The origin story of the United States of America is filled with numerous twists and turns. The fact that the people and leaders of the 13 British colonies managed to earn their independence from the 18th century’s most powerful naval and land power was anything but certain. However, winning independence required an army and a navy, as well as the capacity to provide all the goods necessary to match the enemy. In this lecture series, we present and discuss the role of Robert Morris, an American patriot who made it his life mission to coordinate and mobilize resources even when cooperation among the 13 States was difficult.