*** All JAR Articles ***

Religion Posted on February 22, 2016April 17, 2020

Why God is in the Declaration but not the Constitution

No country venerates its “Founding Fathers” like the United States. Academics, legislators, judges, and ordinary citizens all frequently seek to validate their opinions and policy prescriptions by identifying them with the statesmen who led America to nationhood. It is not surprising, therefore, that debates about the role of religion in the United States are infused […]

by Anthony J. Minna

Critical Thinking Posted on February 18, 2016January 26, 2017

Conrad Heyer Did Not Cross the Delaware

An internet search for Conrad Heyer will reveal that he was a Revolutionary War soldier who crossed the Delaware with George Washington. In fact, you’ll find a variation of this sentence repeated on page after page almost word for word: “He served in the Continental Army under George Washington during the Revolutionary War, crossing the […]

by Don N. Hagist

Places Posted on February 17, 2016August 28, 2016

Virginia Looking Westward: From Lord Dunmore’s War through the Revolution

Taxation without representation has been the traditionally accepted cause of the American Revolution. Such an understanding of the Revolution, while valid, does not give credit to its complexity. An often-neglected aspect of Virginia’s American Revolution experience is the importance of the frontier. Soil exhaustion, a recurrent problem of Virginia’s tobacco economy, turned planters into land […]

by Thomas Thorleifur Sobol

Reviews Posted on February 16, 2016February 15, 2016

Washington’s Immortals: The Untold Story of an Elite Regiment Who Changed the Course of the Revolution

Book review: Washington’s Immortals: The Untold Story of an Elite Regiment Who Changed the Course of the Revolution by Patrick K. O’Donnell (Atlantic Monthly Press, 2016). [BUY NOW ON AMAZON] The author uses the words of the actual participants to craft a powerful narrative of the American Revolution focusing on the contributions and sacrifices of […]

by Patrick H. Hannum

People Posted on February 15, 2016August 28, 2016

The Carefree and Kindhearted General George Washington

“The most unhappy man in the world,” wrote the Commissary General of Purchases at Valley Forge about Gen. George Washington.[1] On every portrait we examine, on every image we see, the commander in chief does appear burdened and preoccupied. Occasionally, though, hidden among the millions of words written by, and about, General Washington, we catch […]

by Nancy K. Loane

The War Years (1775-1783) Posted on February 11, 2016August 28, 2016

The Battle of Vigie Peninsula

When Gen. Henry Clinton was preparing the British army to leave Philadelphia, he received instructions from Lord George Germain, the British Secretary at War, to send 5,800 troops to the West Indies. When he learned that the navy was in no position to send ships to protect the transports, Clinton refused to dispatch the troops. […]

by Bob Ruppert

Reviews Posted on February 10, 2016February 15, 2016

First Entrepreneur: How George Washington Built His — and the Nation’s — Prosperity

Book Review: First Entrepreneur: How George Washington Built His — and the Nation’s — Prosperity by Edward G. Lengel (Da Capo Press, 2016). [BUY NOW ON AMAZON] When one thinks of George Washington, perhaps the first image is that of the military commander of the Revolutionary War. Next might be Washington as president. Few are likely to […]

by Hugh T. Harrington

The War Years (1775-1783) Posted on February 9, 2016August 28, 2016

George Washington Convenes a Firing Squad

In an army where men died as a matter of course, there was nonetheless something peculiarly unsettling about the business scheduled for the morning of September 23, 1776. The grim verdict of a court-martial four days before had, at least in the opinion of Connecticut’s Joseph Plumb Martin, left the troops “greatly exasperated.”[1] For his […]

by Joshua Shepherd

The War Years (1775-1783) Posted on February 8, 2016August 28, 2016

Two Years Aboard the Welcome: The American Revolution on Lake Huron

In the spring of 1775, the fur trading post at the junction of Lakes Michigan and Huron looked much as it had for years. Fort Michilimackinac, significantly larger than when the French founded the site in 1715, comprised a tall stockade wall surrounding streets of privately owned row houses, a church, a soldiers’ barracks, officers’ […]

