Marc Liebman's Blog, page 40

Where Did Some of the Clauses in the Constitution Come From?

Have you ever wondered where the Founding Fathers got their ideas for the Constitution and the Bill of Rights? The answer is simple – laws passed by the British Parliament. Keep in mind that at the time, the colonists believed they were British citizens and entitled to the same rights as those living in the United Kingdom.

The text of The Stamp Act of 1765 and five bills that comprise the Townshend Acts passed in 1767 and 1768, and the four Coercive Acts passed in 1774, give one a clue as to why some of the clauses in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights were written.

The Stamp Act and Townshend Acts were primarily bills that imposed taxes on the thirteen colonies as a way of generating revenue to protect and govern the colonies. When the colonists resisted, the Royal Army was sent to enforce the law, further infuriating the colonists who had no say in Parliament.

The four Coercive Acts came in 1774 after the Boston Tea Party. Rather than find and punish the members of the group called Sons of Liberty who dumped the tea into the harbor, the British Parliament approved The Boston Port Act that closed the port and creating economic hardship for its residents.

By passing the Massachusetts Government Act, parliament revoked the colony’s charter, limited town meetings to one per year, ended the colony’s right to elect its governing council and gave the council’s powers to royal governor.

The Administration of Justice Act gave the governor broad powers to arrest and ship colonists to England for trial where the members of jury would come from citizens living in Great Britain, not the colonies. Yes, anyone brought to trial and the witnesses in their defense were to be compensated for their time in court, but considering the time involved for a trip and the support costs of bringing witnesses to wait for a trial, colonists saw this as another significant infringement on their rights as English citizens.

The last was The Quartering Act that gave the Royal Army the right to house its soldiers in unoccupied buildings or private homes and not compensate the homeowner for the added cost or wear and tear on their dwelling.

Fast forward to the Constitutional Convention that began in May 1787, four years after the Revolutionary War ended. It was convened because The Articles of Confederation passed by the Second Continental Congress were not adequate to govern the colonies. In September 1787, the Constitution was signed.

Amendment Three of the U.S. Constitution is a reaction to The Quartiering Act and specifically forbids housing of soldiers in a private home without their consent, including in time of war.

The first sentence of Amendment Six states that the “accused has the right to a public trial by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed.” This is a direct shot at what the British Parliament tried to impose in 1774 in The Administration of Justice Act.

Stay tuned. There’s more to come on this in future posts

First Steps to Governing a Revolution

No matter what day or event one wants to use for the start of the American Revolution, our forefathers faced many problems that had to be overcome. Raising an army and navy was just one of many and if there was a list, they wasn’t number one or two.

Governance and money was. This post covers the events that led to the formation of the Second Continental Congress that managed our revolution. Future posts will cover the Articles of Confederation; how our revolution was funded; and how the four Intolerable Acts led to clauses in our Constitution.

No matter what date one uses for the start of the revolution – the Boston Tea Party (12/16/1773), or the Battle of Fort William and Henry (12/14/1775) or the Battle of Lexington and Concord (4/19/1776), there was no central governing body to lead and manage the war. At the time, we were thirteen British colonies with separate governing charters.

The formal push for a central government began in July, 1754, in the midst of the French and Indian War with the release of The Albany Plan. Named after the city in which the Albany Congress was held, its state purpose was to “unite the colonies under one government as far as might be necessary for defense and other general important purposes.” It suggestions were rejected by all thirteen Colonial assemblies and the British Parliament.

In early 1774, the British Parliaments passed what we called the Intolerable Acts as a reaction to the Tea Party. In the U.K., they are known as the Coercive Acts and were an attempt to punish the colonies by making an example of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Our response was convening the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia on September 5th, 1774.

The First Continental Congress sent entreaties to King George III asking him to repeal or modify the Intolerable Acts. They were ignored.

