John Dickinson and the Letter to Canada
byAfter the French and Indian War the British government made a number of decisions with respect as to how it would govern its North…
John Dickinson
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Thomas Jefferson and the Conditions of Good History: Writing About the American Revolution
byThomas Jefferson has a Thucydidean, or fact-based, approach to the praxis of history. Evidence of that approach appeared early in his life, in his…
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The Articles of Confederation and Western Expansion
byThe Articles of Confederation described the first government of the new United States. As one may imagine from understanding the later debates on the…
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Joseph Galloway’s Plan of Union
byLate in September 1774 the Continental Congress was in the middle of an ongoing debate on the means that should be implemented to restore…
Charles Townshend: Architect of the Townshend Duties
byThe increasingly turbulent years preceding the American Revolution were fueled by an exchange of laws promulgated by Great Britain to maintain political and economic…
This Week on Dispatches: James M. Smith on How America Declared Its Rights
byOn this week’s Dispatches, host Brady Crytzer interviews JAR contributor James M. Smith on the political, legal, and philosophical influences considered by the First…
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How America Declared its Rights
byDuring the seventeenth century and into the eighteenth century the political philosophers of Europe were writing and discussing some new and radical ideas on…
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Timothy Matlack, Scribe of the Declaration of Independence
byThe scribe of the Declaration of Independence—and perhaps the first man to read it in public—was born on March 28, 1736 in Haddonfield, New…
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Contributor Question: Remembered for the Wrong Reason?
byWe asked our contributors: Which personality of the American Revolution or the founding era (other than Benedict Arnold) is remembered for the wrong reasons,…
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John Rutledge: Delegate from South Carolina, 1765–1775
byJohn Rutledge is one of those members of the founding generation who often get overlooked. Yet, for every Jefferson, Adams, or Washington, there were…
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Documents of the Revolution: A Continuum of Conviction
byThose familiar with American history know that the Articles of Confederation served as the first constitution of the unified states during the American Revolution….
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Officers Who Never Saw Combat
byWe asked our contributors, “Who is your favorite military officer that never saw any combat?” The intent was to showcase officers who saw no…
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The Fight Behind the Declaration of Independence
byPut yourself, in your mind’s eye, back in June 1776, specifically, the period between June 7 and July 1. It is precisely at that…
Josiah Quincy, Jr.
byJosiah Quincy, Jr.’s name is rarely mentioned in history books. This is because his name never appeared at the top of any leaderboard, that…
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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…
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Satirizing the Revolution through Popular Song
byThink of Revolutionary War lyrics. Does a ditty about a dandified bumpkin out on the town come to mind? “Yankee Doodle” was just one…
John Dickinson’s Hit Single: Liberty Song
byBy 1768, Pennsylvania political activist John Dickinson became a true triple threat. He was already one of the most successful lawyers and businessmen in…
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…