Category Archives: Founding Fathers

On This Day: 1826

Posted on July 4, 2015 by sheila

It was July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of July 4, 1776. Both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, old men by that point, had been invited to attend celebrations in honor of the day, but due to illness both had … Continue reading →

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Happy Independence Day!

Posted on July 4, 2014 by sheila

Here is Elvis’ goosebump-inducing and totally sincere version of “America the Beautiful.” Bring us there, Elvis. Walk us through it. He sounds like an old-timey preacher in a tent in a field. Gonna take a run and go visit my … Continue reading →

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Today In History: April 18-19, 1775: “I Set Off Upon a Very Good Horse”

Posted on April 19, 2014 by sheila

On the night of April 18, into April 19, in 1775, Paul Revere made his famous ride. The spring of 1775 was a tense time. Prominent Bostonians were under constant threat of arrest from the British, and many of them … Continue reading →

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On This Day: November 25, 1783

Posted on November 25, 2013 by sheila

George Washington “took back” New York from the British. The peace treaty had been signed a year before, France had pledged support and recognition of the new United States, but the redcoats remained in New York, waiting for their written … Continue reading →

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Happy Birthday, John Adams

Posted on October 30, 2013 by sheila

I’ve written more about him than anyone else. Even Cary Grant or Elvis. I grew up hearing about “John and Abigail” with such familiarity (and I had cousins who lived in Quincy, and when we would go there for Thanksgiving, … Continue reading →

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On This Day: July 3, 1776: “I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival.”

Posted on July 3, 2013 by sheila

John Adams, in a July 3, 1776 letter to Abigail, after the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 2 in Philadelphia: The Delay of this Declaration to this Time, has many great Advantages attending it. The Hopes of … Continue reading →

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On This Day: April 13, 1743

Posted on April 13, 2013 by sheila

Thomas Jefferson was born in Virginia. James Parton: A gentleman of 32 who could calculate an eclipse, survey an estate, tie an artery, plan an edifice, try a cause, break a horse, dance a minuet, and play the violin. From … Continue reading →

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On This Day: March 23, 1775

Posted on March 23, 2013 by sheila

Patrick Henry made his famous “give me liberty or give me death” speech at St. John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia. Benson Bobrick writes in his book Angel in the Whirlwind: The Triumph of the American Revolution about a speech Henry … Continue reading →

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“It Seemed As If a Total Dissolution of Nature Was Taking Place.” – Alexander Hamilton, Hurricane, 1772

Posted on October 29, 2012 by sheila

The wind is picking up. It woke me up. So far nothing too unusual, some garbage cans careening down the sidewalk in the darkness, but the storm got me thinking about Alexander Hamilton (of course it did), and the first … Continue reading →

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On This Day: January 17, 1706

Posted on January 17, 2012 by sheila

Ben Franklin was born on this day in 1706. I have only a few years to live and I am resolved to devote them to the work that my fellow citizens deem proper for me; or speaking as old-clothes dealers … Continue reading →

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