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 Arts & Literature Posted on

An Interview with Bob Thompson, author of Revolutionary Roads

On a special episode of Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews author Bob Thompson on his latest book, Revolutionary Roads. 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 site. Dispatches can now be easily accessed on the JAR main menu. Thousands of […]

by Editors
5
Constitutional Debate Posted on

The Purpose of the Electoral College: A Seemingly Endless Controversy

In recent years the operation of the Electoral College, as specified in Article II of the Constitution, has come under repeated attack by Congressional representatives and others throughout the United States. The following material from Section 1 contains what are considered to be the most contentious provisions in this Article. Each State shall appoint, in […]

by Marvin L. Simner
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Crime and Justice Posted on

The Great New York Fire of 1776

BOOK REVIEW: The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution by Benjamin L. Carp. (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2023) Questioning long-held beliefs about historical events and their causes creates the most notable monographs among the bounteous publications concerning the Revolutionary-era each year. Prominent recent examples include adding women and […]

by Gene Procknow
3
Books and Publications Posted on

Thomas Jefferson and the Conditions of Good History: Writing About the American Revolution

Thomas Jefferson has a Thucydidean, or fact-based, approach to the praxis of history. Evidence of that approach appeared early in his life, in his Literary Commonplace Book. There, Jefferson, quoted Henry St. John, Lord Bolingbroke (1678–1751), who wrote of history, rightly practiced. For history to be authentic, Jefferson, continuing to copy Bolingbroke, added that “these […]

by M. Andrew Holowchak
Frontier Posted on

This Week on Dispatches: Chris Yohn on the Big Runaway

On this week’s Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews JAR contributor Chris Yohn, on his research about how settlers in the Pennsylvania’s Susquehanna valley were able to hold the line against British and Indigenous incursions that may have overrun the state and jeopardized both military and government operations in greater Philadelphia and beyond. New episodes of Dispatches […]

by Editors
Loyalists Posted on

Attended with Disagreeable Consequences: Cross-Border Shopping for Loyalist Provisions, 1783–1784

In the months following the end of the American Revolutionary War, British authorities in Canada desperately required supplies for refugee Loyalists slated to be resettled in that northern colony. The cross-border market that they targeted to meet these supply demands was ironic. They looked southward to a region of the United States that, during the […]

by Stuart Lyall Manson
5
Autobiography and Biography Posted on

From the Battlefield to the Stage: The Many Lives of General John Burgoyne

BOOK REVIEW: From the Battlefield to the Stage: the Many Lives of General John Burgoyne by Norman S. Poser (Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2023) It has been three decades since the last attempt at an in-depth biography of John Burgoyne. Max Mintz in his 1992 book,The Generals of Saratoga, looked at both Burgoyne and Horatio Gates […]

by Michael Barbieri
Arts & Literature Posted on

The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley

BOOK REVIEW: The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley: A Poet’s Journey Through American Slavery and Independence by David Waldstreicher (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2023) The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley by David Waldstreicher details the short but extraordinary life of Phillis Wheatley, a poet of the American Revolution years. Kidnapped from West Africa as a child and […]

by Nichole Louise
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Letters and Correspondence Posted on

Perspectives on the Ten Crucial Days of the Revolution

The “Ten Crucial Days” winter campaign of 1776-1777 reversed the momentum of the War for Independence at a moment when what George Washington termed the “glorious Cause” of American independence appeared on the verge of final defeat.[1] During the period from December 25, 1776 through January 3, 1777, beginning with the fabled Christmas night crossing of […]

by David Price
Interviews Posted on

This Week on Dispatches: Gene Procknow on Ethan Allen and Revolutionary-Era Newspapers

