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Making Choices Matters: Myth Busting in the Career of Robert R. Livingston
Why is Robert R. Livingston a, so-called, forgotten founder? He participated in some of the most important moments of the Revolution and was at one point specifically targeted by the British Army for it. Yet in innumerable histories of the Revolution you will only find his name on one page, when authors list the Committee… →
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The Chancellor’s War: Robert R. Livingston in the War of Independence Conclusion
Men like Robert R. Livingston were the reason that the American Revolution succeeded in creating a new country without descending into complete and utter anarchy. Livingston and his ilk, while whole heartedly believing in the cause and supporting independence, tempered the more radical elements that would have seen the social order upset as later happened… →
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The Chancellor’s War: Robert R. Livingston in the War of Independence Chapter 10
Livingston’s homecoming was not permanent after resigning from the as Secretary for Foreign Affairs. In the coming years Livingston rose and fell only to rise again in his political fortunes. He continued to be a man who would shape the country. He sought office and recognition. As Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz noted when he visited Clermont;… →
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The Chancellor’s War: Robert R. Livingston in the War of Independence Chapter 9
On August 10, 1781 Livingston was selected for the most important post he held during the Revolution. Livingston was elected by a vote in Congress, over Arthur Lee, as Secretary for Foreign Affairs when the Articles of Confederation took effect. The job came with a salary of four thousand dollars per annum, which Livingston sorely… →
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The Chancellor’s War: Robert R. Livingston in the War of Independence Chapter 7
Livingston’s next year and half were spent on state and personal issues. Some people sought to send him sent back to Congress where they felt that he could do the most good but Livingston found more than enough work to occupy himself in New York.[i] In addition to his campaign to rid the army of… →
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The Chancellor’s War: Robert R. Livingston in the War of Independence Chapter 6
From the early days of the war Livingston made himself vital to the planning and execution of the defenses of the Hudson River. He was also important on a national level with shaping how the army would conduct the war. In October of 1775 when Congress was debating the disposition of troops, Roger Sherman said… →
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The Chancellor’s War: Robert R. Livingston in the War of Independence Chapter 5
In early 1776, Livingston’s relationship with idea of independence was complicated. While he was in favor of it personally he had questions about the legality of Congress’s ability to declare independence. He was also deeply troubled by many of the forms that independence could take in the colonies. He worried, as his father had, about… →
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The Chancellor’s War: Robert R. Livingston in the War of Independence Chapter 4
During a brief respite at Clermont during the height of summer 1775 Livingston wrote to John Jay; “I must confess that after breathing the pure air of the country I dread the idea of a hot room in Philadelphia.”[i] Nevertheless he soon returned to Philadelphia where much of the rest of the year was spent… →
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The Chancellor’s War: Robert R. Livingston in the War of Independence Chapter 3
In April 1775 Robert Livingston was chosen to represent Dutchess County in New York City at the Provincial Convention. The Convention’s main goal that spring was to choose representatives to the new assemblage recently called for in Philadelphia, the Second Continental Congress. Livingston was unanimously chosen to represent New York. On April 23, the… →
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The Chancellor’s War: Robert R. Livingston in the War of Independence Chapter 2
Robert Livingston’s college experience played an important role in the formation of his political beliefs and also for the future of the liberty movement in New York. Like many college students he became politically aware and active during this period. The friends he made at college shaped the very nature of the Revolution in… →