The Sea Battle that Paid Off for the Continental Army
byAs the Revolutionary War was coming to an end, financial problems came to the forefront: to name a few, the country’s debts to France,…
Benjamin Franklin
2
Who Picked the Committees at the Constitutional Convention?
byThrough four months in the summer of 1787, passionate arguments over political principles filled the Pennsylvania State House while hard-nosed political horse-trading buzzed in…
9
The First Countries to Diplomatically Recognize the United States
by“Diplomacy is seduction in guise …”, whispered Benjamin Franklin to his fellow commissioner John Adams. “One improves with practice.” Although the quote isn’t real…
4
The Strange Case of “Charles de Weissenstein”
byEarly one morning in late June 1778, an unknown passerby tossed a package of documents that clanged against the gate at Benjamin Franklin’s home…
2
Antoine Felix Wuibert: The French “Forrest Gump” of the American Revolution
byAntoine Félix Wuibert was one of the earliest foreign volunteers to the War of the American Revolution, arriving even before the United States pronounced…
1
Richard Howe: Admiral of the British Fleet in North America and Peace Commissioner
byIn the Spring of 1775, Benjamin Franklin, still stationed in England, made what he thought was a last attempt to secure a plan of…
Franklin’s Secret Efforts to bring about Reconciliation
byBenjamin Franklin made two missions to London prior to the Revolution; the first from 1757 to 1762, the second from 1764 to 1775. In…
4
JOIN, OR DIE: Political and Religious Controversy Over Franklin’s Snake Cartoon
byOn May 9, 1751, Benjamin Franklin published a satirical article in the Pennsylvania Gazette commenting on British laws that allowed convicted felons to be…
Benjamin Franklin’s Mission to London, 1757-1762
byThomas Penn, the son of founder William Penn, inherited majority control of the proprietorship of the colony of Pennsylvania in 1746. At the time…
1
Benjamin Franklin: “Our Salvation depends on you”
byBenjamin Franklin was appointed an American Commissioner to France on September 26, 1776. [1] One month later he set sail for France where he…
Benjamin Franklin and Judaism
byThough not always able to offer definitive evidence of a link between the two men, since the nineteenth century Jewish scholars have affirmed that…
2
Benjamin Franklin’s Battery of Lovers
byIf there was ever a theme song for Benjamin Franklin, it would definitely be the 1970 Steven Stills folk-rock ditty, “If You Can’t Be…
1
A Brief History of Benjamin Franklin’s Residences on Craven Street, London: 1757 – 1775
byIf one looked into Benjamin Franklin’s time on Craven Street, they might initially believe he lived at 36 Craven Street the entirety of his…
10
Struck by Lightning
bySince the dawn of humanity, thunder and lightning have both terrified and awed. Protection was sought from deities like Zeus and Thor; and in…
3
Thomas Jefferson, Scientist
byWhen people think about Thomas Jefferson, they think of a founding father, an advocate of liberty, and an American Patriot. But what people don’t…
1
Governor Franklin Makes His Move
byNew Jersey Governor William Franklin is one of the forgotten major players in the American Revolution. By the fall of 1775, he was the…
5
“The Sale of the Hessians” and the Franklin Legend
bySince 1874 a growing assumption, indeed an assumption expanding to the status of “fact,” has arisen that a document known as “The Sale of…
12
Franklin’s Failed Diplomatic Mission
byBenjamin Franklin’s Revolutionary War diplomatic successes have been well chronicled. He was instrumental in persuading King Louis XVI to enter into a military alliance…
“The Rattlesnake tells the Story”
byThe image of a rattlesnake was used as a symbol of the American colonies from the beginning of the French and Indian War to…
12
Propaganda Warfare: Benjamin Franklin Fakes a Newspaper
by“The Press, Watson, is a most valuable institution, if you only know how to use it,” said the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes.[1] Benjamin Franklin…
8
Book of Ages: The Life and Opinions of
Jane Franklin
by
Book Review: Book of Ages: The Life and Opinions of Jane Franklin by Jill Lepore. Knopf, 464 pp., Hardcover $27.95|Paperback $16.95|eBook $13.99 “One Half…
15
A Want of Arms in Pennsylvania
byRemember when I wrote that nobody ever said life on the Pennsylvania frontier was easy?[1] Well, as it turns out, it was a lot…
The Hated Benjamin Franklin
byThe front page of April 18, 1765, Pennsylvania Gazette featured one of the earliest American printings of the Stamp Act. “Printed by B. Franklin,…
10
Franklin’s Top 15 Items to Take on a Cruise
byBetween his voyages to England and France, Benjamin Franklin logged more transatlantic cruises than any other founder. In fact, in his lifetime, he took…
8
Benjamin Franklin: America’s First Whistleblower
byEdward Snowden and the NSA documents. Julian Assange and the WikiLeaks diplomatic cables. Daniel Elsberg and the Pentagon papers. Benjamin Franklin and the Hutchinson…
4
On His Majesty’s Secret Service
byEdward Bancroft habitually worked late into the evenings on Tuesday. This evening he was finishing a letter to his new mistress and arranging a…
16
Most Overrated Revolutionary?
byJohn Paul Jones. A good ship captain and tenacious fighter but an abysmally bad squadron commander and a tireless self-promoter and schemer, who was…
Greatness Speaks to Greatness, One Last Time
byAs Benjamin Franklin lay on his deathbed in the spring of 1790, he wrote a farewell letter to George Washington. He congratulated the first…
128
Ages of Revolution: How Old Were They on July 4, 1776?
byIt’s a simple question — perhaps so basic that it’s been overlooked. How old were the key participants of the American Revolution? Authors often…
The Committee of Secret Correspondence
byAs the struggle between Great Britain and her colonists in the thirteen North American colonies entered a state of armed resistance against British military…
2
Top 10 American Revolution YouTube Videos
byYouTube is synonymous with Gangnam Style, Giant Double Rainbows and the Evolution of Dance, but not the American Revolution, right? Wrong. When it comes…