{"id":1305715,"date":"2022-02-17T09:22:51","date_gmt":"2022-02-17T14:22:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1305715"},"modified":"2022-02-17T09:22:58","modified_gmt":"2022-02-17T14:22:58","slug":"exclusive-odonnell-the-forgotten-irishman-who-coined-the-united-states-of-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-odonnell-the-forgotten-irishman-who-coined-the-united-states-of-america\/","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive&#8211;O&#039;Donnell: The Forgotten Irishman Who Coined &#039;The United States of America&#039;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fexclusive-odonnell-the-forgotten-irishman-who-coined-the-united-states-of-america%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1305715&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"subheading\">Today, we take the term \u201cThe United States of America\u201d for granted, but when a plucky Irishman in Washington\u2019s Navy used it for the first time, the unity of the American colonies as well as their quest for independence was in question.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>An American Navy would be a crucial key to achieving the sovereignty and independence of a nation yet to be born\u2014the United States of America. Today\u2019s unmatched U.S. Navy, the most powerful in the world, had humble origins\u2014a single fishing boat. In August 1775, motivated by desperation for gunpowder and propelled by American ingenuity, George Washington ordered Marblehead merchant and regimental commander John Glover to outfit his schooner, the <i>Hannah, <\/i>for war. Challenging the British Royal Navy, the greatest navy in the history of the world at that time, by transforming a fishing schooner into a man of war seemed as preposterous then as it does now. But British disarmament and a lack of crucial gunpowder in the colonies led to American innovation. Colonel John Glover converted more merchant and fishing boats into cruisers that preyed on vulnerable British transports carrying troops, gunpowder, and supplies. Dubbed Washington\u2019s Navy, Marbleheaders captured some of the greatest prize ships of the Revolutionary War.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"p3\">As the enterprise expanded beyond the <i>Hannah<\/i>, General George Washington brought in the army\u2019s muster-master general, Stephen Moylan, to assist Glover in managing the burgeoning navy. The muster-master general had the arduous task of accounting for the men in each of the Continental Army\u2019s units. A tough, husky Irish immigrant, Moylan hailed from a prominent Irish trading family who sent him to Paris and later Lisbon for his education. The well-spoken gentleman with a brogue had a keen mind for international trade and business. Elected before the war as the first president of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, an organization of prosperous merchants, Moylan now helped manage the construction and the crews for the ships.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">Moylan\u2019s partnership with Glover proved potent, and the duo realized Washington\u2019s vision. Moylan extended Washington\u2019s direct authority to Glover, as Reed wrote, \u201cMr. Moylan, the Muster-Master General, is associated with you in this business; and whatever engagements are entered into by you and Mr. Moylan, when you happen to be together, or by either in case one goes to Newbury, the General will fully ratify and confirm.\u201d Moylan spoke for his boss, Washington, and it can be argued Moylan\u2019s thinking was in line with Washington\u2019s\u2014including the important issue of independence from Great Britain.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">Seven months before the Declaration of Independence Moylan wrote a letter to Washington\u2019s aide-de-camp Joseph Reed on January 2, 1776 where he used the term, \u201cThe United States of America.\u201d<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>This is history\u2019s first recorded use of the term.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>Moylan\u2019s letter also highlighted a threatening speech from King George III that diplomacy would not solve the crisis. Up until this point, many Americans looked at themselves as loyal subjects of a benevolent king, who would resolve their grievances.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"p3\">This remarkable untold story is in the new bestselling book,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Indispensables-Marbleheads-Soldier-Mariners-Washington-Delaware\/dp\/0802156894\"><span>The Indispensables: Marblehead\u2019s Diverse Soldier-Mariners Who Shaped the Country, Formed the Navy, and Rowed Washington Across the Delaware.<\/span><\/a>&nbsp;The book is a <i>Band of Brothers<\/i>-style treatment of this unique group of Americans who changed the course of history.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">Several factors influenced Moylan\u2019s use of the moniker. Washington\u2019s Navy which he helped manage was itself an act of sovereignty. A Navy signaled the start of an enormous undertaking.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>The vessels necessitated the printing of money and assumption of debt for their construction and would require infrastructure and bureaucracy for support. A navy contributed to American independence and the creation of a nation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">Furthermore, Joseph Reed, whom Moylan wrote to, also suggested a flag for the vessels. \u201cWhat do you think of a Flag with a White Ground, a Tree in the Middle, the Motto \u2018Appeal to Heaven\u2019?\u201d In authorizing armed warships, Congress and Washington were already taking an unprecedented step toward independence and sovereignty, but flying a separate flag would have been a monumental leap closer to that goal.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_19911138\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/media.breitbart.com\/media\/2022\/02\/Screen-Shot-2022-02-16-at-5.32.46-PM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-19911138\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Screen-Shot-2022-02-16-at-5.32.46-PM-1024x675-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"990\" height=\"653\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">An Appeal to Heaven Flag (also called the Pine Tree Flag). This flag was flown during the American Revolution. Multiple versions of this flag exist given the original was destroyed by the British. The pine tree is a traditional symbol of New England. Public Domain<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p3\">Moylan and many of his fellow Americans started to look at themselves as citizens and not subjects.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; <\/span>Americans were not mere colonists but citizens of independent states, not colonies of Great Britain. <span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">American sovereignty remains as important today as it was in 1776. Now more than ever, with today\u2019s internal strife and division, we need to look back at the Founders and forgotten Americans like Stephen Moylan who staked their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor on an idea of the United States of America. <span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p5\"><span class=\"s3\"><br \/><\/span><em>Patrick K. O\u2019Donnell is a bestselling, critically acclaimed military historian and an expert on elite units. He is the author of twelve books including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/the-indispensables-patrick-k-odonnell\/1137963846?ean=9780802156891\"><span class=\"s4\">The Indispensables<\/span><\/a>, featured nationally at Barnes and Noble and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Washingtons-Immortals-Regiment-Changed-Revolution\/dp\/0802124593\/ref=sr_1_1\"><span class=\"s4\">Washington\u2019s Immortals<\/span><\/a><span class=\"s4\">,<\/span> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Unknowns-Americas-Soldier-Decorated-Brought\/dp\/0802128335\/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0\"><span class=\"s4\">The Unknowns<\/span><\/a>. O\u2019Donnell served as a combat historian in a Marine rifle platoon during the Battle of Fallujah and speaks often on espionage, special operations, and counterinsurgency. He has provided historical consulting for DreamWorks\u2019 award-winning miniseries Band of Brothers and for documentaries produced by the BBC, the History Channel, and Discovery. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.patrickkodonnell.com\/\"><span class=\"s4\">PatrickODonnell.com<\/span><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/combathistorian\"><span class=\"s4\">@combathistorian<\/span><\/a><span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Today, we take the term \u201cThe United States of America\u201d for granted, but when a plucky Irishman in Washington\u2019s Navy used it for the first time, the unity of the &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1305715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1305715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1305715"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1305715\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1305715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1305715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1305715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}