Tales of Titans: Founding Fathers, Women Warriors & WWII, Vol. III

By Rich DiSilvio

Tales of Titans, by award-winning author Rich DiSilvio, brings great historical figures to life with concise yet compelling essays, coupled with engaging narratives that enlighten readers to the miraculous deeds, and misdeeds, of numerous titans who have shaped our world in various ways.

Vol. III features American Founding Fathers; Samuel Adams, Thomas Paine, George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and Ben Franklin; two unsung heroes, Sybil Ludington and James Armistead Lafayette; three women civil rights warriors, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony and Harriet Tubman, and ends with the destructive hatred of Adolf Hitler, pitted against the integrity of FDR & Winston Churchill, the saviors of Western civilization.

For those who love learning about great historical figures in a new and exciting format, or those who simply don't have the time to read lengthy biographies of numerous titans, this collection is for you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rich DiSilvio
• Release date: Feb 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9780998337531

Rich DiSilvio

Rich DiSilvio is the author of fiction and non-fiction, and has written numerous articles for magazines on the topics of history, art, music, politics, the military, architecture and more, as well as several books."My Nazi Nemesis" is an action-packed thriller with suspenseful twists."A Blazing Gilded Age" is a family saga of historical fiction."Liszt's Dante Symphony" is an historical mystery/thriller."The Winds of Time" a non-fictional study of the titans who shaped Western civilization."Hatred & Integrity" two short studies of historical fiction.Young Adult Titles: "Meet My Famous Friends" and "Danny and the DreamWeaver," written under the pseudonym Mark Poe.Rich's work in the entertainment industry includes developing creative assets for films and documentaries, such as James Cameron's The Lost Tomb of Jesus, Operation Valkyrie, The War Zone series, Return to Kirkuk, Killing Hitler, Tracey Ullman's State of the Union, Monty Python: Almost the Truth, and many others.For more info, please visit: http://www.richdisilvio.com

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© 2017 Rich DiSilvio – includes content from the discontinued standard edition of The Winds of Time © 2008

Published by DV Books, an imprint of Digital Vista, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Cover art by © Rich DiSilvio. Cover and interior photos of historical figures public domain.

Photos of NY Stock Exchange and Freedom Tower by Rich DiSilvio

Author’s Website: www.richdisilvio.com

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Names: DiSilvio, Rich

Title: Tales of Titans: Founding Fathers, Women Warriors & WWII, Vol. III / Rich DiSilvio

Description: New York, USA: DV Books, an imprint of Digital Vista, inc.

Identifiers: ISBN 978-0-9983375-2-4 (paperback)

ISBN 978-0-9983375-3-1 (eBook)

Subjects: Biographies ; History--Biography ; Life histories | Famous People | Founding Fathers of the United States | Hitler, Adolf, 1889-1945 | Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945 | Churchill, Winston, 1874-1965 | Historical Fiction--History and Criticism | Women's rights--United States--History | Women's suffrage | Slaves--Emancipation--United States | Tales (Creative nonfiction)

CONTENTS

PRELUDE: The New World Spawns a New Nation

FOUNDING FATHERS

Samuel Adams

Thomas Paine

George Washington

John Adams

Thomas Jefferson

James Madison

Alexander Hamilton

Ben Franklin

LUDINGTON & ARMISTEAD: Unsung Heroes

STANTON/ANTHONY & TUBMAN: Women Warriors

HITLER: Hatred: The Making of a Monster

ROOSEVELT & CHURCHILL: Integrity: Saviors of Western Civilization

Bibliography

The Author

Other Books by Rich DiSilvio

Special Note to the Reader

PRELUDE: The New World Spawns a New Nation

The maritime winds of the north Atlantic blew from east to west, forming a cascade of whitecaps that mirrored the deluge of exploration that would soon follow. Columbus had already discovered the New World, and subsequent explorers, mainly from Spain, Portugal, France, the Dutch Netherlands, and England, all vied for territory. The bounty seemed enticingly endless. However, one nation would eventually monopolize the prime real estate of the North American continent, edging out the Dutch, Spanish, and French, while remnants of those races became part of the new unified settlement. That nation was England.

These imperial acquisitions, however, were largely made possible by courageous navigators who charted and harnessed the untamed seas. Although kings or merchants would fund most of these expeditions, it was often the incessant prodding and salesmanship of these brave adventurers that turned their monarch’s head away from their narrow-minded self-interests to look at a broader more glorious future, one that remained elusive yet awfully compelling. Naturally, the lure of gold, precious herbs or foodstuffs would be part of the salesmanship process, but this did require a huge investment. This also required the development of vessels worthy of these great undertakings, and although the Portuguese led this race with their caravels, other nations soon followed suit in the daring race for unknown glories and ultimate conquest.

