The Proclamation of 1763: Drawing a Line Across an Empire
Royal Proclamation of 1763, issued by King George III, October 7, 1763. Library and Archives Canada, e010778430. Public domain. When the French and Indian War ended in 1763, Great Britain emerged...
Why Did Benedict Arnold Betray America?
Historians offer up many explanations, including that the Revolutionary War general may have had some self-esteem issues as a child and young man. Benedict Arnold was once a patriotic war hero valued...
Remembering Silas Deane, Founding Father
As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we also celebrate the courage shown by our Founding Fathers in taking the giant step of declaring our country’s...
September 22, 1776: Nathan Hale is Hanged by the British as an American Spy
There are many iconic moments in the history of the American Revolution that Americans tend to remember: Paul Revere’s ride, Washington crossing the Delaware, and so on. One such iconic moment we...
September 5, 1781: The French Navy Defeats the British Navy in the Battle of the Chesapeake, Setting Up the American Victory at Yorktown
Most Americans know that the battle that effectively ended the American Revolution was the Battle of Yorktown, pitting British General Cornwallis against General George Washington and his French...
August 20: 1794: The Battle of Fallen Timbers Spells the End of the “Native Confederacy” at the Hands of General “Mad” Anthony Wayne
The morning of August 20, 1794 broke humid and gray over the Maumee River, in present-day Indiana and Ohio. A storm had torn through the forest through which the American Legion under the command...
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...
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...
Remembering Pierre-Augustin de Beaumarchais, the Frenchman Who Saved the American Revolution
As Americans celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence this year, our thoughts naturally turn to the “Founding Fathers.” If you peruse the various lists historians have...
Remembering Pontiac, the Odawa War Chief
I’ve written before about the French & Indian War, which for several complicated reasons became a major cause of the American Revolution. Another thing it caused was a major upheaval in the...