Nonetheless, the congress achieved three goals – one, it brought representatives from all thirteen colonies together to present a united front. Two, the colonies agreed to boycott British goods beginning December 1st, 1774 and not to export goods to Great Britain. Only New York’s Colonial House of Assembly did not ratify the agreement, yet data shows imports from the U.K. dropped by 97% by the end of 1775.

And, number three was the members agreed to convene a Second Continental Congress.

When the Second Continental Congress was convened on May 10th, 1775, the country was marching toward war. On July 6th, 1775, the Second Continental Congress passed the Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms. In it, the colonists stated their objections to the imposition of taxes without representation in the British Parliament; extended use of jury-less Vice Admiralty Courts to adjudicate local legal matters not related to maritime cases; the Intolerable Acts and the Declaratory Act of 1766 that re-asserted Parliament’s absolute power to make laws and govern the colonies as it saw fit.

This bold statement was largely written by Thomas Jefferson and is known as the Lee Resolution. It was adopted 363 days before the Declaration of Independence was written and before the fighting started.

The American Revolution – Global or World War?

In the dictionary, the words ‘global war’ and ‘world war’ have similar but different definitions. A ‘world war’ is a “war involving many large nations in different parts of the world.” The same dictionary says a ‘global war’ “involves the major nations of the world.”

Why the comparison? Most Americans think of our battle for independence was an isolated conflict. It wasn’t.

In 1775, the major nations of Europe were France, Spain, the Netherlands, the Holy Roman Emperor and Russia. Sweden was no longer a major power after losing a war against a coalition of Denmark, Norway and Russia that cost her territories on the Baltic’s southern coast (modern Lithuania, Lativia, Estonia, parts of Germany and Poland). Germany and Italy were a collection of duchies and small nation-states that wouldn’t be united until the 1870s. In North and South America, what are now countries were just colonies.

Seven German states loosely unified by the Holy Roman Empire provided troops to the British. Thousands of Swedish volunteers came to the colonies to fight against the British.

Battles were fought in China and India because they were the source of most of the tea drunk in Europe and the Thirteen Colonies. Immediately after the French declared war on Britain, England seized French enclaves in southeastern India.  The Kingdom of Mysore joined the fight against the British.

The American Revolution set off land battles in South America (what we now call Dutch Guyana) and Central America (Guatemala). In the Caribbean, combat occurred on almost every island except Cuba and Jamaica. In North America, fighting took place in Florida (a British possession at the time) and in Canada.

So, can the American Revolution be classified as a ‘world war?’ Yes because the large nations of the time were involved in the conflict all over the world.

Was our revolution a ‘global war?’ Absolutely. The major powers of Europe, Asia and were involved.

If the American Revolution meets the definition of global and world war, why isn’t it referred to as such? Only the historians can answer that, but one thing is certain. Our war for independence sowed the seeds for a major convulsion in Europe called the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars that kept Europe and the rest of the world embroiled in conflict until Napoleon was defeated in 1815 and exiled to an island in the middle of the South Atlantic called St. Helena.

U.S. citizens, Americans, if you will, tend to look at the American Revolution as a solitary event. It was not. It may have started outside Boston, but it became just one theater in a larger global or world (take your pick) war over which European power controlled what colonial possession.

A Duel Takes One of Our Best

In the early days of our country, several national leaders fought duels. Alexander Hamilton’s life was cut short by Aaron Burr and Andrew Jackson survived with a ball carried in his chest for the rest of his life but his opponent Charles Dickinson did not. The list of American leaders appearing on the field of honor is long and includes Abraham Lincoln.

Dueling was a practice that came with British and German settlers and by the mid-1850s it was outlawed in eighteen states. In the 1770s they were common and I was considering having one of the characters in my first Age of Sail novel fight in a duel. Research reminded me that Stephen Decatur was killed by fellow naval officer James Barron in a duel.

On June 22nd, 1807, H.M.S. Leopard asked to board the Chesapeake to search for Royal Navy deserters. At the time, we were not at war with Great Britain and Barron rightly refused. The Leopard opened fire and hammered Chesapeake with several broadsides. Barron surrendered and sailors from the Leopard boarded the Chesapeake and removed four U.S. sailors. The men were U.S. citizens “impressed” into the Royal Navy against their will and left. The Royal Navy claimed they deserted.

