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The Tea Partiers and the Continental Army
January 25, 2010
I’m going to make another comparison between the current tea party movement and the Founding of this nation. We all know about Valley Forge, and the trials and tribulations George Washington and the Continental Army faced during that brutal winter with the cold, sickness, and lack of food.
What is not as well known is the role of Baron von Steuben that winter. Washington knew that for the colonies to be victorious, the Continental Army had to become better trained and more proficient. For lack for lack of a better term, the Continentals had to become a professional fighting force. While in the early days there had been some success with the state militias, Washington knew that if the men fighting were just purely volunteers, the British army would continue to beat them.
So that winter at Valley Forge, Baron von Steuben began training and drilling the Continental Army, whipping it into a more proficient fighting machine. Von Steuben was an interesting character, who actually couldn’t speak English (he would swear at the men in French and Prussian, and then have his translator swear at the men in English), but he knew how to train and drill men. At Valley Forge, he actually took a small group of men, trained them, and then had them turned into trainers so they could accelerate the process. The first signs of success were played out at in 1778 as the Continental Army became a much better fighting machine.
Now I’m not saying it was all smooth sailing after that for Washington and the Continental Army. They were still ill-equipped and fed, and were facing the finest army in the world at the time. But it did allow them to go toe-to-toe with the British, beat them at times, but approach the conflict with more discipline. And three years later, we of course know that the Continental Army, with the help of the French, beat Cornwallis at Yorktown and effectively ended the Revolutionary War.
The point I want to make is that in 2009, many of the people coming out to the tea parties and 9.12 events were doing so for the first time. I was just at an event in Dallas for organizers and asked, “For how many of you was 2009 the first time you really did anything?” I would venture to say 80% of the people in the room raised their hands. So you have people who are very passionate, but very new, to the process. If the tea party movement is going to be successful, and make the impact it can, and should have, the people in the movement need to become even better at what they do, from organizing, to messaging, to leading. What if the millions that showed up last year all became better at engaging online, building effective grassroots coalitions, became proficient at enforcing accountability on their elected officials, and even identifying and training new leadership from the movement to run for office? Can you imagine the impact the movement can have, not just in 2010, but beyond?
My hope is that in 2010, the tea party movement does take the time to get trained and even better educated, because quite frankly, the left knows the movement is coming, and if the tea partiers are going to beat the left in this country, the time to get better is right now.
Ned,
I was one of those in attendance at the Dallas event and can attest to the fact that while there is much work to be done, through the unified efforts of people like you and the other supporters of the event and the presenters, millions can and will be trained and mobilized to design and engage in more effective strategies to ensure our success in defending the cause of liberty.
THANKS TO YOU AND TO ALL WHO MADE THIS EVENT POSSIBLE. We will turn passion and loyalty to our country into skill and proficiency as we continue in this battle and will carefully and methodically make our move to VICTORY!
God Bless,
Jennifer West
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Ned,
Thank you so much for the excellent Post Party event in Dallas, Tx this past weekend. I am from Conway , Arkansas, Faulkner Co. Tea Party. It was amazing to us to be able to receive such good information and to be able to connect with other like minded conservatives who are working all over the nation . The tools you exposed us to and that were shared so freely will help us fight the fight. Some of us are so new at this…everything is new territory! No matter…we will continue as long as it takes…and we will learn what we have to learn…get up…step out of the comfort zone…and never take for granted again that “someone else” will do what each one of us needs to do which is to be viligant for our freedom and liberty 🙂
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Great article!
One difference between the Continental Army and the TPM is that the Army had centralized leadership.
How long can the TPM function as a decentralized group of groups? Obviously the principles of the movement serve as the central “leadership” right now. But do you believe that a central leadership is ultimately necessary for the TPM to reach its full potential?
Neil, I agree that eventually there must be some sort of “centralized” leadership for the tea party movement. My hope is this: that out of the local tea parties come statewide organizations. Many of the states are doing that already. I believe Virginia, where I’m at, already has a statewide coalition of 50 plus tea parties and 9.12 groups joined together in a statewide coalition. Then out of those statewides would come 2-3 elected leaders to meet nationwide with their peers from the other states and a national meeting be held to decide direction, strategy, etc. So a circle of leadership, in some ways. But you’re right, and I agree, and have said as much that leaderless revolutions have to at some point have leadership if they are going to be long term and sustainable.
I agree that we need to be able to respond as one voice concerning these important issues we face. This makes us a force to be recognized and heard. I was at the Dallas meeting and this group offered wonderful training that most of us rookies need to get our conservative message out. Thanks for all you do and do so well.
I am in the fight for the duration as I feel that most of the Tea Party members are. We will not forget but we need to be organized better to bring about the needed changes in Congress.
May God bless our efforts as we seek His will.
Sybil Tribble
Wayne County Tea Party
Waynesboro, MS.