Joseph Jones and the Letter that Saved America
Joseph Jones wrote one of the most important letters in American history, though the influence was not because of the content but rather a certain Commander-in-Chief's inability to read it.
Joseph Jones
As with many young men of means in Colonial Virginia, Joseph Jones was sent to Europe to receive his education.
Upon his return, Jones became a successful lawyer and was eventually elected to the House of Burgesses.
His time in this office coincided with the beginnings of the Revolutionary War and he was included as a member of the Fifth Virginia Convention which essentially declared independence in the weeks leading up to the Continental Congress’ decision to do the same.
Adopting Monroe
As all of this was going on, Jones’ sister and brother-in-law both passed away.
Without children of their own, Joseph and his wife adopted their orphaned nieces and nephews.
Among these kids was a 16-year-old future President...James Monroe.
Jones brought Monroe to Williamsburg, introduced him to the influential leaders of Virginia, enrolled him in the College of William and Mary, and mentored him into adulthood.
Continental Congress
In late 1777, Jones was sent to the Continental Congress.
He only spent a few months in Congress before returning due to ill health.
However, he started a regular correspondence with George Washington at this time.
By 1780 he returned to Congress, this time for three years. During his second stint, Joseph wrote an extremely important letter to Washington…
The Newburgh Conspiracy
As the Revolutionary War was drawing to a close, many high ranking Officers in the Continental Army were not happy about the way the Continental Congress was going about its business.
They had a meeting to consider how to handle the situation which George Washington famously interrupted.
Washington looked down to read a letter to his men, gave his famous ‘you will permit me to put on my spectacles’ quote, and pulled out his glasses. All the men were reminded what they had been fighting for, felt ashamed of themselves (except Timothy Pickering) and things went back to normal.
The General had narrowly averted a military coup on the young nation.
But who wrote that letter he was trying to read (which always gets overlooked in this story)?
Joseph Jones.
This article spoke about the Fifth Virginia Convention, but a more famous saying came from the Second Virginia Convention.
Here’s an article about Patrick Henry’s ‘Liberty or Death’ Speech:
Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death - Patrick Henry Quiets the Room
‘You will permit me to put on my spectacles’ is just one of the important quotes I have on the products offered through the link below:
Want to get fun American Revolution articles straight to your inbox every morning?
Smart!
Subscribe to my email list here.
You can also support this site on Patreon by clicking here.
