The Diary of Joseph Plumb Martin. Many historians regard the diary of Joseph Plumb Martin as one of the greatest primary sources of the American Revolutionary War.

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Alex Johnson

October 24, 2011

History 201

Revolutionary Soldier

War has been an unfortunate yet reoccurring theme throughout human history.  Its effects have been felt across the world by countless numbers of unfortunate people subjected to the immeasurable amounts of pain, devastation, and suffering resulting from war.  Though there are many possible causes, reasons, and excuses behind declarations of war, it has always symbolized the official and ultimate decision to declare a group of people as enemies.  History has taught us the risks and devastating effects that war has the potential to cause.  Therefore, many people attempt to avoid war at all costs.  Despite these attempts aimed towards avoiding war, sometimes conflict is unavoidable.  Usually, when conflict arises between two groups of people, the two groups first attempt to resolve their problems in a diplomatic and acceptable fashion.  However, if the problem is unable to be resolved diplomatically, the final option to settle a dispute may be to declare war.  The side that is victorious in war attains the right to dictate a resolution on their own terms.  Aside from the new terms dictated by the victors, another common result of war is that it often leads to change.  Change resulting from war can have a long and lasting impact on the world.  In fact, the world we know today was shaped by the effects and changes resulting from a long history of wars.  By analyzing and examining this history, man can truly appreciate the circumstances surrounding those important events that led to change while also learning lessons from the past experiences and mistakes of others.  When studying such historical events, it is important to examine the individual accounts and experiences of those directly affected by the event.  Historians attempt to examine primary sources and first-hand accounts of historical events in order to create a more vivid picture of what had actually happened.  Personal accounts such as letters, diaries, and journals serve as pieces to a puzzle, representing an individual and their own unique experience of the event.  One such example is a diary kept by an American Revolutionary soldier during America’s fight for independence.  It provided a detailed personal account of the life of a soldier and the hardships he experienced fighting in a war against the British.  Many historians regard the diary of Joseph Plumb Martin as one of the greatest primary sources of the American Revolutionary War.  

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Joseph Plumb Martin was born during the year 1760 in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in colonial America to a well to do family.  Before becoming a reverend, his father graduated from Yale. He devoted himself to gaining an education as a means of gaining a livelihood after realizing he did not want to devote the rest of his life to manual labor.  At the age of seven, Joseph was sent to live with his wealthy grandfather who provided him labor and education.  

Growing up in New England during this time in history meant that Joseph would have been exposed ...

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