Philip John Schuyler
Why would a privileged, prosperous landowner in colonial New York join a revolution against the colony’s British rulers? Philip Schuyler’s story can help us understand how the United States became an independent country.
Philip John Schuyler’s ancestors came from Holland to the New Netherland colony in the 17th century. After the British took over and renamed the colony New York, the Schuylers continued to prosper. When Philip was born in Albany on November 10, 1733, his family owned thousands of acres of land throughout the region.
Philip learned English and Dutch at home, attended Albany’s elementary school, and received expensive private tutoring in New Rochelle. The Schuylers did not think college necessary for a landowner and merchant. Instead, Philip learned about business by trading with Indians on the Mohawk River and working in the family’s counting house.
As Schuyler came of age in 1754, the “French and Indian War” put the Albany area in danger of attack from French-ruled Canada. As a wealthy, promising young gentleman, Philip was commissioned to recruit soldiers for colonial defense. Because he suffered from chronic gout, he rarely commanded troops in battle, but he worked hard to keep troops well supplied. He did experience danger while sailing to England in 1761. A French privateer captured Schuyler’s ship and made him pay ransom before he could continue his mission.
Great Britain took over Canada when the war ended in 1763. Schuyler’s own empire grew that year when he inherited vast lands in an area called the Saratoga Patent. He opened the land to settlers by clearing forests and building mills. Schuyler increased his wealth by collecting rents and fees and selling mill products, but he increasingly felt the colonial government getting in his way.
The British Empire regulated colonial trade in order to benefit British merchants and manufacturers. Schuyler thought that British policies unfairly restricted his ability to develop his property. He believed that the North American colonies would be more prosperous as independent states.
Schuyler opposed mob violence against the government, but when the Revolutionary War began in 1775, he attended the Second Continental Congress to organize an American army, and became a major general in charge of the Northern Division, including his home ground.
Schuyler again prepared for attacks from Canada, but also planned to invade it. After the plan failed, he faced a British invasion in 1777. He supervised a strategic retreat, buying the Americans time to plan a victorious response, but was accused of incompetence for letting Fort Ticonderoga surrender without resistance. To clear his name, Schuyler demanded a court-martial that acquitted him before leaving the military.
As a civilian, Schuyler remained a public servant, first as a state senator who advocated a strong federal government, then as one of the first United States Senators in 1789. As a private citizen, until his death on November 18, 1804, he invested in canals to improve trade within New York. Philip Schuyler expected to benefit from American independence, but like other revolutionaries, he understood that independence allowed all Americans to develop their resources for everyone’s benefit.
For more information about Philip Schuyler and his historic home in Albany go to www.nysm.nysed.gov/albany/loc/ schuylermansion.html.