by Tyler Rudd Putman

People Posted on February 3, 2016August 28, 2016

The Stockbridge-Mohican Community, 1775-1783

On July 4, 1776, the authors of American independence declared to the world “that all men are created equal, [and] that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.” However, one of the Declaration’s grievances against the English Crown was that it employed “the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose […]

by Bryan Rindfleisch

Politics During the War (1775-1783) Posted on February 2, 2016August 28, 2016

Traveling to the Second Continental Congress

On April 24, 1775, Samuel Adams and John Hancock arrived in Worcester, Massachusetts, forty miles west of Boston. They hoped to find three more men – John Adams, Thomas Cushing and Robert Treat Paine – who were the other three delegates from the colony to the upcoming second Continental Congress, but they had not been […]

by Will Monk

Religion Posted on February 1, 2016August 28, 2016

The Touro Synagogue: Peter Harrison, George Washington, and Religious Freedom in America

The Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island is the only Jewish house of worship that survives from the American colonial period. Built at the threshold of America’s Revolutionary period, it survived the war and the damaging occupation of Newport by British troops. After the war, the congregation returned and the synagogue formed the focal point […]

by Joseph Manca

News Posted on January 28, 2016August 28, 2016

Colonel Tench Tilghman: George Washington’s Eyes and Ears

In the Old Senate Chamber of the Maryland State House hangs a painting commissioned by the Maryland Legislature often called the “Annapolis Portrait” of George Washington by Charles Willson Peale. The moment portrayed in the work is after the surrender of the British Army at Yorktown in 1781. Two of the figures are easily recognized, […]

by Jeff Dacus

Food & Lifestyle Posted on January 26, 2016August 28, 2016

Struck by Lightning

Since the dawn of humanity, thunder and lightning have both terrified and awed. Protection was sought from deities like Zeus and Thor; and in later ages God and St. Barbara. By the third quarter of the eighteenth century, the Enlightenment had brought about a new sense of curiosity; reason began to replace superstition. There were […]

by Michael J. F. Sheehan

People Posted on January 25, 2016August 28, 2016

45 Genuine George Washington Quotes During the Revolutionary War

They’re everywhere now. On the pages of social media, displayed on bumper stickers, and in the speeches of political candidates, partisan factions claim a Founding Father by virtue of one of their Founding Sound Bites. But how many of those words were actually said, as written, by the person claimed? Very few, if any, one […]

by John L. Smith, Jr.

The War Years (1775-1783) Posted on January 21, 2016August 28, 2016

“Dear Rosey”: A Soldier Seeks Help from his Wife

It was November. Sergeant Williams was cold, and he knew it would be getting colder. He had no warm clothing, no money to purchase any, and he wasn’t able to get a part-time job to earn some extra cash. He needed help, and so he did the most sensible thing a man in his circumstances […]

by Don N. Hagist

Arts & Literature Posted on January 20, 2016January 16, 2016

The Seizure of the Virginia Gazette, or Norfolk Intelligencer

On April 20, 1775, John Hunter Holt announced to the public his recent acquisition of the Norfolk newspaper, the Virginia Gazette or Norfolk Intellingencer. For a newspaper that had only been in print since 1774, this sudden change in ownership was more than just a business venture, it would serve as an open act of […]

by Gerald Holland

The War Years (1775-1783) Posted on January 19, 2016August 28, 2016

A Series of Unfortunate Events: Chichester Cheyne’s Revolutionary War, 1778-1783

In March 1778, George Washington, the commander-in-chief of the Continental army, was in winter quarters with his men at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania; Capt. James Cook was exploring the Pacific northwest of North America; and Voltaire, the famous French philosopher, was crowned as a poet laureate in Paris. But Chichester Cheyne, a fifteen-year-old Virginian, gave little […]

by Nicolas Bell-Romero

People Posted on January 18, 2016August 28, 2016

Barlow Trecothick’s Role in the Repeal of the Stamp Act

Barlow Trecothick was born in Stepney, England in 1720. At seven, his family moved to Boston where he became an apprentice for six years to Charles Apthorp, a local merchant. He lived in Boston until he was 22, then he moved to Jamaica where he represented Apthorp’s firm for five years. While in the West […]

by Bob Ruppert

People Posted on January 14, 2016August 28, 2016

Major James Dunlap: Was He Murdered Twice?

