The Woman Who Stood Up To George Washington

This is to be his own American stories sure were Americans. The store and the American people that you find in search for the American story podcast go to the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcast today we have the story of Esther read woman whom during the Revolutionary war went to great lengths to support the Continental Army Prof. Woody Holton of the University of South Carolina will be sharing with us her story, here's Prof. Holton, my favorite discoveries researching a book on the revolution was Esther read the woman who stood up to George Washington and after she died was plagiarized by Thomas Jefferson, but in a good way. She was born in Britain in 1746 and she was in her early 20s she met a young man who was in Britain for a legal education. His name was Joseph Reed and he was from America and they too fell in love the two of the married and moved back to America together in 1770, it's that while you may think about Esther read is just four years after moving to America, we have the Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia and much of the delegates had dinner with Esther Joseph Reed and one of them pronounced her eight daughter of liberty that she had already become a solid enthusiastic patriot to the American cause. Even if you don't live in America for four years.

Her husband Joseph was also great hatred, he became secretary to George Washington and then agitate general in the Continental Army, but that's also what got Joseph in trouble because in 1776 George Washington as commander-in-chief made a mistake should have evacuated a fork called Fort Washington on the Hudson River and what's now New York City and Washington didn't in the fort was captured with 6000 men in it. Reed wrote a letter criticizing his commander-in-chief.

George Washington and to his great chagrin. George Washington accidentally on purpose open this letter and saw that his protégé Joseph Reed was criticizing him, and it really put our real Paul in their relationship. They continue to work together. Washington Joseph Reed in 1779, Joseph Reed became the president of Pennsylvania that was the highest office in this state, Pennsylvania during the American Revolution, take it to the spring of 1780 which was the real low point of the revolutionary war near where I live down to Charleston, South Carolina. The British captured not only the town of Charleston but 6000 man Continental Army and their problems internal to America to the soldiers had been paid and they were getting their required amount of food or proper uniforms and so as George Washington put it there was a mutiny and dissension throughout the Army. We want the most amazing incidents of desertion was a bunch of Continental soldiers fighting for liberty that they just had enough so they mass deserted bargaining that this is a state New York and they were gonna go to a British Fort New York Canada and desert to the other side and their commanding officer had to resort to sending Oneida Indian six nations of the airport to go capture these Americans who had tried to desert the British and Oneida did catch up with them and killed 13 of them some escape. Some of us back to face justice. It was dark days and one since it was literally dark days, because there was a weird thing that happened in the heaven may of 1780 of the middle of the day. The sky went.and people knew from their almanacs when was that the inputs of this is not just suddenly went dark and with wills sounded and Cox crowed and all that and many people believe the God darkness date. This is the end of the world makes sense given how bad things were going for the patriot side of it eventually went away and the storage think that what really happened was forest fires up in Maine on smoke in the air that it blocking the sky farther south.

It really symbolizes that these were dark days for the Americans.

And this is where Mr. Reid becomes part of the story you want to do something to improve the morale of the soldiers that were already enlisted and so she came up with this idea of getting the women of Philadelphia to go door-to-door and raise money and then divide it up among the troops as a special gift among the soldiers. Just as a way of telling them that they had not been forgotten.

That was a great fear is that this happens a lot in our country as well as other religions. People are not having to go fight the war. Forget about the truth and she really wanted them to know they were. Remember, but she had a problem in organizing this effort was that women in those days at least ladies in those days were supposed to go out knocking on strangers store there anywhere close to be in the street alone and even listening to Woody Holton of the University of South Carolina share with us the story of Esther read any setting the table. If people think were facing hard times today just don't understand what hard times were and how what our troops were going through. Well, we could've lost. They could've just left in efforts like this from Esther read change the game change the calculus the morale of the troops think about.

They weren't paid, and indeed they were discerning and mass we come back for this remarkable story of Esther read the story of the founding of our country and our first war in our first Civil War here in our American stores.

If you love the stories we tell about this great country and especially the stories of America's rich past. Know that all of our stories about American history from word innovation culture and faith are brought to us by the great folks at Hillsdale College placement. Students study all the things that are beautiful in life. All the things that are good in life. If you can get the Hillsdale bills that will come to you with a free and terrific online courses to Hillsdale.edu to learn more and we continue with our American stories we been listening to Prof. Woody Holton, the University of South Carolina share with us the story of Esther read Esther was born British moved to America after marrying her patriot husband, Joseph Reed, who would buy the way, become the president of Pennsylvania, the patriots experiencing devastating losses in the war and Esther had begun to worry about the morale of our troops, she decided to raise money for them is encouraging other women to do the same back again is women back when women did not knock on doors.

