Dakota Beacon

America celebrated Independence Day in fine fashion this year. Of course, 1776 made up an entire year and not just a single day. The ebb and flow of America’s revolutionary fervor occurred throughout 1776 both before and after the Declaration of Independence was signed. At the risk of being a contrarian, however, one might ask, “Did anything else happen in 1776 besides the American Revolution?” As will be shown, much more was taking place around the globe. The late eighteenth century gave rise to the ideological, technological, economic, and philosophical developments taking place beyond America’s shores. Historians see the period as the beginning of the post-Christian era.

But first, here are some American actions during 1776. The Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge was a minor conflict of the American Revolution fought near Wilmington, North Carolina, on February 27, 1776. However, the victory of the North Carolina militia over British governor Josiah Martin's reinforcements at Moore's was a turning point in the war. American independence was declared less than five months later.

On March 4, 1776, Major General John Thomas, under orders from General Washington, secretly led 800 soldiers and 1,200 workers to a point overlooking Boston harbor and began fortifying the area. By morning, more than a dozen cannons had been brought within the Dorchester Heights fortifications. The Americans completed the fortifications and set up their artillery. Realizing their position was now indefensible, 11,000 British troops and 1,000 Loyalists left Boston by ship on March 17, sailing to the safety of Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn, was fought on August 27, 1776, near the western edge of Long Island. In this instance the British defeated the Continental Army and gained access to the strategically important Port of New York. It was the first major battle to take place after the United States declared its independence on July 4 and the largest battle of the Revolutionary War in terms of troop deployment and physical combat.

Most notable of actions in 1776 was Washington’s crossing the Delaware on Christmas Eve. He proposed to attack the Hessian outpost at Trenton. Given success, Washington intended to continue the attack on Princeton and Brunswick. Seven brigades and seven artillery companies -- an estimated 2,500 men along with equipment and horses, crossed the river. During the crossing, the temperature ranged in the 20s with a strong wind from the northeast. Washington succeeded.

Although the American Revolution captured the world’s attention, other events occurred concurrently around the globe. To offer context, here are a few of those events.

The Ottoman Empire spread through Asia Minor. Ottoman Turks continued to extend the areas of their conquests and Jewish communities in the region came under Ottoman rule. However, Ottoman rule in North Africa was very loose. Consequently, the Empire at this point appeared to relate chiefly to Turkey, Greece, the Balkans, Egypt, Syria, and Iraq.

Eighteenth-century Scottish economist Adam Smith, widely acclaimed as both the father of modern economics and the apostle of free trade, published his key work “The Wealth of Nations” in 1776. Six editions were published before his death in 1790.

English historian Edward Gibbon, in 1774, was elected to Dr. Samual Johnson’s Literary Club where he became fast friends with Adam Smith. At the time he was hard at work on the first volume of his great “History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” which appeared in 1776.

Thomas Paine inspired American Patriots to declare independence from Britain in 1776 with two highly influential pamphlets. The first was "Common Sense" advocating American independence. The other was the essay "American Crisis" beginning with the words "These are the times that try men's souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot…" etc.

In 1776, the greatest of all German philosophers wrote his first outline for what would become the foundational text of modern philosophy. Immanuel Kant drafted his “Critique of Pure Reason.” Kant himself described his work as a Copernican revolution in philosophy inverting the relationship between the observer and the observed.

James Watt’s steam engine for the first time ran at the Bloomfield quarry in Staffordshire. His was arguably the most important invention of the Industrial Revolution. Watt’s steam engine drained a pit of water sixty feet deep in less than an hour. Other applications quickly followed to turn wheels and shafts and eventually power trains and other industrial machines.

Other meaningful events took place. On July 12, 1776, Captain James Cook left Plymouth, England onboard the HMS Resolution beginning his 3rd and final trip to the Pacific. On this final voyage, Captain Cook set sail seeking a Northwest Passage across the North American continent. Later, while exploring Hawaii in 1779, Cook was killed in a skirmish with local islanders. Cook's expeditions had a profound impact opening the South Pacific to widespread exploration.

The arts also produced significant events. In 1776 Mozart's Serenade No. 7 (the Haffner Serenade) was first performed in Salzburg, Austria. The Bolshoi Theatre company hosted its first annual opera season in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

The American Revolution did not take place in a vacuum, but it certainly highlighted the spirit of the age.

Dennis M. Patrick can be contacted at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).