American Identity and the Language of Liberty

This morning in one of my many dorky history notebooks, there was this quote from George Washington in a letter to James Warren, March 31, 1779.

"Our cause is noble...it is the cause of Mankind!"

Here is a link to the full letter.

Of course, in 1779, Washington was in the midst of fighting for the American cause in the American Revolution.  But as we are discussing the Revolution this week in class, I was intrigued by the quote.

So I asked my students, what do you think the American Revolution was about?

Often they tell me, freedom.  In class, I ask them to think about the "Language of Liberty" as part of our American dream.  Do all of the cultures interacting in the 18th century have access to that "Language of Liberty?"  Do women have access to this liberty? How do gender and race - even from the founding of our noble cause - calculate into the idea of freedom?

Perhaps there are more questions then answers, but we must examine Washington's cause of Mankind.

Asking the questions is the first step.

JJ