Barron allowed the Chesapeake to leave Norfolk before the ship was fully fitted out, i.e. ready for battle and Chesapeake could only get one gun into action. During the court-martial, Decatur was one of Barron’s most out-spoken critics. The court convicted Barron of “sailing with his ship not properly prepared for action” and banned him from command for five years.

Decatur, who already demonstrated his ability as a ship’s captain, was given command of the repaired Chesapeake. He cemented his place in history during the Second Barbary Pirates War and the War of 1812 as the skipper of the U.S.S. Constitution, U.S.S. President, U.S.S. Guerriere and the U.S.S. United States.

         While living in Denmark, Barron became embittered toward Decatur. When he returned, Barron challenged Decatur to a duel and on March 21st, 1820, the fight took place. Decatur who was an expert shot, planned only to wound Barron. Barron shot to kill. Both men were hit and Decatur died the next day.

Decatur and Barron were not the only naval officers to fight duels. Records show that one of every twelve naval officers who died between 1784 and 1815 were killed in duels. The eighteen who died on the “field of honor” was more than those killed in combat during the same period!

The irony is that five ships have been named after Stephen Decatur. None were named after James Barron. Decatur’s name was (or is) on the stern of the:

Sixteen gun sloop-of-war S.S. Decatur in service from 1839 to 1865;
DD-5, a Bainbridge class destroyer that served from 1900 to 1919;
Clemson class destroyer, DD-341 in service from 1921 to 1945;
DD-341, a Forest Sherman class destroyer, DD-936 in service from 1956 to 1983; and
DDG-73, a Burke class guided missile destroyer commissioned in 1993 and is still serving out nation.

Rest in peace, Stephen Decatur.

The American Revolution – Global or World War?

In the dictionary, the words ‘global war’ and ‘world war’
have similar but different definitions. 
A ‘world war’ is a “war involving many large nations in different parts
of the world.”  The same dictionary says
a ‘global war’  “involves the major
nations of the world.”

Why the comparison?  Most
Americans think of our battle for independence as an isolated conflict.  It wasn’t.

In 1775, the major nations of Europe were France, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, the Holy Roman Emperor and Russia.  Germany and Italy were a collection of duchies and small nation-states that wouldn’t be united until the 1870s. Seven German states loosely unified under the umbrella of the Holy Roman Empire provided troops and Swedish volunteers came to the colonies to fight against the British. Sweden was the first country that had not declared war to recognize the United States in 1783.

China and India were involved they were the source of most of the tea drunk in Europe and the Thirteen Colonies.  Immediately after the French declared war on Britain, England attacked and seized a French colonial enclave in southeastern India.  The Kingdom of Mysore joined the fight against the British. Japan was still isolated from the rest of the world and stood on the sideline.

The American Revolution set off land battles in South
America (what we now call Dutch Guyana) and Central America (Guatemala).  In the Caribbean, combat occurred on almost
every island except Cuba and Jamaica.  Fighting
took place in Florida (a British possession at the time) and in Canada.

Can the American Revolution be classified as a ‘world
war?’  Yes because the large nations of
the time were involved in the conflict all over the world.

Was our revolution a ‘global war?’  Absolutely. 
The major powers of Europe, Asia and were involved.  In North and South America, what are now
countries were just colonies.

If the American Revolution meets the definition of global and world war, why isn’t it referred to as such?  Only the historians can answer that, but one thing is certain.  Our war for independence sowed the seeds for a major convulsion in Europe called the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars that kept Europe and the rest of the world embroiled in conflict until Napoleon was defeated in 1815 and exiled to St. Helena, an island in the middle of the South Atlantic.

U.S. citizens, Americans, if you will, tend to look at the
American Revolution as a solitary event. 
It was not.  It may have started
outside Boston, but it became just one theater in a larger global or world
(take your pick) war over which European power controlled what colonial
possession.