The British Royal Navy did not officially develop until the 1700s; however, two centuries earlier, King Henry VIII initiated the development of shipbuilding facilities in England, which did yield several prominent ships. Henry’s daughter, Elizabeth, did much to enhance the British fleet, which managed to score a victory over the famed Spanish Armada. This unexpected victory bolstered not only England’s reputation but also their desire to build more ships.

Nevertheless, it was not Elizabeth, but one of her courtiers, Sir Walter Raleigh, who conceived of and funded his own expedition to make the first settlement in the New World; this he generously did on behalf of the English Crown. The new territory he hoped to acquire would be named Virginia, which was in reference to England’s virgin queen. However, Raleigh’s small colony on Roanoke Island did not take root and England abandoned their efforts, at least until John Smith was commissioned to settle territory near this Lost Colony by Queen Elizabeth’s successor, King James I.

Sixty years prior to these British expeditions, however, the French had claimed this Virginia territory, as well as much of the east coast of North America. The first European to discover this vast territory, from South Carolina up to Nova Scotia, was Giovanni da Verrazzano, an Italian explorer sailing for King Francis I of France in 1524. Verrazzano’s many discoveries would be abandoned by the French king, who favored the northern territories near Newfoundland, which were explored even earlier by John Cabot. Cabot, whose real name was Giovanni Caboto, was also an Italian navigator who sailed for merchants in the English city of Bristol as early as 1497, only five years after Columbus’ famous discovery. This concentration by the French on the northern future Canadian regions, which the British had claimed first, left the heart of North America open for the taking. As such, the British had little qualms about seizing this bountiful opportunity.

After John Smith established the first permanent English settlement in America in 1607, which was named Jamestown in honor of King James I, other explorers had made their own discoveries. In 1609, Henry Hudson, a Londoner sailing for the Dutch East India Company, explored modern day New York Harbor and the Hudson River (named in his honor, despite Verrazzano finding it first), while the Pilgrims, several years later in 1620, would set sail from Plymouth, England to establish the settlement of Plymouth Colony in present day Massachusetts.

During the course of the next century, adventurers from England would populate this new rich territory until a confederation of thirteen colonies was finally established. It would consume much of the east coast of North America, extending from present day Georgia up to Maine. Much farther to the west was a large expanse of seemingly uninhabitable territory claimed by the Spanish, yet speckled with tribes of natives who were erroneously called Indians. Henceforth, these semi-cultivated British colonies were the root of what would one day become a new nation, one that would soon be diametrically opposed to oppression and monarchy.

This was due to the British Empire’s methodology of conquest. Unlike the Romans, who cultivated and outfitted their new provinces with booming cities that mirrored Rome, England’s worldwide colonies never fully mirrored London. English rights or even London-styled cities, with Parliament or Tudor buildings, were not to be found in North Africa, the Middle East or China, but only somewhat in America. Colonies only served their superior masters. As such, the escalating demands and unfair trade acts established by the King of England caused a backlash, which resulted in the American colonists aggressively seeking a solution.

This quest for an independent nation would not be the brainchild of one motivated individual who would rise to supreme ruler—like history often demonstrated—but rather by an amazingly rich assemblage of talent that worked in unison to craft something exceedingly unique. Due to this broad spectrum of glittering talent no one man, woman, or even duo can be singled out as a focal point, so we shall address the eight most prominent titans, followed by two minor unsung heroes, whose stories deserve mention.

Although George Washington stands as the strong, iconic leader of this rebellious movement, which spawned a new regime, we must always be conscious of the dazzling support team that, in reality, were never his subordinates, but rather his equals and near equals, for many became presidents themselves. However, although none of these great men ever attained the lofty title of Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, they were extremely crucial to the cause, and in no lesser terms should some of them be addressed. Ben Franklin was certainly such a person who contributed far more than what most presidents could ever hope to achieve in office, however, our story begins with other men who, although their names ring familiar, their stories often do not.

SAMUEL ADAMS: The First Spark

Samuel Adams is a name most are familiar with, beyond the popular beer, yet few realize just how crucial Samuel’s actions were in steering the thirteen colonies away from British oppression.

