Valley Forge DBQ Essay

Motivation is the only key to succeed in obtaining one’s goals. In December 1777, George Washington mandated an inconsiderable number of soldiers who spent their winter in Valley Forge. Quitting is not an option if you are loyal to your homeland. Soldiers considered the option of excluding themselves from a torturous moment they were in, but some thought of the motivation behind of what war is meant for, so the three main reasons soldiers had in mind for remaining in the battle included the rates of all ill soldiers, the depiction of George Washington’s motivation, and their beliefs in the war cause. The reasons listed above had an impact on the soldiers staying to fight until the end of a tortuous winter.

On December 1777 a cold night no one can imagine or resit the coldness of the city.It is December 177 we are in Penslvania and are here for the Revolution War. About twenty five miles northwest of Philadelphia .Gen. George Washington led 11,000 troops to Valley Forge. If was a soldier at Valley Forge would I re-enlist? The answer is I would not re-enlist for these three reasons which are awful conditions, don’t want to die, and disease.

Valley Forge is where George Washington spent the winter with his colonial troops. It was a cold and painful winter, but the soldiers that survived in camp gained much needed training. This training was a valuable asset to the colonists. If I had been a soldier at Valley Forge I would have stayed there. For example in the Estimates of Illness and Deaths at Valley Forge(Doc A) it states that only 1,800 people died in the camp. This is only a ten percent of the population at the camp, which was 12,000. This means that you have a small chance of dying if you lived there. Another example is in The American Crisis(Doc D) it states that if you leave now you will increase the odds of us losing and increase chance of Britain winning. What this means

The journal entry from Dr.Albigence Waldo who was a Connecticut surgeon. “I am sick”, “Poor food”, “Cold weather”, “Vomit half my time”, “Soldier has bare feet”, ¨Hard lodging¨, ¨Fatigue¨, ¨Nasty cloathes¨, ¨Nasty cookery¨, ¨smoak´d out of my senses¨, ¨The devil's in´t¨, and ¨Sent here to starve and freeze.¨ Those are all the hardships described by Dr. Waldo in his journal entry on December 14,1777. Dr. Waldo and the Continental Army didn’t quit due to their “Spirit of Alacrity.” Not a lot of people quit but they still showed cheerful willingness. I got all my evidence for ¨The journal entry from Dr.Albigence Waldo who was a Connecticut surgeon¨ from Document C.

Yes I would have quit at Valley Forge and some of the reasons that I would have quit were the dirty clothes, the bad cooking, and the cold weather. These were only a few of the reasons why I didn 't want to stay at Valley Forge, there are many more than that it 's just that those were my top three reasons why I wouldn 't have stayed at Valley Forge. I will go more in depth with reasons why I wouldn’t have stayed at Valley Forge.

During the winter of 1777 - 1778 the Patriots were in Valley Forge. Tons of soldiers suffered from disease, starvation, and frostbite. Most of them even died. The conditions were horrible for the soldiers and they were dying out. So would I have quit? I probably would have quit at Valley Forge.

With all of these soul-shattering, life-changing conditions, it is less of a war and more of a test of strength for the soldiers, here at Valley Forge. Some men were going home and not returning. Other men just completely deserted. Even George Washington’s position was uncertain, the members of congress didn’t trust him. Life at Valley Forge was obviously horrible, and the ugly truth is that it wouldn’t get much better. Cold was one problem, smoke was another. Hopefully, the soldiers will have the courage to make it through this devastating time. Lack of food, living conditions, and horrid climate are some reasons of why a soldier would quit Valley Forge.

