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 Autobiography and Biography Posted on

Philip Mazzei and the American Revolution—An Italian in Virginia

Beyond the most familiar Founding Fathers, the Revolutionary era included a wider circle of contributors whose ideas, actions, and relationships shaped the American cause. Among them was Filippo (Philip) Mazzei, an Italian-born writer, entrepreneur, and political thinker whose engagement with American leaders and Enlightenment ideals influenced the revolutionary generation. Born in the Grand Duchy of […]

by Matteo Giuliani
Interviews Posted on

This Week on Dispatches: Robert Swanson on Canadian Whigs and the American Revolution

On this week’s Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews JAR contributor Robert Swanson on Canadians who wanted to join the other colonies in their break from English rule. New episodes of Dispatches are available for free every Sunday evening(Eastern United States Time), first on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Amazon Music, and the JAR Dispatches web site. Each episode […]

by Editors
Travel Posted on

The 21-Mile Circle: American Revolution Heritage Sites in the English Midlands

For the American Revolution enthusiast visiting England, the English Midlands offers a remarkable concentration of sites directly connected to the founding era. Within a twenty-one mile radius centred on the village of Ecton, Northamptonshire, stand the ancestral home of George Washington, the church where Benjamin Franklin’s family worshipped for five generations, the hall from which […]

by Steve Willis
Reviews Posted on

Our Story: The Revolutionary War of Colonel Robert and Mary Ouldfield Heriot

BOOK REVIEW: Our Story: The Revolutionary War of Colonel Robert and Mary Ouldfield Heriot by Hugh T. Harrington, (South Carolina American Revolution Trust, 2026, $16.95, paperback) Through letters and deep research, the “Story” in this book is the recounting of a colonial Patriot husband and wife whose lives were completely disrupted by the American Revolution. […]

by John L. Smith, Jr.
2
The War Years (1775-1783) Posted on

American Whig Ideology and Canadian Participation in the American Revolution

In 1783, the Second Canadian, also known as Congress’s Own Regiment or Hazen’s Infernals, was a combination of two regiments formed in 1775 and 1776 for the Continental Army.[1] During the American Revolution its members fought in battles across the Upper and Middle former colonies. By the end of the war, they were a motley […]

by Robert Swanson
Reviews Posted on

James Selkirk’s Revolutionary War

BOOK REVIEW: James Selkirk’s Revolutionary War: The Memoir of a Continental Sergeant, introduced and edited by Robb K. Haberman (Westholme, 2026) $32.50 hardcover In 1774, alone and at the age of sixteen, James Selkirk sailed from Scotland to the American colonies. Two years later, he enlisted in the Continental army and, because he could read […]

by Michael Barbieri
Reviews Posted on

Backcountry Resistance: South Carolina’s Militia and the Fight for American Independence

BOOK REVIEW: Backcountry Resistance: South Carolina’s Militia and the Fight for American Independence by Carl P. Borick. (Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 2026) $27.99 hardcover As students of the Revolutionary War in the American South know, Carl Borick is the author of the definitive study of the 1780 Siege of Charleston, South Carolina, titled […]

by John R. Maass
3
Animals Posted on

Nelson and Blueskin: Washington’s Revolutionary War Horses in the Documentary Record

George Washington’s two most-remembered wartime mounts, Nelson and Blueskin, have been the subject of considerable popular retelling, much of it post-dating the events by decades. The manuscript record is thinner than the later accounts but clear on the essentials. Both horses came to Washington as gifts from friends. Both carried him through much of the […]

by Katie Shoultz
5
The War Years (1775-1783) Posted on

American Achilles: Daniel Morgan’s Resignation and Return to Service

1777 was a very good year for Daniel Morgan. He was promoted to colonel in late 1776 and received the commission in January 1777. Gen. George Washington had pushed Congress to make the promotion, having been impressed by Morgan’s performance leading three companies of riflemen in the ill-fated 1775 invasion of Canada. While the expedition […]

by David Wilson
Interviews Posted on

This Week on Dispatches: Jesse Wegman on James Wilson, the “Lost Founder”

On this week’s Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews author Jesse Wegman about his new book, The Lost Founder: James Wilson and the Forgotten Fight for a People’s Constitution. New episodes of Dispatches are available for free every Sunday evening(Eastern United States Time), first on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Amazon Music, and the JAR Dispatches web site. Each […]

by Editors
3
Myths and Legends Posted on

Dumpling Pond: Legend, Folklore, and Local Memory in Greenwich, Connecticut

During the American Revolution, a defiant miller’s wife hurled freshly made dumplings into the Mianus River in Greenwich, Connecticut, rather than surrender her family’s dinner to a group of enemy Redcoats. From that moment, the section of the river where she cast her dumplings became known as Dumpling Pond. Every Greenwich elementary school student learns […]

by Lisa Figlioli
9
Reviews Posted on

The Lost Founder: James Wilson and the Forgotten Fight for a People’s Constitution