On this week’s Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews JAR contributor Gene Procknow on the reputation of Ethan Allen as reported in newspapers of the day. 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 site. Dispatches can now be easily accessed […]

by Editors
4
Logistics Posted on

George Washington’s Revenge

BOOK REVIEW: George Washington’s Revenge: The 1777 New Jersey Campaign and How General Washington Turned Defeat into the Strategy that Won the Revolution by Arthur Lefkowitz (Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2022) The six months following the battles of Trenton and Princeton have long been ill-treated by historians. With Washington perched at Morristown, Howe in New York, […]

by Jason R. Wickersty
Crime and Justice Posted on

This Week on Dispatches: Benjamin L. Carp on Capt. Abraham Van Dyck and Military Justice

On this week’s Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews distinguished historian, author, and JAR contributor Benjamin L. Carp on his discovery of two separate encounters between Capt. Abraham Van Dyck and the military justice system. 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
10
Autobiography and Biography Posted on

The Highs and Lows of Ethan Allen’s Reputation as Reported by Revolutionary-Era Newspapers

Ethan Allen’s prevailing reputation among the general population remains that of a daring hero, but has suffered in the eyes of recent historians. Casual readers, aided by the embellishments of nineteenth-century biographers, remember Vermont’s Allen as the leader of the rebellious but honorable Green Mountain Boys and the conqueror of British-held Fort Ticonderoga. As a […]

by Gene Procknow
2
Autobiography and Biography Posted on

Samuel Elbert and the Age of Revolution in Georgia, 1740-1788

BOOK REVIEW: Samuel Elbert and the Age of Revolution in Georgia: 1740-1788 by Clay Outzts (Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 2022) Professor Clay Ouzts has given Revolutionary War scholars a lengthy but valuable chronicle of the war in the southern department in his book Samuel Elbert and the Age of Revolution in Georgia: 1740-1788. A figure […]

by Timothy Symington
2
Economics Posted on

Captain Luke Day: A Forgotten Leader of “Shays’s Rebellion”

While Daniel Shays (1747-1825) has basked posthumously in the glory of leading the 1786-87 populist rebellion that bears his name, Luke Day (1743-1801) was a co-commander of the forces on the ground that fateful winter. Both Shays and Day were battle-hardened Continental army captains who returned home to rural Massachusetts to find their fellow farmers […]

by Scott M. Smith
Diplomacy Posted on

Prisoners of the Bashaw

BOOK REVIEW: Prisoners of the Bashaw: The Nineteen-Month of American Sailors in Tripoli, 1803–1805 by Frederick C. Leiner (Yardley, PA: Westholme, 2022) As the dust jacket says, this is the story of “The Nineteen-Month Captivity of American Sailors in Tripoli, 1803-1805.” Frederick C. Leiner, a lawyer by profession, as well as an historian and author of […]

by William H. J. Manthorpe, Jr.
Battles Posted on

This Week on Dispatches: James M. Deitch on Johann Rall at the Battle of Trenton

On this week’s Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews JAR contributor James M. Deitch on whether Hessian commander Johann Rall’s failure at Trenton was due to tactical or personal negligence. 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 site. Dispatches can […]

by Editors
4
Crime and Justice Posted on

Two Encounters: Captain Abraham Van Dyck, the “Negro Man,” and Prince Pitkin

Captain Abraham Van Dyck of New York faced military justice twice during the Revolutionary War: first by the British for burning his hometown, and then by his fellow Continental Army officers for killing a Black soldier in camp. In each case, imperfect evidence presents historians with a puzzle. Notably, African American men were central to […]

by Benjamin L. Carp
Autobiography and Biography Posted on

This Week on Dispatches: Norman S. Poser on The Many Lives of General John Burgoyne