Let's return to Woody, she had to sell them on the idea of doing this so she publishes extraordinary thing in the newspaper called sentiments of an American lady where she made the case that American women just like American men were born for liberty and she also cited examples of role models.

You could say of women in history who had stepped out and made serious changes and she mentioned nonsense. Elizabeth, who was one of those powerful monarchs that England had ever had. The example of Catherine the great of Russia. Another powerful woman if she used an interesting expression in her essay answering to describe what is what Catherine the great and what was with the first of done that was she's said they had extended the empire of liver see Esther read was the first person ever to use that phrase empire liberty for an earthly matter that his people had used empire liberty as a euphemism expression for heaven. So she what she publishes essay and got a lot of other women involved the committee of 39. That is three representing each of the 13 states in a race a ton of money is going pretty well for fundraising until Esther read wrote commander-in-chief. George Washington sang okay, we've raised all this money we need to figure out the practical matter.involve Martha Washington in distributing the money to the church and George Washington wrote back saying hold on. I know my men.

These are mostly guys and your 27, number and if you give them cash money they're going to go out and blow it on liquor and so not only will they not have anything of value for that but I have a drunken army to confront the British with and so I don't want direct gifts of cash to the soldiers is what I want to do instead wants to go out and buy a bunch of cloth linen cloth and you women use that cloth to some shirts for the soldiers and Esther read wrote back saying when I do it that way because we don't want to give the soldiers something they need and want to give them something they that is that army owns uniform security shirts to its soldiers and so is your job George Washington. She was saying is, as she cut he was a very intimidating guy. It's your job to provide the clothing for the soldiers so so would I give them something. This was beginning anyway want to give nights with George Ross about faxing sharks. It should really be shirts so she did give Bennett that okay will make the search.

One thing I discovered was yes she gave in on the shirts but she didn't give in on another matter and that involves knowing that Pennsylvania politics was very divided. It was Republicans and Democrats that it was Republicans and constitutionalists and it is very different about her body from the one we have today.

Those were her husband in. He was a member of the constitutional Spartan anyway.

Washington said a want to buy cloth with this money, but I want you to put the money in this new bank a private bank, started by a bunch of these Republican politics conditions in Pennsylvania and she wrote back. Basically say this thing was started by my husband's enemies. And if I put the money they are going to get the banknotes and returns of IOUs that might be worth less. The money that I put Internet that's going to hurt my cause and so she stood up to George Washington. She said no, that makes her a very rare person. She was only 33 years old, standing up to George Washington and ladies were not supposed to do that but the title is my they spent on cloth in the did comply with what Washington desired about the shirts and women end up making 2000 church to give to soldiers want to find little forces is that each woman sued her name into the back of the shirts of the soldiers with no there is one particular woman with doneness for him and began her whole point was shown that they were meant the same as part of this story comes on September 18, 1781, the right in the middle of selling the shirts and when she suddenly came down with attack dysentery and died on September 18, 1780 at the age of 30. The campaign continued without her wanted to say about the Esther Reed's death is generally when women died in those days if they were famous.

I purchased the wife of the highest official of the state put an obituary is always very general, really interchangeable oceans wonderful wife wonderful mother of the nothing specific about but when she died due to generic obituary but then they also specifically talk about this amazing effort done on behalf of the soldiers and in fact the newspaper speculated that one reason for deafness imposing on herself to great part of tasks like 7000 soldiers who died of bullets and another 20,000 soldiers who died of disease are no more innocent.

She had given her life for the cause. As I said the effort continued into good thing it did to because on January 1, 1781, except died. There was a mutant. Among the Pennsylvania soldiers of the continental army over all these issues like not getting there pay not getting proper clothing to that had been promised to them actually marched towards Philadelphia for most interestingly, did to appease the soldiers was that easy gave each of them a shirt. It's how many of these new being soldiers were was brought back to being a loyal soldier again by being given one of inserts that Esther read his other women have. So that's one thing that happened after her death. Another thing is that Thomas Jefferson wrote one of his most famous letters your course is most famous for writing the Declaration of Independence, but he's also coined some of the best-known phrases that we use when we talk about the American Revolution today so one of those was empire of liberty. He was the first person to describe the United States as an empire of liberty and its mission expression because dollars associate liberty with empire the United States to become an empire.

Liberty.

But you might remember that when I was talking about the essay that Esther read wrote in June 1780 call sentiments of the American woman in that essay, she became became the first person to use the phrase empire liberty for anything other than as it is a work for is a place for heaven and she said that essay to Martha Jefferson, the wife of Thomas Jefferson, the governor of Virginia talking approve this. But I'm pretty sure that Thomas Jefferson got that phrase empire of liberty, not out of his amazingly creative brain, but borrowed that idea like Esther read in a terrific job in the production by faith. Buchanan and a special thanks to Prof. Woody Holton, professor at the University of South Carolina in his book liberty to sweep the hidden history of the American Revolution, by the way, the role women played. We talk a lot about that here in the show will continue to do so.

