Here is the story of another brave woman of the American Revolution that deserves telling. Nancy Hart was a tough and resourceful figure, a power to be reckoned with when it came to protecting her family. She had a hot temper, a fearless spirit, and the ability to deliver revenge when she or her children […]
Francis Marion went to sea at 15. He once spent seven days on a lifeboat, drifting in the Caribbean after his ship was smashed apart by a whale. In 1754, Francis joined a militia in South Carolina, where he learned about guerilla warfare. When America declared Independence in 1776, Marion and his men helped build […]
The first major battle of the American Revolution,the Battle of Bunker Hill, was fought on June 17, 1775. Also called Battle of Breed’s Hill, it occurred in Charlestown – now part of Boston – during the Siege of Boston. Although the British eventually won the battle, it gave great encouragement to the revolutionary cause. The […]
The symbol of America has not always been the American Bald Eagle. Long before we used the eagle to symbolize our strength and liberty, it was in fact the American rattlesnake that held the esteemed title as the first symbol of America – the symbol of Liberty. It was December 1775. Fighting between the American […]
The War of 1812 was fought between the United States and Great Britain over violations of American maritime rights. The Americans objected to the British Empire restricting their trade and snatching their sailors to serve on British ships. During this conflict Oliver Hazard Perry was aboard the USS Chesapeake as it engaged the British ship […]
What happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence? What kind of men were they? The men were lawyers, jurists, merchants, farmers, large plantation owners; men of means, well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well what they were putting at risk. They were British subjects at the […]
Year: 1751 Source: Pennsylvania Gazette Benjamin Franklin wrote a commentary suggesting a way to thank the Brits for their policy of sending convicted felons to America – the colonists should send rattlesnakes to England!Three years later, Franklin created and published the first known political cartoon in an American newspaper. It was the image of a […]
Yesterday we began this story (see it here). You heard about Dr. Benjamin Rush, the Father of American Psychiatry, who was one of the most vocal critics of Washington’s handling of his troops. This was the same Benjamin Rush who, all evidence to the contrary, championed bloodletting as a miracle cure. I’m sure the leeches […]
George Washington paused and said, “Gentlemen, you must pardon me.” But I get ahead of myself. It was 1782. Except for some skirmishes, hostilities in the Revolutionary War had ended with the surrender of British General Cornwallis at Yorktown. But a peace treaty had not not yet been negotiated and signed, and British garrisons were […]
No one today can doubt how important George Washington’s leadership was in the battle for American freedom. But he had enemies who wanted to take him down. After a couple of battlefield defeats, some thought they saw their chance. One of them was Dr. Benjamin Rush, the Father of American Psychiatry. In January of 1778, […]
Paul Revere’s famous ride: every schoolchild learns of it. But who sent Revere to warn the British were coming? This man was a member of the Sons of Liberty. He was a member of the Committee of Safety, and made sure gunpowder and firearms were stored in towns throughout Massachusetts. An outspoken Patriot, he wrote, […]
The USS Constitution is one of the most renowned warships in American history. The ship was among the first six frigates authorized to be built to form the new United States Navy. Launched for the first time in Boston on October 21, 1797 the USS Constitution holds the distinct honor of being the oldest commissioned […]
