John Armstrong
John Armstrong
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Full Name and Common Aliases
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John Armstrong was born on June 26, 1717, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He is often referred to as John Armstrong Jr., to distinguish him from his father, John Armstrong Sr.
Birth and Death Dates
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Born: June 26, 1717
Died: April 4, 1795
Nationality and Profession(s)
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Armstrong was an American politician and statesman of Scottish descent. He served in various roles throughout his life, including:
Delegate to the Continental Congress: Representing Pennsylvania from 1774 to 1781.
United States Senator: Served from 1782 to 1788.
Minister to France: Appointed in 1782 and held this position until 1785.Early Life and Background
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John Armstrong was born into a prominent family in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. His father, John Armstrong Sr., was a well-respected farmer and politician who had immigrated from Scotland. The younger Armstrong received a classical education at the College of Philadelphia (now the University of Pennsylvania), where he developed his interest in politics and diplomacy.
Major Accomplishments
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Armstrong's career was marked by several significant accomplishments:
American Revolutionary War: He played a key role in securing French support for the American cause, serving as Minister to France from 1782 to 1785.
United States Constitution: Armstrong was one of the drafters of the United States Constitution and participated in the Constitutional Convention in 1787.
Diplomatic Career: He served as a diplomat in various capacities throughout his life, including ambassador to France and Spain.
Notable Works or Actions
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Armstrong's writings and actions had a lasting impact on American history:
"Essay on the Principles of Liberty and Government": This influential essay outlined Armstrong's views on government and liberty.
Support for the Constitution: He was a strong advocate for the ratification of the United States Constitution, writing several articles in support of its adoption.
Impact and Legacy
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John Armstrong's contributions to American history are multifaceted:
Shaping American Diplomacy: His diplomatic career helped establish the United States as a respected player on the world stage.
Promoting Liberty and Government: Armstrong's writings on government and liberty continue to influence American thought and politics.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
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John Armstrong is widely quoted and remembered for his:
Influence on American Politics: His contributions to the Constitutional Convention and his advocacy for the ratification of the United States Constitution have had a lasting impact on American history.
Diplomatic Achievements: Armstrong's success in securing French support during the American Revolutionary War helped secure American independence.
Quotes by John Armstrong
This is the most effective way: let the growing soul look at life with the question: ‘What have you truly loved? What has drawn you upward, mastered and blessed you?
When we try to love we are not actually trying to undertake a single endeavor; rather, we are trying to do a whole range of different, and sometimes not very compatible, things simultaneously.
People are more slothful than timid. Their greatest fear is the heavy burden that uncompromising honesty and nakedness of speech and action would lay on them.
For wisest ends this universal Power Gave appetites, from whose quick impulse life Subsists, by which we only live, all life Insipid else, unactive, unenjoy’d. Hence to this peopled earth, which, that extinct, That flame for propagation, soon would roll A lifeless mass, and vainly cumber heaven.
If from thy secret bed Of luxury unbidden offspring rise, Let them be kindly welcom’d to the day.
Then love of pleasure sways each heart, and we From that no more than from ourselves can fly. Blameless when govern’d well. But where it errs Extravagant, and wildly leads to ill, Public or private, there its curbing pow’r Cool reason must exert.
Sometimes pantheists will use the term “pandeism” to underscore that they share with the deists the idea that God is not a personal God who desires to be worshipped.
The boy may wrestle, when Night – working Fancy steals him to the arms Of nymph oft wish’d awake, and, ’mid the rage Of the soft tumult, ev’ry turgid cell Spontaneous disembogues its lucid store, Bland and of azure tinct.