Some Context on Why the 2nd Amendment is Embedded in Our Country’s DNA

In last week’s blog, I referenced two events – the Powder
Alarm on September 1st, 1774 and Paul Revere’s ride to Portsmouth
during the night of December 13th, 1774.  Both took place before the Royal Army headed
for Lexington and Concord on April 19th, 1775 and what became the
first battle of the American Revolution.

This week’s post touches on the historical context of why
the founders of the United States included the 2nd Amendment of our
Constitution right after freedom of speech and religion.

Some historians argue the Powder Alarm was a dress rehearsal
for Lexington and Concord.  At the time,
it was illegal to cast cannons, build a factory to make muskets or manufacture
gunpowder in “commercial” quantities.  When
the war started, there was one gunpowder mill in Pennsylvania capable of
manufacturing gunpowder in quantity, but could not produce enough to sustain an
army or a navy.

Outside the small cities, our forefathers depended on their
firearms for food because there wasn’t a local supermarket down the street.  Those living on the “frontier” needed them for
protection.

So, did the British venture out from Boston to collect taxes
imposed by the Intolerable Acts?  No.

Was it to make arrests of men and women who were planning a
rebellion against British rule?  No.

The written order given to Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith
by General Thomas Gage who was acting on orders from King George III tells us
their intent.  Smith’s was instructed not to read his
orders until he was on the road with 700 soldiers.  His orders state, “You will proceed with utmost expedition and secrecy to Concord where
you will seize and destroy all military stores. 
But you will take care that the soldiers do not plunder the inhabitants
or hurt private property.”  It is
interesting to note that Gage did not order Smith to make any arrests.

Gage’s intent was a raid whose sole purpose was to capture military
stores – gunpowder, muskets and musket balls – and disarm British citizens (that is what we all were at the time) so
they could not rebel against British
rule.

Many signers of the Declaration of Independence and creators
of the Constitution witnessed the Powder Alarm and the Battle of Lexington and
Concord.  They knew it would be nearly
impossible to successfully rebel against a government if the population was
disarmed.

This is the raison d’être why taking away the means to resist is one of the first steps a government takes if wants to control the actions of its population.  It is a lesson that has been learned and relearned throughout history.  What happened in Germany in the 1930s and in Venezuela today are just two examples.

By engaging the British in battle along the roads between
Lexington and Concord, the founders of our country sowed the seeds of the
Second Amendment into our nation’s DNA.

Marc Liebman

December 2018

New Year’s Resolutions

Ever make a resolution on things you’ll do differently in
the coming year?  Well, 2019 is upon us
and it is time to make mine.  Since this
blog is supposed to be about the author experience, there are three on my list
and all are about improving my social media presence.

The process started a long time ago when my website was unveiled back in 2012 and then updated in 2016.  It will get a mild facelift this year based on what books are coming out. And, my blog will continue appearing on Sunday mornings 

What’s left?  LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are the subject
of resolutions one, two and three.

Already, on Sundays or Mondays, this blog gets posted on LinkedIn and for the most part, if you want to connect with me, I’m o.k. with it.  Yeah, yeah, LinkedIn is about reaching people primarily for commercial purposes, but it is a way to tell folks about my books.  What I have to do is figure out how to leverage my LinkedIn presence to generate speaking events.

Number two is Facebook.  To me, Facebook is a mystery.  Not the why, but the how?  For GenXrs and Millennials, doing stuff on the site may be intuitive, but to this baby boomer, it is frustrating.  For reasons known only to Mark Zuckerberg and his cohorts who founded the company, to have an “author” page, one needs a “personal” page.  What you’ll see after the first of the year is a big notice on my personal page that is not “active” and to go to my “author” page that will have “stuff” on it.  That is, once I figure it out.