In January of 1781, Loyalist Maj. James Dunlap raided the Long Cane settlement in South Carolina that included the homes of notorious rebel leaders James McCall and Andrew Pickens. Among the most respected of all the Whig military men, Pickens had only renounced his parole the month before. Lord Cornwallis’s response was to send Dunlap […]

by Wayne Lynch

Techniques & Tech Posted on January 13, 2016August 28, 2016

The Organization of the Rhode Island Militia 1774–1783

The organization of the Militia in colonial Rhode Island[1] was established by law. Five county regiments and the number of companies in each town were specified.[2] Annually the General Assembly approved the locally elected officers for the trained bands (companies of militia) at its session in May or the next session in June. In 1771, […]

by John K. Robertson

News Posted on January 12, 2016January 10, 2016

The First Two Journal of the American Revolution Books: Available Now to Pre-order!

With our finger on the pulse of great research and writing about the American Revolution, it seemed natural to launch a namesake book series. Early in 2015, we were fortunate to find a partner who shared our vision for publishing microhistories with meticulous, groundbreaking research and well-written narratives about unknown or lesser-known topics. The Journal […]

by Editors

Techniques & Tech Posted on January 11, 2016August 28, 2016

Redoubt No. 4: Lynchpin of Fortress West Point

In 1775, the Continental Army was in dire need of engineers. The colonies did not have a War College or military academy like the Ecole Militaire in Paris or the Royal Military Academy in London. Gen. George Washington complained to Congress, “The Skill of those engineers we have … [is] very imperfect and confined to […]

by Bob Ruppert

News Posted on January 8, 2016August 28, 2016

Year in Review: Top 30 Articles of 2015

The year 2015 was our best ever. Online, we published 200 articles by scores of expert writers and welcomed 1.1 million unique readers. Our existing content has become an authoritative source with high search rankings, ensuring that our articles reach researchers and fact-finders around the world. In print, we published our 2015 Annual Volume and […]

by Editors

News Posted on January 6, 2016January 5, 2016

Journal of the American Revolution Announces 2015 Book of the Year Award Winners

Journal of the American Revolution, the popular online magazine and annual book, today announced its winner and runners-up for the 2015 Book of the Year Award. The annual award goes to the non-fiction volume that best mirrors the journal’s mission: to deliver passionate, creative and smart content that makes American Revolution history accessible to a […]

by Editors

People Posted on January 5, 2016August 28, 2016

Did Oliver Hazard Perry’s Father Kill a Quaker?

A Story of Resistance to the Universal Draft In Rhode Island, as in the rest of New England during the Revolutionary War, a key Patriot institution was the universal draft. Rhode Island required all white men between the ages of sixteen and sixty to serve in the militia, backed by state courts and other state […]

by Christian McBurney

Arts & Literature Posted on January 4, 2016January 10, 2016

A Brief Publication History of the “Times That Try Men’s Souls”

Thomas Paine’s sensational pamphlet Common Sense, published anonymously in January of 1776, has a singular place of importance in the literature of the American Revolutionary era. So famous was the title that Paine would adopt it as a sobriquet when authoring future works. The publication history of that wildly successful pamphlet is well established.[1] But […]

by Jett Conner

News Posted on December 7, 2015December 6, 2015

OUT OF THE OFFICE: RETURNING JANUARY 4

After an extremely busy and exciting year, Journal of the American Revolution is taking a short vacation to tackle a few time sensitive projects. Look for us again on January 4, 2016. We’ll have news to share about Annual Volume 2016 and our forthcoming book series. Plus, we’ll be announcing the winner of the 2015 Book of […]

by Editors

Interviews Posted on November 30, 2015August 14, 2016

Which side benefited the most from the Native Americans?

