Yankee Doodle Went to Town Riding on a Pony Stuck a Feather in His Hat And Called it Macaroni! What the heck does that mean, anyway? It was originally sung by the British during the French and Indian War (the 1750s) as an insult to backward Americans. “Yankee Doodle” was a colonial simpleton. When he.. read more →
Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death – Patrick Henry, March 23, 1775 Countdown to Lexington & Concord Patrick Henry was elected to serve in the Second Virginia Convention which began its session March 20, 1775 in Richmond. Virginia had grown increasingly radical as a result of the Boston Port Act the year before and.. read more →
March 18, 1766 – Stamp Act Repeal Passed the prior March 22, the Stamp Act caused widespread protests, violence and a complete boycott of British trade in the colonies. The boycott caused massive disruption in London trade and gave England and America their first taste of the colonies’ growing economic power. The Stamp Act repeal.. read more →
To The Betrayed Inhabitants of the City and Colony of New York December 16, 1769, this anonymous broadside appeared throughout the NYC area. It condemned the colonial assembly and the governor for breaking American unity against the Quartering Act. The act required the colonies pay for British troops and forced residents to house them in.. read more →
Tuesday, December 4, 1783 – George Washington says goodbye to his assembled officers at Fraunces Tavern in NYC. The best, I think, description of Washington’s Farewell comes from The Memoir of Colonel Benjamin Tallmadge. So the rest of this post will be entirely his words. “We had been assembled but a few moments, when His.. read more →
Political Cartoons of the American Revolution I love political cartoons! But I have to admit that the first time I saw them from the Revolutionary War Era I didn’t have any idea what they meant. Once I started to figure them out I realized they were brilliant and started a collection. Here are some of.. read more →
September 21 – New York Fire of 1776! General Washington, knowing he cannot hold the island, retreats North out of the city. British forces pour in and take possession of it. As the changeover happens a fire burns more than 25% of the city, destroying the original Trinity Church as it burns up Broadway. The.. read more →
Imagine Being There. Remembering the Battle This year I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and reading about the Battle of New York as it moved through the city. Nearly every day I am out walking through the area where the battle took place. This time of year I try to imagine what it would.. read more →
FOUND: An Original Declaration of Independence – In England! Last week on social media I posted a story about a parchment copy of the Declaration of Independence found in England. It is a rare parchment copy. The article describes the document this way: Tests supported the hypothesis that it was produced in the 1780s, West.. read more →
The Times are Dreadful, Dismal, Doleful, Dolorous and Dollar-less! Today, March 22, is the anniversary of the Stamp Act. It was a tax on the use of paper in the colonies and passed by Parliament in 1765. England was in debt from the French and Indian War (Seven Years War to our friends in the.. read more →