It was probably a year or maybe two ago when I first became accquainted with the Culper Spy Ring. I was watching Brad Meltzer's Decoded on the History channel. They were trying to ascertain the existence of agent 355 & also find evidence that the ring was still around. I cannot recall much of their findings but the revolutionary spy ring intrigued me. I like going beyond the surface of common knowledge.
I also enjoy sifting through fables to get to the concrete facts and the Why behind them.
I googled Culper Spy Ring just to see for myself if it really existed. (It's always a good idea to do your own research.)
Fast forward to fall term '13 for my Senior Research Seminar class I get to develop a topic and write a paper. I naturally chose the Culper Spy Ring.
Ive done a couple preliminary searches. Sifted some articles and books. I found a patchwork of basic information: members & their backgrounds, some chosen methods, and the fact that even though Washington commissioned the ring he didnt know the true identities. I found it especially interesting when I googled: What was the name of the newspaper Robert Townsend wrote for? A. (Rivington) Royal Gazette. James Rivington. I am currently trying to track down copies. I found two potential books that look promising. One is called "Reporting the Revolution", which I have located & requested via MelCat.
During my semester I plan to use this blog to write about my findings and progress as another tool to keep myself focused. I will analyze some of my sources as well. Furthermore I plan to utilize this as a companion piece to the assignments and progress reports I will make throughout the term.
