American Stories and Principles brings to life to some of the almost unbelievable historical events which unfolded during our country’s darkest hours. These stories lift us; instill hope, and offer guidance.
America is about unique ideals and chief among them is a solid and ongoing belief in the nurturing hand of the Almighty God. From our perspective, it would be impossible to tell our country’s story without including the influence of Deity. As a group, our founders left an unequivocal and solemn witness of repeated divine intervention. Some struggled with organized religion, while others wholeheartedly embraced it. Nevertheless, their stories are our stories; and their witness reflects the constant, ongoing care of providence.
About The Author
Mark Mansius has spent a lifetime studying, teaching and understanding American History.He is married to Lois Oviatt and together raised 5 children. He holds two degrees, one a Bachelors in Chemical Engineering, the other a JD of Law with emphasis in Intelligential Property. In his younger years, his parents taught their family the importance of freedom, the Constitution and the critical roles played by our founders.
While campaigning in 2012 as a candidate for a Texas seat in the United States Congress it became clear that a better understanding of the importance of real American History would be beneficial to all. That is where the idea for this website -- American Stories and Principles --was born.
INDEX OF STORIES
| COLUMBUS | JAMESTOWN | PLYMOUTH | AN INEVITABLE CONFLICT | THE CRITICAL YEARS | |
| Columbus | By the early 1400’s, Middle China had become the world’s largest unified nation. While Europe continued to fight internal wars, China built the Forbidden City. For a long time, European traders enjoyed very lucrative relationships with Asia. Before 1450, they travelled by land known as the Silk Route. After the Ottomans gained control of Turkey during the middle 1400’s, the Silk Route became increasingly dangerous and Europeans began looking for alternate ways between Europe and Asia. On May 1, 1486, Columbus was granted permission to present his plan for a sea route to the orient to Queen Isabella of Spain. On September 6, 1492, Columbus set sail westward toward what would be called the New World. [Return to Top of Story Index] |
| Jamestown | After Columbus died in 1506, the allure of abundant precious metals soon brought Spanish and Portuguese conquistadors, explorers and settlers back to the Caribbean Islands, Central and South America. Their sovereigns willingly supported these voyages. After numerous attempts at colonization of the new world by the Spanish, French and finally British, a colony in the current tidewater area of Virginia was started in Jamestown. Even after several failed attempts, the English were still determined to settle in North America. During December of 1606, three ships left London stocked with supplies and 114 “first planters.” This would be the start of the Jamestown colony. Jamestown was the beginning of a new but critically important chapter— a bitter but eventually successful experiment. [Return to Top of Story Index] |
| Plimoth (Plymouth) | In the middle of the 1500’s, King Henry VIII broke from the Catholic Church over a disagreement about divorce and remarriage. Without surprise, the new church (The Church of England) placed the King at its head. In response, citizens of England began forming their own sects, called Separatists. One key tenet that grew from these groups was the right to govern their own affairs, locally. With persecution abounding from the powers in the Church of England and the government, these groups hid, found themselves in jail, and left England, crossing the English Channel to mainland Europe. History remembers them as Pilgrims. Without any other viable alternatives, they reluctantly sailed across the Atlantic, mysteriously landing at Plimoth (now called Plymouth), far from their original plan. Many important events helped forge the fundamentals they needed for self-government. The English Pilgrim's, upon their arrival relied heavily upon several native leaders, natives of high integrity, for survival. A disastrous brush with “all things in common,” equity not equality*, almost destroyed the settlers and their settlement in its infancy. * This link will take you to another website [Return to Top of Story Index] |
| An Inevitable Conflict | Wars arise from raging conflicts, conflicts of ideas often formed about differences in acceptable relationships. Society from history seems riddled with forms of tyranny derived from a few who seek power or wealth rather than the respect of rights and privileges of others. Americans gained much from British culture, much we continue to use, but in time Britain sought power differently than the more distance subjects thought acceptable. The raging conflict rose from parental actions seeking inappropriately tyrannical control. A war for freedom was inevitable. [Return to Top of Story Index] |
| The Critical Years (Part 1) The Critical Years (Part 2) |
With the British's attempt at squashing the rebellion at Concord on April of 1775, a war came.
In the early years, the critical years, England entered this conflict with great resolve. It sent the largest invasion force every assembled to that date. 100's of ships bought 10's of thousand of soldiers and with an element of great irony, those ships were made from timber harvested in the Colonies. The British energy and resolve was at its high tide.
The American forces faced extreme odds being untrained and always short of supplies. Weather plays an important role. They suffered two terrible winters, one at Valley Forge and another, the second winter at Morristown. The weather at the Forge was bitterly cold, a cold that physically weakened the army, followed by unusual warmth opening the door for deadly disease. The winter at Morristown was the coldest winter in North American history later referred to by meteorologists as the mini-ice age. Yet, at times, weather offered protection coupled with military advantage. Although almost always in retreat, the American forces won three critical battle, Saratoga, Trenton/Princeton and Monmouth. The three victories impressed the French which than offered both money and forces at just the right moment. 1775-1778 were years, years of battles that in time greatly weakened the British resolves. [Return to Top of Story Index] |
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