3
Stephen Moylan: More than a War Hero
byServing on George Washington’s staff were many talented young men, including some who became famous later. Alexander Hamilton served on the staff ably for…
Declaration of Independence
3
7
Analyzing the Founders: A Closer Look at the Signers of Four Founding Documents
byWriting about Roger Sherman, the only man to sign our four most important founding documents – the Continental Association, the Declaration of Independence, the…
6
The Scandalous Divorce Case that Influenced the Declaration of Independence
byDuring the hot, humid Philadelphia summer of 1776, the writing of the Declaration of Independence was just another Congressional housekeeping chore which the delegates…
26
Why God is in the Declaration but not the Constitution
byNo country venerates its “Founding Fathers” like the United States. Academics, legislators, judges, and ordinary citizens all frequently seek to validate their opinions and…
11
Adams vs. Paine: A Critical Debate
byThere is a tendency today to lump the Founding Fathers together as though somehow they thought alike, acted in unison and actually got along…
5
The American Revolution Comes to Albany, New York, 1756-1776
by“The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment…
2
Murder of a Declaration Signer (Part 2)
byTHE TRIAL THAT GRIPPED THE NEW NATION The Grand Jury in Richmond determined that there was ample evidence of George Wythe Sweeney’s guilt. Virginia…
1
Murder of a Declaration Signer (Part 1)
byGeorge Wythe was about the last person anybody would ever want to murder. At age 80, Wythe was an exceedingly kind and generous man…
2
Caesar Rodney: An American Character
bySigners of the Declaration of Independence are treated with particular reverence in American historical memory. Caesar Rodney, Delaware’s delegate to the Second Continental Congress,…
7
Breaking News 1776: First Reports of Independence
byEach year, more than a million people walk through the cold, dark Rotunda of the National Archives in Washington DC to glimpse the U.S….
10
It’s Not All Burgers and Beer
by“The day will be most memorable in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations…
3
Samuel Chase’s Wild Ride
byMyth: “In 1776, when Maryland instructed its delegates to the Continental Congress to vote against independence, Chase launched a successful campaign to persuade the…
3
Thomas Paine’s Inflated Numbers
byMyth: Within months of its publication, 120,000 copies (or 100,000 or 150,000 or 500,000) of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense were sold in the rebellious…
3
Jefferson and the Declaration
byMyth: Thomas Jefferson found the ideas for the Declaration of Independence “from deep within himself.” (Joseph Ellis, American Sphinx.) Busted: Not according to Jefferson….
4
America’s First Declaration of Independence
byMyth: Americans did not formally resolve for independence until 1776. Busted: On October 4, 1774, the town meeting of Worcester, Massachusetts, declared that British…
1
The Greatest Scoop of All Time?
byHistory is one giant game of telephone with information passed, often through multiple sources, to the present day. As such, it is full of…