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...
The 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence
July 4, 2026 The 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration will take place on July 4, 2026 in Philadelphia, and our own Jay Dickey will be there in person to participate in the...
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...
Civil War Spy: The Southern Belle Who Took Down the Confederacy
Elizabeth Van Lew, a true southern belle who was living a monied life in the City of Richmond, Virginia, was a staunch supporter of the Union Army. She became one of the Union’s most gifted and...
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...
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...
Trans Continental Rail Road
Between 1865 and 1869, over 12,000 Chinese laborers were instrumental in building the Central Pacific Railroad through the Sierra Nevada mountains. Recruited largely from southern China, these...
Remembering James “Paddy” Graydon
Few Civil War officers were more colorful than Captain James (Paddy) Graydon. He was a hard drinking, daring and unconventional Union captain with a short fuse, particularly remembered for his...
