John the Painter: Terrorist for America
Upon our arrival, I did behold a most curious Sight, which gave me further Cause to wonder about the true Safety we might here…
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A Meal Afloat
As early as October of 1775, the Continental Congress voted to authorize its first naval vessels[1], and as these ships were outfitted and crewed,…
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A Dark Day in the Revolution
In the tumult of the military revolution that forms the backdrop of most study of the War of Independence, it’s easy to forget that…
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Thanksgiving in 1775, 1777 and 1779
While the modern, formalized definition of Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday in November was not set as a national observance until the time of…
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Baked Beans and Johnnycake
Although many immigrants to the American colonies enjoyed a richer and more varied diet than they had in their home countries, as evidenced by…
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Anything But Humble: Pie for Dinner
We’ve all had to “eat humble pie” at one time or another, a saying that hearkens back to the medieval period, when the term…
Hearth Cooking at the Ethan Allen Homestead
These articles have, to this point, focused on reproducing the meals of our Revolutionary-era forefathers with all of the conveniences of the modern kitchen. …
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A Colonial New Orleans Meal
Although often overlooked, New Orleans, as a Spanish colonial city, was the site of pivotal events in the war for American independence from Great…
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Feeding the Slaves
While it is a shameful chapter in our national past, the fact of slavery during the Revolutionary Era is inescapable, and part of understanding…
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A Yankee Doodle Dinner
Most of us learned the song “Yankee Doodle Dandy” as schoolchildren, and many of us puzzled over the reference to macaroni in its lyrics. …
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A Pennsylvania Dutch Meal
This time, we’re going to visit the farm country of Pennsylvania, settled by German-speaking immigrants who formed a fairly cohesive community starting in the…
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A Fashionably Sweet Dinner
Over the course of time, many fashions change. The hem lines on women’s skirts rise and fall, folks give up hula-hooping for jogging, and…
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Family Dinner: Soup, Molasses Bread & Jefferson’s Meringues
One of the best ways to get a visceral sense of what life in the Revolutionary Era was like is to eat the foods…
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Dreaming of Revolution
It’s tough to bring history alive, particularly when all of the participants have been reduced to dust and bones by the inexorable flow of…
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Better to Eat That Apple a Day: Medicine in the Revolutionary Era
It’s a little bit dangerous to write with disdain about the medical practices of bygone times, as one has to be aware that the…
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The Perfect Storm: Bernardo de Gálvez and the Gulf Coast Campaign
One of the genuine pleasures of research is the discovery of someone whose contributions are barely noticed in classroom histories, but without whom, events…
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From Pounds to Dollars
In all times and places, people have engaged in trade, and the American Colonies during the time of the Revolution are no exception. Although…