In the North Carolina State Capitol building, there is a plaque that states that the Fourth Provincial Congress was to “concur with the delegates of other Colonies in declaring independency.” John Adams sent his “Thoughts on Government” (recommending “republican principles”) in letter form to both William Hooper and John Penn, delegates from North Carolina who,…
March 17 is well known to most Americans as St. Patrick’s Day. While this is an important day that commemorates some of the deepest Christian roots in our nation, another event took place on the same day in 1776 that helped set the stage for independence. This drama included the fortification of Dorchester Heights. A…
Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, published anonymously in January of 1776 (250 years ago), ignited the people of the 13 colonies in a way that was truly remarkable. It was like a spark that brought to a flame the deeply held beliefs and principles already resident in colonial minds and hearts. It became an instant bestseller,…
Following the creation of the U.S. Navy in October, the Continental Congress formed the Continental Marines on November 10, 1775: “That two battalions of Marines be raised consisting of one Colonel, two Lieutenant-Colonels, two Majors and other officers, as usual in other regiments; that they consist of an equal number of privates as with other…
On October 13, 1775, the Continental Congress resolved: “That a swift sailing vessel, to carry ten carriage guns, and proportionate number of swivels, with eighty men, be fitted with all possible dispatch, for a cruise of three months . . . That a[nother] Committee of three be appointed to prepare an estimate for expense, and…
The greatest fear the clergy had 250 years ago was that if the Colonies did not resist tyranny lawfully, the Supreme Judge of the Universe would be their adversary. There is no way you can win a war when God opposes you! When George Washington was appointed by the Second Continental Congress to be the…
Today we often celebrate and interpret the Declaration of Independence (which soon turns 250) outside its historic context. But there would not have been a Declaration of Independence if there had not been A Declaration Setting forth the Causes and Necessity of Their Taking Up Arms. Ratified by the Second Continental Congress on July 6,…
On June 17, 1825, at the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill, over 100,000 people (including 190 veterans of the actual battle) witnessed the Marquis de Lafayette, “America’s Guest” from France who fought with us for our independence, lay the cornerstone for the monument. Daniel Webster, master of ceremonies, closed by saying; “Let…
On Wednesday, May 10, 1775, at about sunrise, Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold pounded on the door of the British commander of Fort Ticonderoga. When opened, Allen demanded that the fort be surrendered. When asked by what authority, Allen responded, “In the name of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress!” The British at Fort…
The Hancock-Clarke house in Lexington is a quarter of a mile off the green where 8 militia lost their lives and 10 were wounded on April 19, 1775 (250 years ago). It had been built by Rev. John Hancock, Patriot John Hancock’s grandfather, in 1737. Rev. Jonas Clarke, who had become Lexington’s pastor in 1755…
About two weeks before March 23, 1775, when Patrick Henry would deliver his most famous speech, his wife Sarah had passed away after an awful mental illness where she had to be restrained from hurting herself. St. John’s Church in Henrico Parish was the only building large enough to hold the 2nd Virginia Convention on…
The year was 1862. The bloody seven-day battle at Harrison Landing, also called the Peninsular Campaign in Virginia, had just concluded. General Daniel Butterfield had lost 600 men and was wounded himself. He thought that the traditional bugle call to mark the end of the day, known as “Lights Out,” was too formal and not…
Battles inspire us when we rehearse the ideas worthing dying for. Texas was initially owned by Spain, but as George McAlister writes, “Three major independent factors changed the destiny of Texas.” They were U.S. independence from Britain in 1781, U.S. acquisition of the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803, and the independence of Mexico from…
On January 10, 1920, the League of Nations was founded by the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. The initial covenant of the League was signed on June 28, 1919 as a part of the Treaty of Versailles. One of the chief architects of both the Treaty and the League, and the…
On December 2, 1823, the Monroe Doctrine was proclaimed by President Monroe. It was the culmination of key ideas drawn from the Bible and articulated in the Reformation. Three words came to define the foreign policy of America and the application of the Monroe Doctrine: independence (rejecting interdependence), neutrality (rejecting intermeddling), and interposition (rejecting interventionism.)…