American women were born from liberty. Esther read said those words would make it the Jeffersons pen and change the world story of Esther read here on our American story. We continue with our American stories any Oakley was a shooting star magician whose magic wand was a gun right-handed left-handed on a horse through a mere couldn't miss the time and women were only expected to fire up the oven.

Any Oakley fired her way to fame world's greatest structure your personal life. He was a sharpshooter as well is devoted to remarriage and to her faith. Tell the story is actually Lubinski Ashley is the former cohost of Discovery Channel master of arms, the former curator in charge of the Cody firearms Museum and Pres. of the gun code LLC. Ashley famous women in history and speculation and adoration named Mark something that lived in the late 19th and 20th century different colorful history is been really humble beginnings. She was born in 1860 – County, Ohio, and is tragically followed a lot of her younger life father passed away around the means to support her mother and her siblings. She started she would be so is exactly the hunting at some point she would pay off the mortgage. She had a lot of skill even for a very young woman she's doing things that go on in her life talked about. And when she suffered from extreme abuse when she why a limit order and agent Sandy Peterson.

Esther actually sent off to go to school. She imagines her energy was having an hundred 30 families that she can work and make money and educate women great people not bound incredibly and he said I'm not really hot out there into the bargain for the educational component. So fortunately she was with her family. Later she continued to support the family.

The itching their hunting morning part of her life that would make her famous stories in the 1870s that are 30 minute clinic in 1881 when she was 15 years on a famed marksman came into her town challenging people all over the country. He got to try to see and be as well. Now every new Frank Butler and now we don't really remember think that Larry only nanny I'm probably because she one teenager she challenged CB thank you might think a lot, and I would be a little bad about not very attractive and recorded her and married about a year later they started traveling partners.

He was doing shooting activations and she started to determine along that she got her start shooting with that, she quickly got involved with a man named William Cody that people attending a flow valve.

She was a part on the world for Buffalo Bills mild lasting.

He did serve asking for manager*in addition to continue being a world record-setting shooting there going to join the fanfare and me move my hands becomes Buffalo Bills mild last night, I went back and what we would call a wild lash out what is important to note that didn't call his lab last shout because he argued that it was a specific reason on how the last really, what did you stage him seems a dead deer's favorite recruitment different military battles that obviously were glamorized, then it really wise employing a huge number of people. He traveled around the world.

So any gifts to basically see the entire world. By the time she's in her early 20s. She makes a name for herself doing different things. She guides shoot shotgun which is a pronoun for Mr. Souter is also a rifle shooter and self versatility. I'm watching it is really pretty impressive and she would do is to write a bicycle mounted sitting on a hard or riding a bike everywhere with her image. She will invite a bicycle use a shotgun or smoothbore lever action rifle or lever action rifle Seymour on because it basically acorn" rifle that's been converted to things you can fire up shop got shot out of favor using a projectile when you are in line and she would shoot them out of the sky and firearm that's really important because it is potentially apocryphal story.

The reason he switched from solid to shot, Western firearms during a performance in an arena went beyond the arena and a greenhouse window to the outside around the possibility. He also carried several revolvers and a lot of tricks and some of the most impressive things she did was 22 caliber lever action rifle specifically geared towards target shooting on March 10, 1893 and put on a very memorable display where she fired 25 shot and 27 seconds from his 22 caliber lever action rifle punching one pretty accurate and also awesome and became honestly getting into their performances. People playing cards and it was almost like your free ticket so she was able to do speech accuracy and with all of the different firearms and weapons that she utilized.

He knew a lot of people know and seeming images current holding a rifle looking through them and splitting a playing card and how distant she also is can I things out some difficulties. Now, for the most part and now she's basically hurting your attitude or femininity that something that you do so many people don't now even though she was all these things has some sort of speculation about whether she was going around a lot of time when the target marksman target college, I never really liked much everyone is a great statement on eliminating severity by a male dominated culture even means by direct that we do now interview she did with the rotten kind and country house Chronicle insinuates that there is some trickery about your shooting insinuates she cried. I became so persuaded that the target contains some explicit which broke then as I fired appointed a committee to investigate really beautifully quote the people. Sometimes her abilities so that the committee met, I believe, and were listening to actually Lubinski told the remarkable story of Annie Oakley about more Baileys like story on our American story, and we continue with our American stories and the story of Annie Oakley. Let's pick up with Ashley Lubinski. Ashley is a former cohost of Discovery Channel master of arms, the former curator in charge of the Cody firearms Museum and Pres. of the gun code LLC – a lot of conflict is another very talented shooter second, and her name is Lillian California Huntress by any Oakley sure shot and Lillian could not have been more different. Annie Oakley she wise, brash, she swore she worked for" provocative clothing for the time and she was younger patient around the rivalry.