Adams was a man of deep conviction; coming from a very religious family, well educated at Boston Latin School (the oldest school in North America), then later at Harvard College. Samuel was also well connected, his cousin being the feisty lawyer, John Adams. But, most importantly, Samuel was not one to simply talk about grand ideas; instead, Samuel preferred to take aggressive physical action.

Samuel’s dynamic personality cannot be understated, for many Colonists harbored deep humiliation during the Sugar Act in 1764, which unfairly favored British merchants over Spanish and French suppliers of sugar, as well as the Stamp Act of 1765, which required that all articles utilizing paper must use a special paper containing a stamp. The proceeds from this higher priced paper were allegedly to be used for British troops to protect the Colonies. Not content to sit idle, Samuel Adams became a prominent spokesman and organizer of protests and riots, which eight years later, in 1773, eventually led to his most famous revolt, the Boston Tea Party. That sparked a revolt in Delaware, nine days later, which even destroyed twice as much tea.

Meanwhile New York harbors followed suit by prohibiting sales of tea, this all due to Samuel Adams’ initial and well-publicized revolt.

By this time, the Colonists were inundated with one oppressive Act after another, so the Boston Tea Party became a clarion call well beyond Adams’ noisy band of conspirators, known as the Sons of Liberty. Along with his Boston Latin School classmate, John Hancock, Samuel Adams was forced to flee Boston, for British General Thomas Gage had issued a proclamation granting a pardon to any conspirators who remained loyal to the crown, with the exceptions of Adams and Hancock.

As a prominent member of the Sons of Liberty, Samuel expressed his desire to unify and revolt against Britain, which deeply motivated his fellow members, such as Patrick Henry, John Hancock, Paul Revere, and of course his cousin John Adams.

John Adams would later state: Without the character of Samuel Adams, the true history of the American Revolution can never be written. For fifty years his pen, his tongue, his activity, was constantly exerted for his country without fee or reward.

Samuel Adams was also hailed as the Father of the Revolution by many of his peers, including Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson also lauded Adams role after the Revolution, when he took part in the Second Continental Congress, as he said: If there was any Palinurus to the Revolution, Samuel Adams was the man.

Palinurus was the helmsman of Aeneas' ship in Virgil's Aeneid. Jefferson's quote from the ancient Roman poet was most appropriate considering that the political mechanics of the Roman Republic and Empire were being intensely scrutinized by the Founders at this time.

However, despite Samuel Adams' volatile role, he was not alone, for at this early stage, many others aided the noble cause. And perhaps the most unsung hero of this rebellious gang was the Forgotten Founder, Thomas Paine.

THOMAS PAINE: Words to Die For

Thomas Paine was a radical intellectual that moved others to action with bold words, rather than personally leading the charge. Paine’s brilliant but unpredictable philosophies caused both profound inspiration and profound indignation. However, this does not mean that Paine was one to sit idle behind a desk and only write, for Paine eagerly joined the Continental Army.

Paine’s book, Common Sense, published in January of 1776, became an instant best seller, but more importantly, its call to fight tyranny for independence deeply moved George Washington and John Adams to action. Once the Revolution got under way, Paine joined the ranks of soldiers and began writing a series of reflections with the title The Crisis. The first essay caught Washington’s interest in December of that year. Washington was preparing for his famous crossing of the Delaware River, which was laden with ice by a bitter cold winter. Seeking appropriate words to boost morale, Washington ordered Paine’s essay to be read to his troops. Paine’s inspiring words captured the moment.

These are times that try men's souls; the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.

However, by 1781, Paine was focusing on the importance of not only keeping France as an ally, but also helping France with its own tumultuous civil disputes. Paine traveled to France and soon published his influential book Rights of Man, in 1791, which supported the French Revolution. With the chaos fermenting in Paris, Paine was eventually arrested in 1793, due to his protesting the execution of King Louis XVI, and the additional fact that Paine was British born. Paine argued that he was an American citizen, and as such was an ally of France, yet his pleas fell upon deaf ears.

Worse still, Paine’s appeals to the American ambassador to France, Gouverneur Morris, likewise fell upon deaf ears. Morris was close friends with George Washington, and even hatched the famous words that launch the Constitution "We the People…" However, Morris and Washington both turned their backs on Paine, who was scheduled for execution. Worse yet, Paine was to be beheaded by that gruesome contraption, the guillotine. As fate would have it, Paine lingered in prison for almost a year.

Washington, who had become America’s first president in 1789 while Paine was in France, was evidently not the flawless white marble icon that most modern Americans believe, but rather a flesh and blood man that made flesh and blood decisions. Whatever