Which side do you think benefited the most from the Native American involvement in the war? Why? The British benefited the most, from one point of view. Most of the Indians fought on their side. These Indians perpetrated no massacres or torture of prisoners on British soldiers or civilians. But from another more long range […]

by Editors

News Posted on November 28, 2015August 28, 2016

Hamilton: An American Musical

Review of the Broadway musical Hamilton, now playing at the Richard Rodgers Theater on 46th Street in New York City. Let me confess at the outset that I’m not a movie, television, or Broadway critic. I’m a trained academic historian, and most of my publications have focused on the era of the American Revolution. In […]

by James Kirby Martin

Food & Lifestyle Posted on November 26, 2015August 28, 2016

The Revolutionary War Generation and Thanksgiving

Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 proclamation established Thanksgiving as the national holiday we celebrate today, making him the father of modern Thanksgiving.[1] The Revolutionary generation, however, created the first national Thanksgiving holidays 157 years after the Pilgrims and 85 years before Lincoln’s historic proclamation. In this season of football games and parades ending with Santa Claus, it […]

by Eric Sterner

News Posted on November 25, 2015August 28, 2016

Revolutionary War History Geek Gift Guide 2015

We realize that finding the perfect Revolution-themed holiday gift is not easy. For the past three years Journal of the American Revolution has been guiding readers through the difficult process of finding gifts inspired by our nation’s birth or relating to the era. Here are our favorite picks this year. Revolution!: The Brick Chronicle of the American […]

by Editors

People Posted on November 24, 2015August 28, 2016

Absolving David Fanning—from Dreck to Rumph

I keep promising myself to write on how David Fanning, the Tory guerrilla turned British colonel, became a psychotic murderer off the battlefield in North Carolina in 1782. But was it late 1781? First, I have to try to settle tough questions. Did Fanning really do no harm to any human being in South Carolina?[1] […]

by Hershel Parker

Why God is in the Declaration but not the Constitution

Conrad Heyer Did Not Cross the Delaware

Virginia Looking Westward: From Lord Dunmore’s War through the Revolution

Washington’s Immortals: The Untold Story of an Elite Regiment Who Changed the Course of the Revolution

The Carefree and Kindhearted General George Washington

The Battle of Vigie Peninsula

First Entrepreneur: How George Washington Built His — and the Nation’s — Prosperity

George Washington Convenes a Firing Squad

Two Years Aboard the Welcome: The American Revolution on Lake Huron

The Stockbridge-Mohican Community, 1775-1783

Traveling to the Second Continental Congress

The Touro Synagogue: Peter Harrison, George Washington, and Religious Freedom in America

Top 10 Articles of January 2016

Colonel Tench Tilghman: George Washington’s Eyes and Ears

Struck by Lightning

45 Genuine George Washington Quotes During the Revolutionary War

“Dear Rosey”: A Soldier Seeks Help from his Wife

The Seizure of the Virginia Gazette, or Norfolk Intelligencer

A Series of Unfortunate Events: Chichester Cheyne’s Revolutionary War, 1778-1783

Barlow Trecothick’s Role in the Repeal of the Stamp Act

Major James Dunlap: Was He Murdered Twice?

The Organization of the Rhode Island Militia 1774–1783

The First Two Journal of the American Revolution Books: Available Now to Pre-order!

Redoubt No. 4: Lynchpin of Fortress West Point

Year in Review: Top 30 Articles of 2015

Journal of the American Revolution Announces 2015 Book of the Year Award Winners

Did Oliver Hazard Perry’s Father Kill a Quaker?

A Brief Publication History of the “Times That Try Men’s Souls”

OUT OF THE OFFICE: RETURNING JANUARY 4

Top 10 Articles of November 2015

Hamilton: An American Musical

The Revolutionary War Generation and Thanksgiving

Revolutionary War History Geek Gift Guide 2015

Absolving David Fanning—from Dreck to Rumph