Plight of the Loyalist Refugees of Lloyd’s Neck, Long Island
byQueens County of Long Island, New York, had an overwhelming Loyalist population throughout the Revolutionary War period. After the war many Loyalists remained on…
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Mary Ball Washington: The Untold Story of George Washington’s Mother
byMary Ball Washington: The Untold Story of George Washington’s Mother by Craig Shirley (Harper, 2019) Rare indeed is the historian of early American history who…
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General Isaac Gregory’s Fictitious Treason
byCol. Josiah Parker of Virginia was at a loss at what to do. He had just arrived outside the British outpost at Great Bridge…
This Week on Dispatches: Tom Shachtman on Paying for and Profiting from the American Revolution
byOn this week’s Dispatches host Brady Crytzer interviews author and JAR contributor Tom Shachtman on how wealthy Americans paid for and profited from the American…
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Maj. Gen. John Sullivan and the Occupation of Easton, Pennsylvania, May 7–June 18, 1779
byFor a brief seven weeks, the Pennsylvania frontier village of Easton became the second largest community within the state. With an estimated 25,000 inhabitants,…
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The Redcoat in America: The Diaries of Lieutenant William Bamford, 1757–1765 and 1776
byA Redcoat in America: The Diaries of Lieutenant William Bamford, 1757-1765 and 1776 edited by John B. Hattendorf (Helion & Company, 2019) Writings of…
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The Death of Lt. Michael Grosh: the Maryland Militia at Germantown
byIn the early hours of October 4, 1777, the Maryland militia trudged southward along the Old York Road in eastern Pennsylvania. In the distance…
This Week on Dispatches: Michael Cecere on Virginia’s “Eighteen-Months Men” of 1780-81
byOn this week’s Dispatches host Brady Crytzer interviews teacher, author, and long-time JAR contributor Michael Cecere on Virginia’s “eighteen-months men,” militia who were drafted into the…
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“Mad Anthony”: The Reality Behind the Nickname
byIt is often a tradition among soldiers and sailors to give monikers to their commanders. American military history resounds with names like Gen.Thomas “Stonewall”…
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Information Operations: The Provincial Congress Shapes the Narrative in Great Britain
byThe efforts of the American Provincial Congress at the beginning of the revolutionary war against Great Britain offer the perfect case study to understand…
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America’s First Ally: France in the Revolutionary War
byNorman Desmarais, professor emeritus at Providence College, is one of America’s most important scholars of French involvement in the American Revolution. Desmarais has long…
This Week on Dispatches: Jeffrey Simon on Propaganda, Terror, and the Sons of Liberty
byOn this week’s Dispatches host Brady Crytzer interviews author and expert on terrorism Jeffrey Simon on the Sons of Liberty and the use of propaganda and terrorism in…
2019 Journal of the American Revolution Book of the Year Award Announced
byThe Journal of the American Revolution is pleased to announce Quarters: The Accommodation of the British Army and the Coming of the American Revolution by…
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France and Spain Invade England—Almost
byOn February 6, 1778, France signed two treaties with the United States, one of Amity and Commerce, the other, a defensive Alliance.[1] In them, France…
Contributor Close-Up: Katie Turner Getty
byWhat inspired you to start researching and writing about the Revolution? It was perhaps inevitable that I would end up studying the Revolution as…
John Morgan vs. William Shippen: The Battle that Defined the Continental Medical Department
byJohn Morgan and William Shippen, Jr. stood shoulder to shoulder in the crowd outside of old Westminster Hall on September 22, 1761. They were…
This Week on Dispatches: Dean Caivano on American Colonists’ Growing Resistance to Tyranny
byOn this week’s Dispatches host Brady Crytzer interviews Dean Caivano, Lecturer of Political Science at California State University, Stanislaus, on the growing resistance to tyranny as colonists…
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Henry Laurens and the Grand Tour of Europe
byIn the fall of 1771, the South Carolina rice merchant Henry Laurens sailed to Britain with his teenaged sons. They toured the countryside and…
Latest Reviews
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Mary Ball Washington: The Untold Story of George Washington’s Mother
7
The Redcoat in America: The Diaries of Lieutenant William Bamford, 1757–1765 and 1776
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America’s First Ally: France in the Revolutionary War
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Hamilton Versus Wall Street: The Core Principles of the American System of Economics
Featured Articles
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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…
America's Most Important History!
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The Lenape Origins of an Independent America: The Catalyst of Pontiac’s War, 1763–1765
byIn the wake of the Seven Years’ War in North America, the costly British triumph seemed complete. Thus, when a coda to the Seven…
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Top Ten Quotes of Major General Charles Lee
byCharles Lee served as second-in-command of the Continental Army, subordinate only to George Washington. Born in England, Lee was the best-educated and most widely-read…
This Week on Dispatches: William H. J. Manthorpe, Jr. on the Cape Henlopen Lighthouse and Historical Accuracy
byOn this week’s Dispatches host Brady Crytzer interviews William Manthorpe, a former naval intelligence officer, government senior executive, and professor who specializes on the naval…
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Tapping America’s Wealth to Fund the Revolution: Two Good Ideas that Went Awry
by“Unless some great and capital change suddenly takes place,” Gen. George Washington wrote from Valley Forge on December 23, 1777,[1] to Henry Laurens, the…