Then there number three – Twitter.  I’ve talked to many authors about the value of Twitter and Facebook.  Most say it is tough to get a direct correlation between the Facebook, Twitter and book sales.  They’re viewed as a necessary evil to make oneself known.

I’ve made New Year’s resolutions before and failed to carry
them out.  However, I now have a
Hootsuite account to help manage my Twitter activities and send out
tweets.  The goal is one tweet a day.  So, we’ll see.

Here’s my real issue with social media.  They take time to keep up with, post “stuff,”
etc.  So, with a limited amount of time,
do I write, edit and/or book a speaking engagement, or do I send out a tweet,
put a picture on Facebook, etc. etc. etc.?

What about Instagram? I don’t have a clue.

Right now, I’m focused on my website/blog, LinkedIn,
Facebook and Twitter.  The first two are
well on their way of being executed, the other two will take that precious
commodity called time.  Two out of four
isn’t bad, but that’s where I’ve been and its not good enough.  Warning,
warning, warning .  Watch out, Twitter
and Facebook here I come!

Marc Liebman

December 2018

The American Revolution – When and Where Did It Really Start and End?

What we know as the American Revolution began less than a decade after the Seven Years War ended in 1763. Defeating France, Spain, Russia, Sweden and Russia emptied the British treasury.  We know the North American theater of this global war as the French and Indian War.

 To help pay its debts, the Stamp Act was passed in 1765requiring residents of the Thirteen Colonies to use paper with an embossed Royal revenue stamp for all printed materials. Legislation such as the Tea Act in 1774 passed in May 1774 led to the Boston Tea Party on the night of December 16th, 1774.

 Most historians attribute the beginning of the war as the Battle of Lexington and Concord and skip over one battle and one thwarted raid that enabled our forefathers to face the British on April 19th,1775.

First was what historians call the Powder Alarm.  General Thomas Gage – the military governor of Massachusetts – sent troops throughout the colony to seize stores of gunpowder on September 1st, 1774. Alerted to the mission, the precious gunpowder was kept hidden from the Royal Army.

Next was the storming of Fort William and Henry outside Portsmouth, NH.  Four months before he made his famous ride to let everyone know the British are coming, Paul Revere rode from Boston to Portsmouth to tell the local militia know that the British intended to reinforce the fort.

Under John Langdon, a force of Colonials attacked the fort on December 12th, 1774.  The tiny garrison of six British soldiers fired cannons and muskets at the Americans before they were overwhelmed in hand-to-hand fighting.  The seized powder seized was put to good use in the Siege of Boston and the Battle of Bunker Hill.

The Revolutionary War pitted our forefathers against the Royal Army and Navy and was just one theater of what became a global war.  Battles took place in North and Central America, Europe, Africa and India. Ultimately, Spain and France declared war against the British and their German allies.  Thirteen Indian tribes supported the rebels and ten were allied with the British.

In what officially started on April 19th, 1775along the road in Lexington and Concord ended when the last battle was fought between French and British ships of the Virginia coast on January 23rd1783, roughly sixteen months and four days after Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown on October 19th, 1781.  The Treaty of Paris signed on May 12th, 1784 ended the war after nine plus years.

Both sides were exhausted and broke.  The war cost the colonists approximately twenty-three thousand dead, of which seventeen thousand died of disease!

Through the treaty, we received all the British territory east of the Mississippi and south of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River.  The country we know as the United States of America was born.

Marc Liebman

December 2018

Questions From Book Signings

My first book was released in September 2012.  That’s six years ago and since then, I’ve signed books at industry trade shows, association events, supermarkets, weekly Rotary, Kiwanis and Lion’s lunches to name a few of the places.  In other words, there’s been more than one.

At each one, potential buyers often asked the same questions so here’s the unofficial the top eight.

Which is my favorite book?  This is akin to asking a parent who is your favorite child.  Do I like one more than the others, yes.  Does that mean I have a least favorite?  No, not really.  When asked, I flip the question around and ask them what they like in a book and take the conversation from there.

Are they available in e-books?  Yes and in several different formats.  Everyone knows Kindle, but there are other formats and you can get all my books in them.

