December 2, 1823: The “Monroe Doctrine” Is Announced, Charting the Course of Future American Foreign Policy
Handwritten text of Monroe’s State of the Union Address, Dec. 2, 1823 It was called the “Era of Good Feelings.” The first term of the presidency of James Monroe was a period of economic growth,...
Remembering Squanto
When the Pilgrims arrived at Cape Cod in the Fall of 1620, they were immediately faced with the task of starting a new colony in North America with only the barest of essentials to sustain them as...
Remembering Joseph Brant
On November 24, 1807, one of the most famous Native-American warriors and political leaders of the 18th century died at the age of 64, after a life spent battling for the sovereignty of the Mohawk...
After the Revolution
How the Jay Treaty of 1794 Unleashed a National Debate Over American Trade and Commerce with Its Former Foe, Great Britain. In the decades following the end of the American Revolution in 1783, our...
Remembering Governor George Yeardley
In the first two decades of the 17th century, the Jamestowne Colony in Virginia was struggling. Settled in 1607, the Colony had experienced Indian attacks, famine, disease, and a host of other...
November 11, 1620: The “Mayflower Compact” Is Signed at Cape Cod, and a New Form of Government Is Established in North America
During this Thanksgiving season, we commemorate the coming together of English settlers and Native-Americans at Plymouth Colony, for what historians have dubbed “The First Thanksgiving.” This...
The 170th Anniversary of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854: Prelude to the American Civil War
Americans almost always view the Civil War of 1861-65 as a war between North and South, and specifically between the anti-slave states of New England and the mid-Atlantic, and the slave states of the...
Remembering Doc Holliday
When thinking about “Old West” characters, many come to mind – Wyatt Earp, Jesse James, Billy the Kid among others. While people tend to categorize these characters as “good” or...
Remembering Abigail Adams
On this day in 1818, one of the pre-eminent women of the Revolutionary War era passed away in Quincy, Massachusetts—Abigail Adams, wife of Founding Father and President of the United States, John...
Remembering Peyton Randolph
As we commemorate the history of the American Revolution, which began 250 years ago in 1775, much of the focus has been on battles—Lexington & Concord (April 1775), Bunker Hill (June 1775),...
