Blake McGready is a PhD Candidate at the Graduate Center, CUNY. His dissertation, “Making Nature’s Nation: The Revolutionary War and Environmental Interdependence in New York, 1775–1783,” examines the environmental legacies of the American Revolution. Blake has served as a co-chair of the CUNY Early American Republic Seminar (EARS). His previous work has been published in Pennsylvania History and in the Journal of the American Revolution Annual Volume series, and he has received fellowships from the Massachusetts Historical Society, the Society of the Cincinnati, and the William L. Clements Library at the University of Michigan. He has previously worked at The Gotham Center for New York City and for the National Park Service.
In the fall of 1776, Patriots were desperate for ways to defend the Hudson River from British attacks, entertaining even the wildest ideas. Henry Wisner, a member of the Continental Congress from Goshen, suggested revolutionary soldiers hurl stones at approaching ships from the cliffs north of Peekskill. “Ten men on the top,” he claimed, “might […]
When George Washington died in 1799, partisan infighting and international crises threatened the survival of the American experiment. Many Americans believed in Washington’s unique ability to unite the country, and his death exacerbated national uncertainties. Enter Mason Locke Weems, whose contributions to Washington mythmaking dwarf those of any individual then or since. As national yearning […]
The lives of the Revolutionary era’s extraordinary women have long been celebrated. At historic sites throughout our country, visitors can learn the stories of Margaret Corbin, Phyllis Wheatley, Abigail Adams, and others. But the experiences of women who did not fight in battle, write poetry, or dabble in politics are not as often interpreted. Nostalgia […]
