The Proclamation to the People of the Territory of Arizona: August 1, 1861
After the expansion of the New Mexico Territory in 1853, the fate of the nearby Arizona Territory was in question. In 1856, a petition was presented to the U.S. Congress requesting organization of...
Remembering General Henry Knox, Hero of the American Revolution
The history of the American Revolution is replete with stories of heroism on the battlefield. One of the most iconic examples of courage and self-sacrifice involved General Henry Knox, who was born...
July 21, 1620: The Pilgrims Leave Leiden to Start Their Journey to North America
Most Americans know that the first Pilgrims came to North America in 1620 on the Mayflower. But how did the Pilgrims come to be on the Mayflower in the first place, and where did they come from? The...
The Controversial History of Nevada’s Comstock Lode
The American Revolution produced a number of unlikely war heroes who came out of nowhere to become leading generals in the Continental Army. Henry Knox, for example, was a bookseller in Boston who...
Remembering Catalina Trico, an Early Colonist of New Netherland in 1624
In the founding years of New Netherland (today’s New York), there were very few prominent women to be found amongst the political leaders of the time, even though Dutch women enjoyed a degree of...
Remembering William Howe
On this day in 1814, William Howe, one of the most accomplished British military figures, died. He was a British general who was sent to America in March of 1775and played a major role during the...
The Transcontinental Telegraph: A New Era of Connection
When the transcontinental telegraph was completed on October 24, 1861, it did more than replace the Pony Express — it reshaped how a nation communicated. For nonprofits today, its story offers a...
Remembering Daniel Morgan
When we think of our Founding Fathers, with a few exceptions we tend to think of political figures like John Adams, John Hancock, James Madison, Patrick Henry, Alexander Hamilton, and the many other...
Pecos Bill: The Wildest Cowboy of American Folklore
Pecos Bill stands tall—larger than life—in the landscape of American frontier folklore. Born from the campfire tales of cowhands in the late 19th century, Bill embodies the boundless imagination...
The Pacific Railway Act: A Public Investment That Transformed a Nation
Although Americans tend to forget how critical our railway system was to the development of the American West, the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 stands as a defining example of how public investment...
