Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This video examines America’s first veterans. Over a quarter of a million Americans served in the armed forces that won our independence—80,000-90,000 in the Continental Army, an all-volunteer army of ordinary citizens. Congress and the states offered a wide range of inducements to secure volunteers, including cash bounties at enlistment and promises of land warrants and one-time bonuses at discharge, but Congress had no land to give, no hard money to spend, and no power to tax under the Articles of Confederation. Those who survived the war became America's first veterans, but most returned from their service with nothing more than a sense of duty performed. Most soldiers received debt certificates instead of pay when they were discharged. George Washington wrote: "Veterans who have patiently endured hunger, nakedness and cold, who have suffered and bled without a murmur, and who with perfect good order have retired to their homes, without the settlement of their Accounts or a farthing of Money in their pockets." Ordinary soldiers were rarely honored in the first decades after the war—until 1818 when Congress decided to award pensions to those in financial need. By the fiftieth anniversary of independence on July 4, 1826, when most Rev War vets were in their sixties and early seventies, they were finally widely celebrated in cities and towns across the country as living links to the nation's founding. In 1832, Congress voted to extend pension benefits to nearly all surviving soldiers and sailors without regard to rank, financial distress, or physical disability.
The Year in Revolution Series was produced with classroom use in mind. Beginning with 1775 and ending with 1783, students and lifelong learners alike will learn about each year of the Revolution through a comprehensive overview video and five “who, what, where, when, and how” videos. The animated series draws heavily from the American Revolution Institute of the Society of the Cincinnati’s library and museum collections.
Funding for this video was made possible by a grant from the George S. Rich Family Foundation. The creative team for this series was assembled by the American Revolution Institute and the talented educational production leads at Makematic Limited/ClickView.
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This video examines America’s first veterans. Over a quarter of a million Americans served in the armed forces that won our independence—80,000-90,000 in the Continental Army, an all-volunteer army of ordinary citizens. Congress and the states offered a wide range of inducements to secure volunteers, including cash bounties at enlistment and promises of land warrants and one-time bonuses at discharge, but Congress had no land to give, no hard money to spend, and no power to tax under the Articles of Confederation. Those who survived the war became America's first veterans, but most returned from their service with nothing more than a sense of duty performed. Most soldiers received debt certificates instead of pay when they were discharged. George Washington wrote: "Veterans who have patiently endured hunger, nakedness and cold, who have suffered and bled without a murmur, and who with perfect good order have retired to their homes, without the settlement of their Accounts or a farthing of Money in their pockets." Ordinary soldiers were rarely honored in the first decades after the war—until 1818 when Congress decided to award pensions to those in financial need. By the fiftieth anniversary of independence on July 4, 1826, when most Rev War vets were in their sixties and early seventies, they were finally widely celebrated in cities and towns across the country as living links to the nation's founding. In 1832, Congress voted to extend pension benefits to nearly all surviving soldiers and sailors without regard to rank, financial distress, or physical disability.
The Year in Revolution Series was produced with classroom use in mind. Beginning with 1775 and ending with 1783, students and lifelong learners alike will learn about each year of the Revolution through a comprehensive overview video and five “who, what, where, when, and how” videos. The animated series draws heavily from the American Revolution Institute of the Society of the Cincinnati’s library and museum collections.
Funding for this video was made possible by a grant from the George S. Rich Family Foundation. The creative team for this series was assembled by the American Revolution Institute and the talented educational production leads at Makematic Limited/ClickView.
SUBSCRIBE to our channel: bit.ly/3DxZnrJ
Follow us on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmericanRevo...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/americanrev...
Twitter: twitter.com/AmRevInstitute
Stay updated by joining our mailing list: bit.ly/3TpfhdL
Visit our website: americanrevolutioninstitute.org
