American Revolution

During the Revolutionary War, about 5000 African-Americans both enslaved and free men fought for the American colonies and their fight for freedom against the British. But the process was anything but a smooth one. Slavery was still in practice in all 13 American colonies at that time. And the British were the first to take […]

Everyone has their own idea of the perfect vacation. Some people like the mountains, others the beaches; some people prefer a big city, and some would rather be out in the country, far away from everyone. At first glance, a vacation to a historic battlefield might sound a little dull — if not insensitive. However, […]

The Tea Act 1773 was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain. It was passed to help the financially strapped British East India Company and to help them reduce the massive amounts of tea in their London warehouses. The Tea Act which was enacted in April of 1773, gave the East India Company a […]

The 13 colonies, especially those hot-heads from Massachusetts were spoiling for a showdown with British in early 1775. Tensions had been simmering for some time, the Massachusetts Bay Colony had been a thorn in the Crown’s side for several years. Things came to a head on April 19, 1775, in the small towns of Lexington […]

You know it when you see it, and you probably see it several times a day if you’re driving pretty much anywhere in America. Affixed on top of the flagpole, above the flag itself, stands a golden sphere, decoratively topping it all off. The golden colored or bronze looking orb is not at the end […]

The Boston Massacre occurred on March 5, 1770, when a squad of British soldiers came to the aid of a lone sentry who was being heckled and pelted with snowballs from an unruly mob. The British soldiers fired a volley of shots into the crowd of colonists, killing five, three immediately died on the scene […]

It was March 5, 1770. Boston was a central shipping town, important in the eyes of the British as they moved goods to and from the eastern coast of the New World. It was night, and many colonists had rallied together near the Customs House in town and started throwing snowballs at a British soldier […]

In February 1777, with the Revolutionary War not going well, George Washington was intent on finding out more information about the British disposition in New York. Washington’s military scouts were unable to gather enough information for him to make any appreciable decisions. So Washington decided to take the drastic step of creating his own ring […]

It was February 3, 1780 out in rural Connecticut. Barnett Davenport, a veteran of the American revolution, beat a man and his wife to death, and then burned their home with their three grandchildren inside. The grisly homicides captivated the minds of a brand new America, horrified at the actions of one of their own. […]

By now everyone is aware of the famous painting of General George Washington and his ragtag starving army crossing the Delaware. They did this on Christmas Day and were en route to the Hessian garrison at Trenton, New Jersey. Washington’s bold plan to quietly and quickly surround the Hessian garrison and win a much-needed battle […]

By now everyone is aware of the famous painting of General George Washington and his ragtag starving army crossing the Delaware. They did this on Christmas Day and were en route to the Hessian garrison at Trenton, New Jersey. Washington’s bold plan to quietly and quickly surround the Hessian garrison and win a much-needed battle […]

One of the benefits of being a Marine stationed in Massachusetts was our access to the Navy’s oldest commissioned ship, the USS Constitution.  As a young corporal and sergeant, I participated in a number of retirement and re-enlistment ceremonies on the deck of “Old Ironsides,” and it would be difficult to overstate how it feels […]