By: Eris Ferrara
Menaul School is proud to celebrate the remarkable academic achievement of student Eris Ferrara, who was recently named the winner of both the Chapter and State-level Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) essay contests. In a compelling exploration of American history, Eris’s winning piece delved into the life and legacy of Thomas Nelson, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a pivotal figure in the Revolutionary War. Competing against talented writers from across the state, Eris’s work stood out for its historical depth and clarity, embodying the spirit of inquiry and excellence we strive for here at Menaul.
What inspired you to write this essay?
One big inspiration that I had to write this essay was Hamilton. I had first seen the musical Hamilton when I was 9 years old at first, I had no idea what was going on. But then I watched again a few months later and I decided that I enjoyed it so much, that I would read about the history of The American Revolution and just American History in general. A few years later Mr. Garcia told me about the essay contest and I became excited; I have never done an essay contest before. As I was reading about Thomas Nelson Jr. I ended up enjoying it a lot. Being in Mr. Garcia’s American History class was another inspiration too, I enjoy American history especially things like the different wars and revolutions
When doing the research for this essay, what was one of the most interesting facts you came across?
I came across a lot of interesting facts while researching about Thomas Nelson Jr. One interesting fact was that he had offered 5 guineas to the first person to fire upon his house. The British General Cornwallis was using Nelson’s mansion as a base, as a result Nelson decided to sacrifice his mansion for the nation’s own good. This was a selfless act that surprised me very much.
How did you choose Thomas Nelson?
At first, I was planning to make Alexander Hamilton the subject of my essay. After I carefully considered this plan, I soon realized that if I wanted to have a good chance of winning, I would have to find a person that had signed The Declaration of Independence that had contributed much to the revolution, but also was not very well known. So, after searching through the signers, I decided that Nelson was the perfect candidate for my essay.
Eris Ferrara’s Essay
Today in our history classes, when we are learning about the American Revolution, we typically hear about how George Washington became our first president when he led our country to independence or how John Adams helped draft the Declaration of Independence. When I looked at the list of all who signed the Declaration, I only recognized people such as Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Hancock. Yet, I picked someone I did not even know existed before I did some research and found out that Thomas Nelson was a remarkably interesting person. I dove deeper into the life of Nelson, I ended up reading the book Thomas Nelson of Yorktown by Emory G. Evans and found that Nelson made many sacrifices including his health, money, and property. This shaped our independence in many ways that we can see even today as a country because he did not make all these sacrifices for himself or his family, but for a future nation.
One reason I would have lunch with Nelson is because he sacrificed many of his own resources, such as his property and money. For example, he relinquished his property when the British General Cornwallis was using Nelson’s mansion as a base. As a result, Nelson offered five guineas to the first soldier to fire upon his house. This act of selflessness showed that Nelson was ready to take drastic measures of any cost, just for our nation’s freedom. Not only did he sacrifice his own land, but he also sacrificed more than two million dollars to Virginia’s revolutionary cause and ended up becoming bankrupt from doing so. For example, when Nelson received 8,000 pounds, he decided that he would spend it contributing artillery and horses to the Virginian troops. These sacrifices prove that Nelson was ready to go to the revolution’s needs and help them when he could.
Another reason I would have lunch with Thomas Nelson is because although he descended from English royalty and had gone to school in England as a young man, he decided to loyally stand on the side of the thirteen colonies. One example of his unwavering loyalty was during the Yorktown Tea Party. In 1774 the House of Burgesses was breaking apart because Lord Dunmore, a loyalist, shut down the Port of Boston. Nelson decided to revolt against this tyranny and spent some of his own personal fortune to send supplies to Boston. He arranged the Yorktown Tea Party, and he personally threw a chest into the York River. This evidence shows that even though he had remarkably close ties to the British, he was willing to do whatever it took to gain independence for our nation.
The last reason I would pick Nelson is because he always did what he thought was right, regardless of what authorities told him to do. One example of his high integrity is when Virginia was making a bill that would allow them to take over British property, Nelson told the men that were trying to get this bill approved that he would pay his debts to the British no matter what, “For these reasons, he concluded, ‘I hope the bill will be rejected; but whatever its fate, by God, I will pay my debts like an honest man.” (Evans 72). This shows that even though Nelson was fighting against the British, he would still pay back his debts. Another example of disobeying authorities was when he was fighting in the Revolution. Nelson had concluded that he wanted to raise 5,000 volunteers but George Washington said that it would be too much of a bother. Despite Washington’s comment, Nelson did not give in, but instead he raised the volunteers anyway, even though it did not help. This stubbornness against General Washington shows that he had his own virtues. He realized that if he wanted to do what he thought was best for our nation’s independence, he would have to disobey and be true to himself, even if they were not necessarily right to others. Another example was when he sent a letter to General Washington saying that he wanted to give all of his soldiers shots for smallpox, “for I am well convinc’d that General Howe would effect more by a few Phials of small pox matter, than he could by his whole train of Artillery; and yet so preserve are our Countrymen in General.” (Brigadier General Thomas Nelson, Jr., To George Washington) This quote proves Nelson only wanted what was the best for his soldiers. If the thirteen colonies had never disobeyed the British crown, then they would not have won their freedom, “They are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” (The Declaration of Independence). This is what they agreed to when they signed this vow, that everyone has the rights to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. Thomas Nelson fought for this promise to his fullest extent.
With these pieces of evidence, I can conclude that Thomas Nelson Junior shaped our independence today by sacrificing his fortune, his time, and his own mansion. Even today, I see these traits in people, those who sacrifice their money to our country, those who sacrifice their time to make this nation that we live in today a better place, and those who do what they think is right regardless of what others think is right or wrong. All these traits of Nelson I see in countless people every day, and not just the important people in society today but the people who live in my everyday life. Nelson wanted to ensure that the world we live in today could be a free one, he guaranteed our freedom not only as a nation but as individual people, too. If I were sitting at lunch with Thomas Nelson today, I would tell him that he contributed many things to revolution even though he is not well known today none of his sacrifices were in vain.