Would you leave Valley Forge, I wouldn't. People were sick, but still those who left were cowards. There are many reasons to stay, for example, the illness and death chart, it states that only 50% of people became ill. (document A) As an estimate, 3,989 out of 8,000 people were sick in 1778. Only 1,800 died, that is not very many to die of illness. Another reason to stay would be in the essay by Thomas Paine. It calls those who quit “The summer soldier and the sunshine warrior” , this was because they could not handle the winter, they could only last the summer. It also says “Tyranny, like hell,” this is because leaving is like giving up on your country. ( document D) In the diary

One of the reasons I would have stayed in Valley Forge is a lot may have been sick but only little died. It is stated in document A that only 3,989 were sick out of 8,000. That means only 50% of the soldiers were sick, also the weather would be the same everywhere else too and you would probably be sick at home or anywhere else, some soldiers did not really realize that when they left. Also it is stated in document A that 1,800 out of 12,000 died. Which is only about 15%, and in those odds I would have definitely stayed. Also if you were smart and stayed away from the sick and be cautious there would be no way you could get sick and die.

People get sick and die at the camp and I appreciate my life so there is a good chance that I can be one of the people that die. At Valley Forge there was multiple reasons for the army's numbers dropping. For example, people who deserted, when men’s contracts come to an end, and death. According to Document A written by varying people, including Noel F. Busch and researchers at the William Clements Library of the University of Michigan I have reasonable estimated to how the Continental Army numbers plummeted. At the camp Valley Forge there was about 12,000 soldiers in December 1777 and then in February 1778 only 8,000 were left. That’s about a 4,000 soldier decrease. That's just the beginning on December 23, 1777 about 3,000 soldier were sick and in February 1, 1778 about 4,000 men were sick. Finally the deaths due to illness were horrific from December-June 1,800 to 2,500 died due to illness, according to Document

“There comes a soldier, his bare feet are seen thro’ his worn out shoes, his legs nearly naked from the tatter’d remains of an only pair of stockings….” This is a quote from the diary of a man named Dr. Waldo. He stayed at a terrible place. The Continental Army came there with Washington during the winter of 1777. It was Washington's winter camp, 18 miles from Philadelphia. These people lived there until June of 1778. They were cold, sick, and some even dying. This was a very difficult place to live in. This place was Valley Forge. Now, let me ask you, after hearing this information, would you stay at Valley Forge? Would you fight for your freedom? I can’t speak for you, but I would stay at Valley Forge because not a bunch of people are actually dying, Washington is getting the help of the Committee of Congress, and I really do not want to be a summer soldier.

“Poor food, hard lodging, cold weather, fatigue, nasty clothes, nasty cookery, vomit… why are we sent here to starve and freeze?”-Dr. Albigence Waldo “What we know today was not known in late December 1777, victory seemed a long way off; in fact for many, it seemed unlikely.” Had I been a soldier at Valley Forge, would I of given up? If I had the choice, I would have stayed, because of loyalty to our leaders and country, to stay a powerful nation, and for the freedom of me and the people of America.

The documents A and C prove that only 14% died of sickness. there were about 12,000 of us to start with, and only about 1,800- 2500 died from December to June. Therefore, that leaves just about 9,500 of us left. However, with all the people that abandoned the Continental Army leaves us with just about 8,000 of us. In document C which is a passage from a doctor’s diary. He was one of the army’s doctors. His name was Dr. Albigence Waldo. Therefore, that proves that there was medical care.

There was a man named Dr. Waldo, he was a surgeon for the Patriots. He says these things in document C; “I am sick”, “Poor food”, “Cold weather”, “Vomit half my time”, and “soldier has bare feet”. These things would want to make you and me quit, right? Yes, it would but even with those terrible things, he and many others still didn’t quit. So if he can stick with it, then so can me and you! Also, the soldiers were miserable but, they had “Spirit of Alacrity” which is cheerful willingness (Doc. C). Of course there were tough time, it’s winter! The soldiers had to suffer with not a lot of supplies but the soldiers knew that soon enough, it was all going to be over. After winter come spring and summer where there are good conditions. So if I stay positive just like the others, then I know not to quit and continue fighting for

Seeking religious freedom, more land and more raw materials, the Pilgrims from England set on a voyage to a new world. Arriving to a land already inhabited by Native Americans, the pilgrims were unwelcomed. Overcoming the differences and finding peace between each group, the Natives helped the Englanders prosper. The inference people can assume is from the numerous times Native Americans are mentioned in early American history such as “Of Plymouth Plantation” and “The Constitution of the Iroquois Nations” that the foundation of America began with the help of Natives.