British rule. One of these was the Easter Uprising of 1916; the cruel reaction of the British Army to this revolt gained support for the militarist movement, which had not been seen before as the solution to the problem of English rule in
The 1916 Easter uprising in Dublin was the spark which ignited and created the Irish Republican Army (Alonso, 2001; Arena & Arrigo, 2004; Hart, 1997; Page & Smith, 2000). In 1916, several republicans took up arms against the British. The British fought back and killed the rebel
British oppression in Ireland was a significant factor in causing the Easter Rebellion of 1916, as it was the driving force for Irish independence. Anti-British sentiment was inflamed by the early history of oppression and in turn enhanced the devastating consequences of the famine. However, British oppression was insufficient, as the sole cause of the Easter Rebellion, the Gaelic revival reinvigorated patriotism and the formation of nationalist groups must be considered.
For about 150 years Ireland and neighboring countries have struggled with social controversy and segregation that has consumed society and its views, which have been labeled as the “Troubles”. Ireland has struggled to become peaceful and accept the ties it has to the United Kingdom. In every country there is hate, wars, and events that cause the population to raise up arms and try to get their points across, but in Ireland it has lasted a very long time due to Nationalists versus the government, Catholics versus Protestants, Loyalists versus Unionists, and many other radicals that believed in something greater than what Ireland was during certain time periods. Britain played a big role in Irish
In 1914 World War One began and British Parliament passed laws making Ireland partially free. Two years later on Easter Sunday a giant revolt happens that would later be named “Easter Rising”.