The Mysteries of History (March 17 Edition)
British Abandon Boston; End of Apartheid in South Africa
1776 — Boston Bans the British
public domain image from wikimedia commons
On this date in 1776, the British absquatulated from Boston.
This outmaneuvering of the British forces by General Washington is reminiscent of Lincoln’s retort about Washington’s portrait being hung in a privy he used while in England. The British thought they were successfully denigrating Washington by hanging his portrait in such an ignominious spot, but Lincoln’s take on it was that it was a smooth move on their part, as the British were scared shitless by Washington.
On this occasion, once the British soldiers in Boston saw that they had been out-maneuvered by Washington and his men, and surrounded by hilltop cannons, they realized a strategic retreat would be in their best interests. After eight years of occupation, 11,000 of their soldiers and 1,000 “Loyalists” (loyal to Britain, that is) tucked their tails between their legs and left Boston for Canada.
Questions: Why was Lincoln in England? What was the ratio of Loyalists to Patriots during the Revolutionary War? What did the British soldiers do once they reached Canada?
1992 — The End of Apartheid As They Knew It
public domain image from wikimedia commons
Thirty-three years ago on this date, Apartheid (a system of White Supremacist segregation) finally ended in South Africa; the vast majority of white voters (68.7%) agreed that it was time for that system to end.
Questions: How did South African citizens’ lives change after Apartheid was done away with? Did this policy change lead to many people moving to South Africa? Did this policy change lead to many people moving out of South Africa? Are there any countries on earth who still officially practice segregation/racism? What prevented the United States from putting more pressure on South Africa to end Apartheid prior to this time?
2012 — Kelvin Caleb Mordecai Shannon Dies
My firstborn son, Kelvin Caleb Mordecai Shannon (12/28/1983 - 3/17/2012), died in New Berlin, Wisconsin, on this date in 2012 at the age of 28. For more, see this and this.
Read about “The Secret Lives of Kids” here.
