Celebrate
the end of the Revolutionary War! The last troops of British
“Redcoats” left America on this day in 1783, boarding a fleet of
ships and sailing away. The last shot of the war, a cannonball shot
from the departing ships at the jeering crowds, fell well short of
the shore.
The
British flag still flew in Battery Park, at the southern tip of
Manhattan, as it was nailed to the top of a greased flagpole. Several
men tried to tear down the flag, called the Union Jack, but could not
reach it; so people cut and nailed wooden cleats to the pole, and a
veteran named John Van Arsdale used a ladder to get to the top of the
pole, remove the flag, and replace it with the American Stars and
Stripes. He managed to do this while the British fleet was still in
sight!
With
the American flag flying, the signal was given to George Washington
that Manhattan was ready for the victory march, and Washington led
the Continental Army down Broadway to the Battery.
For
more than a century, this event was celebrated by a reenactment –
with a competition to see who could get up the greased pole to tear
down the Union Jack! However, once Thanksgiving Day was proclaimed by
Abraham Lincoln, Evacuation Day subsided in importance.
Since
it is the day after Thanksgiving, today is also...
You're
Welcoming Day
A
day to say “you're welcome” to all the people who thanked you the
day before...
Black
Friday
A
day to spend money while trying to save money, buying gifts at
the store...
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