The Lonely Vigil of America’s First Diplomat
byAfter the French and Indian War, or the Seven Years War as it was known in Europe, Spain and France began to plan for…
The 2022 Book-of-the-Year
bySince 2014, the Journal of the American Revolution has recognized the adult nonfiction volume that best mirrors the mission of the journal with its…
This Week on Dispatches: John Settle on the 9th Virginia Regiment
byOn this week’s Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews history teacher and JAR contributor John Settle on the story of the 9th Virginia Regiment, the Eastern…
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Misinformation Nation: Foreign News and the Politics of Truth in Revolutionary America
byBOOK REVIEW: Misinformation Nation: Foreign News and the Politics of Truth in Revolutionary America by Jordan E. Taylor (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2022) Almost…
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Emily Geiger’s Fabulous Ride
byFabulous: adj. 1) wonderful; 2) existing only in fable. Emily Geiger is celebrated in numerous books and articles, memorialized on monuments, and portrayed in videos.[1]…
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The Escape of John Champe
byIn 1876 Currier and Ives issued a lithograph titled The Escape of John Champe: In the endeavour to carry out Washington’s plan to capture…
This Week on Dispatches: H. Allen Skinner on Nathanael Greene’s Grand Southern Strategy
byOn this week’s Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews author, US Army civilian historian, and JAR contributor H. Allen Skinner on how Nathanael Greene developed a…
Religious Liberty and the American Founding
byBOOK REVIEW: Religious Liberty and the American Founding: Natural Rights and the Original Meaning of the First Amendment Religion Clauses by Vincent Phillip Muñoz (Chicago:…
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The Eastern Shore Battalion: The Story of the 9th Virginia Regiment
byIn July 1775, the Third Virginia Convention passed an ordinance to create two regiments of regulars and fifteen battalion for minute service. The counties…
Thomas Jefferson: A Biography of Spirit and Flesh
byBOOK REVIEW: Thomas Jefferson: A Biography of Spirit and Flesh by Thomas S. Kidd (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2022) There seems to be a…
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Contributor Question: Your History-Related New Year’s Resolutions for 2023
byWe asked our contributors: What is your history-related New Year’s resolution for 2023? Here are some of their responses. Robert Scott Davis To submit for publication my…
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By Stratagem and Hard Fighting: The Improbable Capture of Eleven British Ships
byOn the third day of November 1775, Brig. Gen. Richard Montgomery and his Continental army triumphantly concluded a taxing two-month siege with the surrender…
Patriots and Politics, Redcoats and Reconstruction: General Nathanael Greene’s Grand Southern Strategy
byMajor General Nathanael Greene’s military career presents a paradox to historians: how could a Quaker, unlearned in the art of war, become one of…
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The “Western Forts” of the 1783 Treaty of Paris
byThe Revolutionary War was formally ended by the Treaty of Paris in early 1783. Problems with compliance arose on both sides nearly immediately on…
Winning Hearts and Minds: Pardons and Oaths of Allegiance
by“I, A. B.do promise and declare that I will remain in a peaceable Obedience to His Majesty, and will not take up Arms, nor…
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How the (First) West Was Won: Federalist Treaties that Reshaped the Frontier
byFrom November 1794 to October 1795, President George Washington’s administration brokered three separate treaties with Britain, Spain, and the Confederated Tribes of the Ohio…
The “World Changing” Motion in the House of Commons, February 27, 1782
byTwo motions had already been brought forth in the House of Commons to end the war with England’s American colonies. The first occurred on…
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American Generals of the Revolutionary War: Who Lived Longest and Who Died Youngest
byWhich American generals lived the longest? Which generals died the youngest? Some generals had quite a long life while others died young and in…
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The Earl of Dartmouth, Secretary of State for the Colonies, Second Year: November 1773 – August 1774
byDuring the three months that the Earl of Dartmouth, Secretary of State for the Colonies, was on holiday from August to November 1773, the…
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What Do Bond Prices Tell Us about the Early Republic?
byAmerica’s early finances were, in a word, messy. The states took on enormous debt to fund the Revolutionary War while the national government chartered…
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A Brief History of Benjamin Franklin’s Residences on Craven Street, London: 1757 – 1775
byIf one looked into Benjamin Franklin’s time on Craven Street, they might initially believe he lived at 36 Craven Street the entirety of his…
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How do you define “Founding Fathers”?
byHow do you define “Founding Fathers”? You can define it either broadly or narrowly. By consensus, most historians limit the narrow definition to six….
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Which side benefited the most from the Native Americans?
byWhich side do you think benefited the most from the Native American involvement in the war? Why? The British benefited the most, from one…
Hamilton: An American Musical
byReview of the Broadway musical Hamilton, now playing at the Richard Rodgers Theater on 46th Street in New York City. Let me confess at…
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9 Questions with Rick Atkinson
byLearning that one of the most acclaimed military writers of our time has turned his narrative expertise towards the American Revolution is exciting news…
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The American Vicars of Bray
byLoyalists, those Americans who openly supported the British Government during the American Revolution, have been largely assumed to have had unchanging allegiance during the…
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Reframing George Washington’s Clothing at the Second Continental Congress
byDressed in defiance, Col. George Washington arrived at each session of the Second Continental Congress donning a new buff and blue uniform he helped…
This Week on Dispatches: Michael Cecere on the French Army in Williamsburg
byOn this week’s Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews author, historian, and JAR contributor Michael Cecere on the French occupation of Williamsburg, Virginia, after the British…
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A Misguided Attempt to Populate Upper Canada with Loyalists after the Revolution
byFollowing the American Revolution, and to achieve a more appropriate governing climate, the British Parliament issued the Constitutional Act of 1791 which created, out…
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The French Army in Williamsburg, Virginia, 1781–1782
byFor most of 1781, the inhabitants of Williamsburg lived in a constant state of anxiety. Already economically devastated by the loss of the state…