We call our founders and early revolutionaries "freedom fighters" but to others (e.g. British, Loyalists and their allies) they were viewed as terrorists and insurgents. In fact, my ancestor Samuel Espy, who fought against the British Crown in crucial Revolutionary War battles in North Carolina, would have been named a terrorist. During Reagan's years, the US government labeled Nelson Mandela a terrorist, but today he's heralded as a fierce example of liberty and freedom. So history tends to judge differently.
The American Revolution was run by radical revolutionaries. It took historians to identify them as brilliant. - Richard Saunders
Samuel Espy's name appears on this Revolutionary War monument in Kings Mountain, NC. This year I intend to explore more about this his life and his contributions to our country's struggles for independence. I believe Samuel Espy was my great-great-great-great-grandfather.
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