July 2026 - Journal of the American Revolution

The War Years (1775-1783) Posted on July 15, 2026

“To sport with Long’s carcass”: An Instance of Terror, Revenge, and Retribution

Prior to the outbreak of war at Lexington and Concord in April 1775, New Jersey had not been a hotbed of revolution. With open war, however, followed by the British invasion of 1776, civil strife engulfed the rebellious province. Patriots (Whigs) struck hard and fast against Loyalists, harassing and intimidating anyone suspected of allegiance to […]

by Mark Edward Lender

Historical Spotlight Posted on July 13, 2026July 13, 2026

The Ordeal of the Annapolis, September 1775

To a colonial American, the prelude to the War of Independence might have been considered as much a civil conflict as it was a revolution. This was particularly true in 1775, when the thirteen colonies were in the throes of an internal struggle, before most of the Loyalists sought refuge in cities occupied by British […]

by Julie Casey

Reviews Posted on July 13, 2026

A Perfect Coincidence

BOOK REVIEW: A Perfect Coincidence: The Extraordinary Friendship and Astonishing Deaths of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson by Jim Rasenberger (Scribner, 2026) It is an astounding bout of timing that John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the two men who collaborated so closely in declaring independence, died on the same Fourth of July day on the […]

by Kelly Mielke

Economics Posted on July 9, 2026July 7, 2026

Counterfeiting with Thomas Davis in the New United States: Another American Revolution

The beginning of American Revolution was also the beginning of the golden age of counterfeiting paper money. The British Currency Act of 1764 so restricted the circulation of currency that this crime largely disappeared, as colonists listed the lack of liquid capital among their grievances. The Continental Congress and the states, however, needed to pay […]

by Robert Scott Davis

Interviews Posted on July 8, 2026July 7, 2026

This Week on Dispatches: Ray Raphael on the First Declarations of Independence

On this week’s Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews historian, author, and JAR Editorial Board member Ray Raphael on statements of independence from Great Britain before the Declaration of Independence was announced in Philadelphia, July 4, 1776. New episodes of Dispatches are available for free every Sunday evening(Eastern United States Time), first on iTunes, Stitcher, Google […]

by Editors

Critical Thinking Posted on July 6, 2026July 6, 2026

Two Short Notes on The Federalist no. 9 and no. 62

In the eighteenth century, standards for decent citations, quotes, references and also for translations were less clear than they are for us, and certainly less strict. This is instantiated by The Federalist (Papers), the eighty-five essays that were published by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay under the joint pen name of “Publius.” These […]

by Gijs van Donselaar

Autobiography and Biography Posted on July 2, 2026July 1, 2026

Timothy Matlack, Scribe of the Declaration of Independence

The scribe of the Declaration of Independence—and perhaps the first man to read it in public—was born on March 28, 1736 in Haddonfield, New Jersey. His family moved to Philadelphia eight years later. At the age of thirteen, Timothy Matlack began an apprenticeship under a prosperous Quaker merchant named John Reynell. Looking forward to a […]

by Chris Coelho

Month: July 2026