On this week’s Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews author Norman S. Poser on his new book, From the Battlefield to the Stage: The Many Lives of General John Burgoyne. 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 site. Dispatches can […]

by Editors
Features Posted on

Revolutionary Roads

BOOK REVIEW: Revolutionary Roads: Searching for the War That Made America Independent . . . and All the Places It Could Have Gone Terribly Wrong by Bob Thompson (Hachette Book Group/Twelve Books, 2023) Bob Thompson made a significant commitment of time and resources to visit the battlefields of the revolution he selected to include in […]

by Patrick H. Hannum
Features Posted on

The 2022 Book-of-the-Year

Since 2014, the Journal of the American Revolution has recognized the adult nonfiction volume that best mirrors the mission of the journal with its national Book-of-the-Year Award. This year the editors are pleased to announce a winner and two runners-up. All three books are outstanding contributions to the history of the Revolutionary and Founding Eras. […]

by Editors
Features Posted on

This Week on Dispatches: John Settle on the 9th Virginia Regiment

On this week’s Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews history teacher and JAR contributor John Settle on the story of the 9th Virginia Regiment, the Eastern Shore Battalion, during the American Revolution. 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 site. […]

by Editors
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Newspapers Posted on

Misinformation Nation: Foreign News and the Politics of Truth in Revolutionary America

BOOK REVIEW: Misinformation Nation: Foreign News and the Politics of Truth in Revolutionary America by Jordan E. Taylor (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2022) Almost every book that discusses the rise of revolutionary fervor in colonial America includes the role of newspapers. The impact of the press on the way that events unfolded in North America […]

by Don N. Hagist
Features Posted on

This Week on Dispatches: H. Allen Skinner on Nathanael Greene’s Grand Southern Strategy

On this week’s Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews author, US Army civilian historian, and JAR contributor H. Allen Skinner on how Nathanael Greene developed a grand strategy for his campaign against the British and Loyalists in the South. New episodes of Dispatches are available for free every Saturday evening (Eastern United States Time) on iTunes, Stitcher, Google […]

by Editors
Political Philosophy Posted on

Religious Liberty and the American Founding

BOOK REVIEW: Religious Liberty and the American Founding: Natural Rights and the Original Meaning of the First Amendment Religion Clauses by Vincent Phillip Muñoz (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2022) We are told in the Declaration of Independence that certain rights are “unalienable.” Have you ever wondered what that means? Are other rights “alienable?” Notre Dame’s […]

by Gabriel Neville
1
Autobiography and Biography Posted on

Thomas Jefferson: A Biography of Spirit and Flesh

BOOK REVIEW: Thomas Jefferson: A Biography of Spirit and Flesh by Thomas S. Kidd (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2022) There seems to be a reliable annual tradition of biographies about George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Thomas Jefferson being published. What else can we learn about these American icons? Baylor University professor Thomas S. Kidd is […]

by Timothy Symington
2
Features Posted on

Contributor Question: Your History-Related New Year’s Resolutions for 2023

We asked our contributors: What is your history-related New Year’s resolution for 2023? Here are some of their responses. Robert Scott Davis To submit for publication my manuscript biography of African American patriot Austin Dabney. Kim Burdick As Delaware Chair of the American Friends of Lafayette’s 200th Anniversary of Lafayette’s Triumphal Return, my resolution is to have all […]

by Editors
3
War at Sea and Waterways (1775–1783) Posted on

By Stratagem and Hard Fighting: The Improbable Capture of Eleven British Ships

On the third day of November 1775, Brig. Gen. Richard Montgomery and his Continental army triumphantly concluded a taxing two-month siege with the surrender of British Fort St. Johns and its 600-man garrison. Their invasion of Canada had finally gained momentum. A week later, the Continentals assembled on the south shore of the St. Lawrence, ready […]

by Mark R. Anderson
Critical Thinking Posted on

Patriots and Politics, Redcoats and Reconstruction: General Nathanael Greene’s Grand Southern Strategy

Major General Nathanael Greene’s military career presents a paradox to historians: how could a Quaker, unlearned in the art of war, become one of America’s foremost Revolutionary War generals? While historians have extensively studied Greene’s exercise of tactics and operations, Greene’s formulation and execution of grand strategy—the linking of economic, governance and security objectives with […]

by H. Allen Skinner