Dear Mr. History: I’ve read about some duels of honor involving senior Continental Army officers and something doesn’t make sense to me; why were they dueling in the middle of a war? Signed, At Your Service, Sir. Dear Service: Some officers took to dueling like ducks to water. Here’s an example. In the summer of […]
Dear Mr. History: Everyone knows Alexander Hamilton was the first Secretary of the Treasury, and let’s be honest, this nation is more of his vision than any other Founder’s. But beyond the financial stuff– wasn’t he a pretty brave soldier, too? Didn’t he figure at White Plains and Yorktown? Sincerely, a reader from Warren, Pennsylvania. […]
Myth: The Federalist Nos. 10 and 51, written by James Madison, provided the closing case in the ratification debates. Opponents of the proposed federal Constitution argued that republican governments invariably failed if attempted over too large an area, but Madison contended a republic would work better in a large country than in a small one […]
Myth: During the ratification debates The Federalist Papers, with their reasoned arguments, convinced people to vote in favor of the Constitution. Busted: Numbers suggest a different story. The newspaper essays we now celebrate were less widely circulated than many other Federalist and Anti-Federalist tracts, book sales were miniscule, and references to them during the extensive […]
YouTube is synonymous with Gangnam Style, Giant Double Rainbows and the Evolution of Dance, but not the American Revolution, right? Wrong. When it comes to fun and funny videos about the Revolution era, YouTube has a surplus of choices. I’m not talking about Yale’s American Revolution course, classic School House Rock episodes, crazy mash-ups of […]