Are they available as audio books?  Not yet, but they’re coming.  Big Mother 40 should be available in an audio book later this year.  The reason it wasn’t done earlier is cost.  Authors pay for the narrator either directly or through an advance taken out of their royalties.  Is there a market for audio books, oh yeah!  Until recently, the economics weren’t there.  More on this in a later blog when I have a release date.

Are they in libraries?  Don’t know.  Are they made available to libraries by the distributors, yes.  Do the libraries buy them?  I don’t have any information one way or the other.  Its not a market or channel I’ve pursued but will in the future.

Which book should I start with?  Pick one.  The Josh Haman series was written (The past tense is appropriate because the seventh and last book in the series should be out next year) so that one could start with any one.  There’s enough of the “back story” in each book so that one learns what happened in the past without having to read the prior books.  Would it help to read them in sequence?  Yes.  Is it necessary, no.

Where can I buy them?  The quick answer is the six hundred pound guerilla – Amazon.  The longer answer is any bookstore (online or brick and mortar) can order them from Lightning Source or Ingrams or you can order them from either Penmore.  The books what as known as POD – print on demand – so if it is not on the shelf, when the outlet orders one, the books are printed and shipped within 24 – 48 hours of the receipt of the order.  The only way you can get signed copies is from me.  To do so, go to my website and send me an email.  I respond within 24 hours and once I have a credit card payment, the book is shipped the next day.

Which one sells the best?  Big Mother 40.  This is based on the data I keep from book signing events.  #2 is Cherubs 2. Then one gets into longevity issues, i.e. how long the book has been out.

Which one has the most action?  They all have lots of action, some flying, some battle, some gunfights and hand-hand-combat.  Its not continual because one has to build the plot, but they all have lots of the above.

Just thought you would like to know.

Marc Liebman

December 2018

On Being Hacked for the Second Time

Last week, several people called or emailed asking if I sent them a Facebook request to be “my friend.” My wife even got one! The answer was no, the request was bogus.

As soon as I found out what was happening, I forwarded the fake friend requests to my web mistress so she could quickly to take corrective action.

This is the second time that I’ve been hacked. The first time, someone from the People’s Republic of China went into my web site, planted some malicious software. It took my web mistress with some help from the site that hosts my site, almost a week to repair the damage. What the hackers got, or wanted to get or why still remains a mystery because there is absolutely nothing on my website or my Facebook page worth stealing.

The why of both attacks still bugs me. According to my web mistress, it happens every day.

Normally, I don’t spend much time looking at the charts on attempted penetrations of my web site that come in an email every week, but now I do. During one three day period, there were 146 separate attacks from different IP addresses. That 48.6/day!

The top countries from which the attacks originated, at least in this report, surprised me because I would have guessed that the PRC would have been number one. They’re actually number four on this hit parade behind Argentina, Brazil and of all places, Laos. Looking at the list, it’s a who’s who of countries big and small. Making the top ten are vacation hot spots such as Antigua and Barbados. Maybe hackers go to the islands to have a great time and while they’re there, take a few hours on the beach to hack away.

Egypt, Thailand, Spain also made the list and there was one surprise – Nepal. So, the hackers come from everywhere.

Again, I wonder what the hackers expect to gain? Money, credit cards, or bank account info? Not on my Facebook page or web site. Personal info? Nope, none there. My Facebook page has the bare minimum for this very reason.

Maybe to these folks, it’s a form of recreation. Most people work out, travel or play sports or video games, go out to dinner with friends or curl up on a comfy chair and read a good book.

Not these folks. They think its fun to try to get into someone’s web site or Facebook page and steal something or send out bogus emails. It’s low risk because unless they steal data from a large company or a government agency, law enforcement agencies don’t have the time, energy or resources to hunt these bastards down

So again, why? The CIO of a consulting firm for which I used to work had the best answer – because they can… Welcome to the new normal.

Marc Liebman

December 2018