American History Q&A

• How many Liberty Bells have there been?
  Answer: Two. The first was cast in England in 1752 for the Pennsylvania State House, which later became Independence Hall. The second was cast in Philadelphia and inscribed, "Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof" (Leviticus 25:10). The bell cracked on July 8, 1835, as it tolled the passing of Chief Justice John Marshall.
• Did Betsy Ross design the American flag?
  Answer: No, it was designed by Francis Hopkinson, a naval flag designer, who was never reimbursed for his services by the U.S. government. And there is no record of Betsy Ross's commission to sew the flag.
• How many American casualties were suffered in the American Revolution?
  Answer: Unofficial studies of field reports indicate that about 4,500 men died in battle and over 6,000 were wounded. Illness also took a large but indeterminate number. At Valley Forge, for example, illness claimed over 3,000 lives.
• How many Americans fought for the British in the American Revolution?
  Answer: Approximately 50,000 Americans were part of the Loyalist military support for the king. Few joined the British army and navy, but thousands served in provincial regiments under Loyalist officers. American Indians—mainly in Canada, on the frontier, and in the South—also fought for Britain.
• How much was Benedict Arnold paid to be a traitor?
  Answer: Benedict Arnold (1741-1801) demanded £20,000 from the British but received only £6,315. In exchange, he revealed American battle plans, tried (but failed) to deliver West Point, and crossed over to the British army. Although Arnold was given 13,400 acres of land in Canada after the war, he lived the rest of his life in England.
• More information: To defend his switching to the loyalist side, Arnold wrote a letter, dated October 7, 1780. Read this letter ("Benedict Arnold's letter To the Inhabitants of America"), along with colonial reactions and a historical analysis of the letter.

Source: The Book of Answers: The New York Public Library Telephone Reference Service's Most Unusual and Entertaining Questions. ed. Barbara Berliner with Melinda Corey and George Ochoa. Prentiss Hall Press 1990.