Month: October 2022

 Economics Posted on

Dark Voyage: An American Privateer’s War on Britain’s Slave Trade

BOOK REVIEW: Dark Voyage: An American Privateer’s War on Britain’s African Slave Trade by Christian McBurney (Yardley, PA: Westholme, 2022) In Dark Voyage: An American Privateer’s War on Britain’s African Slave Trade, author Christian McBurney recounts the voyage of a Rhode Island merchant’s privateer ship Marlborough to the West Coast of Africa to attack and disrupt British […]

by Kelly Mielke
Diplomacy Posted on

This Week on Dispatches: Eric Sterner on Britain, Russia, and the Armed Neutrality of 1780

On this week’s Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews author and JAR contributor Eric Sterner about an important international repercussion of the British war in America: the organization of neutral states led by Russia to counter with force if necessary British attempts to control international trade on the seas. New episodes of Dispatches are available for free […]

by Editors
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Illness and Disease Posted on

One Man’s Campaign against Smallpox: James Thacher, M.D., Continental Army Physician

James Thacher’s contribution to the history of smallpox and to the Revolutionary War has not been fully appreciated. In the historical scholarship, his tireless efforts against the disease have been acknowledged but only in passing.[1] Under extremely trying conditions, Thacher and his colleagues cared for those stricken with the virus and inoculated both combatants and […]

by Charles DePaolo
Constitutional Debate Posted on

This Week on Dispatches: Shawn David McGhee on the First Partisan Application of the Electoral College

On this week’s Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews historian and JAR contributor Shawn David McGhee explains how a plot was devised to unseat Vice President John Adams on partisan lines during the 1792 election. New episodes of Dispatches are available for free every Saturday evening (Eastern United States Time) on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Amazon Music, and […]

by Editors
Primary Sources Posted on

The British Entry Into, and Occupation of Charlotte, September 26 to October 14, 1780

The first objective in Lt. Gen. Earl Cornwallis’s first invasion of North Carolina was the capture of Charlotte. He intended to establish a post there, not only to control adjacent territory, but also to facilitate his communication with the south as he advanced farther. At daybreak on September 7, 1780, accompanied by two 3-pounders, Cornwallis […]

by Ian Saberton
Interviews Posted on

This Week on Dispatches: Patrick H. Hannum on Virginia’s 1775 Regular Company-Level Military Structure

On this week’s Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews JAR contributor Patrick H. Hannum on his research to determine the leadership and deployment of Virginia’s military companies in 1775, as dictated by the Third Virginia Convention force structure. New episodes of Dispatches are available for free every Saturday evening (Eastern United States Time) on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, […]

by Editors
Critical Thinking Posted on

“Characters Pre-eminent for Virtue and Ability”: The First Partisan Application of the Electoral College

Scholars typically cast the outcome of the second presidential election as either a forgone conclusion or a non-event.[1] After all, George Washington ran unchallenged and once again received unanimous support from the Electoral College.[2] Shifting academic focus from the first magistrate to the second, however, reframes the 1792 contest as a struggle for the soul […]

by Shawn David McGhee
Documents Posted on

This Week on Dispatches: Sarah Swift on Searching for Samuel Babcock’s Military Service

On this week’s Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews actor, research, and JAR contributor, Sarah Swift on her research on the service record of Loyalist Samuel Babcock and the surprising connections she uncovered. New episodes of Dispatches are available for free every Saturday evening (Eastern United States Time) on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Amazon Music, and the JAR Dispatches web […]

by Editors