Analysis Of Ordinary Courage: The Revolutionary War Adventures Of Joseph Plumb Martin
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Many people believe that the American Revolution was a war about the American people’s liberation struggle against British colonialism and with this, comes with many ideas that this war was filled with famous heroes that still hold much public praise even as of today. But there are many heroes that did not receive any recognition for their vital contributions to the success of the United States liberation movement. Despite being overlooked, many of these unknown heroes contributions can arguably be considered greater than most well known heroes of the war. In James K. Martin’s book, “Ordinary Courage: The Revolutionary War Adventures of Joseph Plumb Martin”, the author tells the story of one of these unknown heroes that goes into the details…show more content… He observes how the colonists are different and how he is different being an African American. Even though that the men he fights along side with are fighting for mainly the same ideals, he was still ill-treated and said that he “would rather be combating with a tribe of Indians then with Southerners” (Martin, 25). Even with being discriminated against, the man continues the fight as his ideals and views of why he fights are much more grounded compared to his fighting comrades. To illustrate the extent of the mans courage, in the book where the odds are stacked against him he says, “notwithstanding I was told that the British army at that place was reinforced by 15,000 men, it made no alteration in my mind; I did not care if there had been 15 times 15,000, I should have gone just as soon as there had been but 1,500. I never spent a thought about numbers; the Americans were invincible in my opinion. If anything affected me, it was a stronger desire to see them” (Martin,…show more content… Nevertheless, the main character finds other courage than just of his own in a woman that he notices firing a cannon as he describes, “A woman whose husband belonged to the artillery and who was then attached to a piece in the engagement, attended with her husband at the peace for the whole time. While in the act of reaching a cartridge and having one of her feet as far before the other as she could step, a cannon shot from the enemy passed directly before her legs without doing any other damage than carrying away all the lower part of her petticoat. Looking at it with apparent unconcern, she observed that it was lucky. It did not pass a little higher, for in that case it might have carried away something else, and continued her occupation” (Martin, 81). This extreme act of courage can relate back the main characters courage, as her courage would go unnoticed by many, because she was simply a woman. She did not line up with the predominate heroes of those times which typically included the criteria of being a white male. Throughout the war the main character remains positive in his thinking despite all the hardships he endures. The man’s ideas of freedom, independence and equality gradually disappear but he still believes that life will be improved after the war. These ideas are what motivated him to stay in the army despite all the