I believe that any change because she was 11 years when Ryan Smith came onto the stage at Buffalo about and believe it or not. Buffalo Bills really favorite millions and immediate dead too, but they really were different type of woman scallops and a good example of actually goes to performance any Oakley Emmeline Smith double standards that were put onto any really like the press is kind of cruel to her. She was boastful, prideful to outback and one example that's really interesting. Went on a tour in England actually develop my shaking Edward's first wife with the press so you know is respectful.

She received no press on the subject. If you kept getting worse and worse and like some people may not actually laugh out loud last for a period of time continued on and she was tired of the time she was talented really need them to some extent, but she did have some great times during the initial round and she actually according to the story is highly mortifying that I believe she could have done it, but she performed for Queen Victoria came back to Italy and the president of France shot out of a cigarette held by the newly crowned Kaiser which is in dark humor, lightning nest got better for history and found to. She evidently showed off her abilities to Buffalo Bills mild last. She's a part of the performance until 1902 for so many different reasons and really I had of her time throughout her life, she will actually be fear For women's right to something that is a lot of stories impacting Annie Oakley training shotgun target shooting and something pounds. She actually taught over 15,000 women during her lifetime. Her different firearms lines women shoot shotgun because according to she said, quote I would like to see everyone I know how to handle as naturally they know how to handle controversial but it was certainly something that she was trying. I think we should always remember that even now be something other people agreement and the culture of the time. This is something that she believed I worked really hard to teach women to me. Take care themselves in a time I'm very progressive concept and I would say it's happening to me is that firearms market really kind of got behind on and why were marketing to limit for self-defense in working women to be target shooters in their own culture of the time lag that she really believe that women should be strong.

They should be able to protect themselves and she did so to the point where she wanted women to believe it could do it and she supported even if the government was trying to get women more involved in the military. The first time she did that. What she wrote to Pres. McKinley and she offered the government the services 50 lady sharpshooters he would provide their own.

I should go to war with me so we do know that you go to war with Spain.

The Spanish can work with that wire is all that I was also place out her initial attempt to get women on the battlefield Wednesday night by the president and unfortunately that would come into play during World War I, where she would make a similar offer to have women come and be a part of the military was denied once again you look at one or two history with involvement of women in NY. I work in the communication lines down our wine and even by World War II and women were actually pretty marksmanship unit that was really downplayed in other parts of their roles were what the government wanted to focus on self that you maybe even though they were rejected, and she continues to set world records for the rest of her life that she is very much impacted by a train in 1901, where she is greatly injured. There a few other things that happen around this time.

We can her ability to continue on as a performer, she was actually locked in a public bathhouse and almost died the other one was that people are perhaps being around so much ammunition from that time. Might have caused a lot of lead poisoning. She was wearing links to things that I really like about any of the story. She and Frank Butler truly love each other to the very wrong successfully support each other throughout their whole lives and end up dying really close together. I would think about it passing there had been so many popular culture landings in any Oakley gun which is a long time but it only important in terms the shooting competition was by today.

There was a television series was called any Oakley you are culture is very a lot of fire things any Oakley in front of the name everybody knows, regardless of their involvement with firearms or target shooting. She really did bridge the gap between male-dominated community in the late 19th century being someone that she was a fierce advocate and hurt her reputation when she decided to fight for women's right to suggest what this wonderful character and history legends about who she was when she did, and there's a lot mythology surrounding the image portrayed in the time period, and how we can to see her today. She was truly a force to be reckoned with and really found millions really got a lot. The only thing you could possibly crazy story about how basically she got accused by 55 papers out having a cocaine where she is seen in Chicago. I'm trying again. Nobody actually some woman he was using her name with a different spelling is usually soon all of his newspapers and 150 4/51 of this trial, except perhaps it was her fierce ability to stand up for her reputation and who she wise to remember any gossip that could have happened during the time. A terrific job on the production by Greg. Special thanks to cohost a former provost of the Discovery Channel master of arms. What a classic American story of rising above your circumstance.

Born to be.

And Moses in rural Ohio for dad dies at the age of eight, and she uses her shooting skills for the family and of course that leads to that challenge were gunslinger Frank Butler comes to town some and interestingly, Frank finds that attractive and still to this day. That's the quality of its thought of rare back in the day almost impossible, but we became her manager was time Buffalo Bills wild West what became known for was not only her skill sets will be done. Fierce advocacy for women's right to self-defense.

15,000 women over her life is what Minsky said she wanted women to handle guns as confidently as they handle true women's empowerment story, any Oakley story here on our American story