RPTM Podcast Episode Nineteen: von Stueben, Gadsden, Yankee Doodle, and the End of the War

As we continue through the American Revolution, we continue to look at the seldom seen. One of those was, for me at least, Baron Friedrich von Stueben. I am ashamed to say that I had never even heard of him until I watch an episode of Drunk History of all places. If you haven’t seen it, or the show at all for that matter, I recommend you give it a watch. Today with social media, YouTube and so many streaming services competing for your attention (and money) there are a plethora of options to not just learn but also be entertained. And while it seems like it can be a cop out for your history teacher to show you a Crash Course video every lecture, cut them some slack. The goal for most educators to make history fun and engaging. If short video clips can do that then keep going it.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Personal hygiene in the 1700s was heavily maintained through a complicated balance of practicality, religious belief, and social position. Men and women living in colonial America washed their bodies and clothes with varying degrees of regularity, often falling victim to disease and disorder as a result.  
• Some historians have counted Friederich von Steuben, along with General Washington himself, as the only two men whose services were "indispensable" to the success of the Revolution.
• The Gadsden flag harks back to the American Revolution when colonists were tired of living under British rule and took up arms against the mother country. Contemporary Americans generally recognize the Gadsden flag for its distinctive yellow background, the coiled rattlesnake, and the simple motto "Don't tread on me." 
• The “Yankee Doodle” tune was already well known by the 1750s. But tradition says that in 1755 a British doctor named Richard Schuckburg penned new words to mock his American allies. He portrayed the colonists as rude, crude, and cowardly. Over time, new verses of “Yankee Doodle” were added, changed, moved, and removed. 
• The American Revolution is full of reasonably well-known figures and events. George Washington, the Boston Tea Party, and the Declaration of Independence are all part of Revolutionary-era history. This is generally common knowledge, but there are many facts about the Revolutionary War that you may not know. 

CHAPTERS
​0:37 Introduction
1:43 Colonial Hygiene
13:34 Baron Friedrich von Stueben
17:29 Gadsden Flag
21:54 Yankee Doodle
26:20 Miscellaneous Stories of the Revolution
36:56 Outro

​RESOURCES
What Was Hygiene Like In Colonial America?
Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben - Nominee
The Fascinating History of the Gadsden “Don’t Tread on Me” Flag
Gadsden flag
​12 Facts About The Revolutionary War We Just Found Out That Made Us Say 'Whoa'