Remembering Albert Gallatin
Albert Gallatin was an important American statesman, diplomat, and financier who helped shape the early United States. He was born in Geneva, Switzerland, on January 29, 1761, and immigrated to...
The Calverts: A Family Who Built a Colony
In the early seventeenth century, when England strained under religious division and political uncertainty, one family quietly set in motion the creation of a new society across the Atlantic. The...
July and August 1776: The Declaration of Independence Makes Its Way to Virginia
While most Americans know that the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress in July 1776 in Philadelphia, the story about how the news of that momentous event was spread...
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 Saga of Stephen Hopkins, a Leading Member of the Jamestowne and Plymouth Colonies
Pop quiz: what early American colonist survived a shipwreck, found his way to Jamestowne in 1610, sailed back to England a few years later, then came to America again in 1620 as a passenger on the...
Remembering Edward Winslow
Edward Winslow was a prominent leader and diplomat among the early English settlers of Plymouth Colony in the 17th century. Born in 1595 in Worcestershire, England, Winslow was a well-educated man...
Remembering Peter Minuit: The Man Who Bought Manhattan
Most of us have heard the legend of Peter Minuit, who is said to have purchased the island of Manhattan from the Indians for $24. Well, the story is largely true, and I’ll talk about it below. It...
Remembering John Carver, First Governor of Plymouth Colony
Most Americans who know much of anything about the Mayflower and Plymouth Colony remember at least two key events: the signing of the Mayflower Compact when the Pilgrims first arrived in Plymouth in...
Remembering Roger Conant, Founder of Salem Massachusetts, 1626
Most everyone in America today associates the city of Salem, Massachusetts with the infamous Salem Witch Trials, which took place in the year 1692. But I invite you to travel back even further in...