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Book Review over Washington's Spies Essay

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The Truth About Washington’s Spies

Madeline Carlson America’s first spy ring, better known as the Cupler ring, was Washington’s carefully thought out solution to gain intelligence on the overpowering British troops. The revolution was happening; there was no turning back and no denying that America was going to gain independence from Great Britain. Washington needed a plan, a way to foresee what the British planned to do next. Washington’s only solution was to resort to spying. Washington desperately needed to gain intelligence of General William Howe’s next plan of attack, however there were few who wanted to risk partaking in such a dishonorable task as spying. Hale was the first, and most well known, of the many spies to scout …show more content…

The tales show anything from the exciting tales of close encounters to the invisible ink and coded messages to the life of deception Washington’s spies embraced. Rose not only reveals the exciting tales of danger, but also shows how the deceptive spies and Washington gained mutual trust through the difficult situations.
Rose’s thesis statement declared how honor affected the spies who were a part of the Culper ring. He first mentioned honor in the first chapter, quoting Nathan Hale, “Spying, he agreed, was not an honorable undertaking, but ‘if the exigencies of my country demand a peculiar service its claims to perform that service are imperious.’” The spying game was not considered gentlemen’s work, for the title “spy” was dishonorable in itself. Throughout the book, Rose proved his thesis by mentioning how it affected each of the members described in his book along with some internal conflict they had about it. Rose concluded the book with an epilogue sharing how each of the spies lived their lives after the war was over, and how many could return to their normal lives without the criticism of partaking in Washington’s dishonorable tasks.
Rose’s tales evaluated how the individuals themselves, in a way, altered history. Each individual in the Culper ring motivated history and altered what could have been in some way. Whether Nathan Hale’s death made him a revolutionary hero, or Benjamin Tallmadge’s idea of the Culper ring each

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