BOOK REVIEW: The Lost Founder: James Wilson and the Forgotten Fight for a People’s Constitution by Jesse Wegman (New York: Celadon Books, 2026) $30.00 hardcover  The Broadway play 1776 depicts James Wilson, a Pennsylvania delegate to the Continental Congress, as a cowardly, spineless understudy of John Dickinson, who opposed the Declaration of Independence. This portrayal […]

by Gene Procknow
1
The War Years (1775-1783) Posted on

“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
Reviews Posted on

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
1
Economics Posted on

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

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
4
Critical Thinking Posted on

Declarations Before THE Declaration of Independence

When the Continental Congress approved its Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, at least ninety public bodies had already declared in favor of independence. In those times, local jurisdictions often gave specific instructions to their representatives in higher bodies. (In Britain, by contrast, lower bodies “delegated” authority to elected officials, who could then act […]

by Ray Raphael
2
War at Sea and Waterways (1775–1783) Posted on

The Final Cruise of the Continental Navy frigate Hague

Recently returned from imprisonment in England, respected Capt. John Manley succeeded Samuel Nicholson in command of the Continental Navy frigate formerly known as Deane and recently renamed Hague on September 16, 1782. All of the vessel’s principal officers returned to service under Captain Manley including: 1st Lt. Benjamin Page, 2nd Lt. Arthur Dillaway, Sailing Master […]

by Joseph Ross
Interviews Posted on

This Week on Dispatches: Brooke Barbier on Drinking and the American Revolution

On this week’s Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews JAR contributor and author Brooke Barbier on her new book about the role of social drinking and toasts during the American Revolution. New episodes of Dispatches are available for free every Sunday evening(Eastern United States Time), first on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Amazon Music, and the JAR Dispatches web […]

by Editors
2
Autobiography and Biography Posted on

William “Billy” Flora: Revolutionary Service Beyond Great Bridge

As a free African American Patriot, William “Billy” Flora represented a rather small percentage of Virginia’s population.[1] He served as a sentry at the south end of the Great Bridge, firing eight rounds on the morning of December 9, 1775, slowing the initial British assault.[2] Documents describing this action do not name Flora, but this […]

by Patrick H. Hannum
1
Historic Sites Posted on

The Nation’s First Acre: Fort Billingsport and the Birth of Federal Land Acquisition

On June 25, 1776, nine days before the Continental Congress would adopt the Declaration of Independence, the Pennsylvania Council of Safety passed a resolution authorizing a committee to “purchase the whole or part of a Plantation at Billingsport on which said Fortifications are to be erected at the Expense of Congress.”[1] Ten days later, on […]

by David Salvatore
3
Food & Lifestyle Posted on

Ten Quotations Highlighting Alcohol’s Intoxicating Influence on the American Revolution

The founding generation of the United States, both its leaders and ordinary folks, drank far more alcohol than we do today, tippling diverse offerings including wine, cider, beer, rum, and mixed drinks. This consumption had a profound influence on the American Revolution.[1] These ten quotations highlight the many ways that alcohol impacted the revolutionaries’ society, […]

by Brooke Barbier
Interviews Posted on

This Week on Dispatches: Gary Ecelbarger on Nathaniel Ramsay at the Battle of Monmouth

On this week’s Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews JAR contributor and historian Gary Ecelbarger on Maryland Continental officer Nathaniel Ramsay and his experience at “Point of Woods,” a turning point in the Battle of Monmouth. New episodes of Dispatches are available for free every Sunday evening(Eastern United States Time), first on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, […]

by Editors
Reviews Posted on

Cocked and Boozy: An Intoxicating History of the American Revolution

BOOK REVIEW: Cocked and Boozy: An Intoxicating History of the American Revolution by Brook Barbier (Chicago, IL: Chicago Review Press, 2026) “Muddled.” “Buzzey.” “Jolly.” “Cherry Merry.” “Swallow’d a Tavern Token.” “Cat.” These terms are all euphemisms that describe someone who is inebriated. All of these words come to us courtesy of the great Dr. Benjamin […]

by Timothy Symington
Reviews Posted on

The Stamp Act and the American Revolution

BOOK REVIEW: The Stamp Act and the American Revolution by Ken Shumate. (Yardley, PA: Westholme Publishing, 2025) $29.95 hardcover. The American Revolution as a process of separation from Great Britain started long before April 1775 as once-proud English colonists in North America struggled with their place in the early empire. The story of that struggle […]

by Kyler Burd
Music Posted on

The Sound of Independence

If one were to create a soundtrack for the day the Declaration of Independence was read in Philadelphia, what music would accompany the event? While “Yankee Doodle” might immediately come to mind, only two tunes, the “Liberty Song” sung to the British tune “Heart of Oak” printed in 1768, and the 1770 hymn “Chester” by […]

by Lois Bliss Herbine