In June 1776, the Second Continental Congress faced a question every new nation must answer: how do you make other countries take you seriously? Declaring independence was one thing. Convincing France, Spain, or the Netherlands to risk war on your...
On July 2, 1776, the Second Continental Congress voted to declare independence. But that vote didn't begin with the Declaration of Independence. It began on June 7, 1776, when Richard Henry Lee of Virginia introduced a three-part resolution that...
When we picture the War for American Independence, we picture battles. But for the men and women who actually lived and fought in it, the American Revolution was also a job with mess rotations, night watches, short rations, and children underfoot...
What happens when the most important document in American history leaves the room where it was written, with no plan for how to tell the world? The Second Continental Congress voted for independence on July 2, 1776, and produced one of the most...
On March 17, 1776, the British evacuated Boston—driven out not by a pitched battle, but by the sight of cannon perched on Dorchester Heights, aimed straight down at their positions. Those guns had traveled nearly 300 miles through frozen wilderness...
When we think of the American Revolution, it’s easy to focus on famous battles like Saratoga or Yorktown, iconic leaders like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, and foundational documents like the Declaration of Independence. But International...
On January 10, 1776, Thomas Paine published Common Sense, a fiery pamphlet that transformed colonial protest into a call for American Independence. With clear language and bold ideas, Paine challenged monarchy, championed republican government, and...
As we look ahead to the 250th anniversary—the semiquincentennial—of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, communities and commissions across the United States are asking big questions: How should we commemorate this historic milestone? What’s the...
Have you ever noticed how conversations about the American Revolution often center on great battles, founding documents, and famous statesmen? What if, instead, we explored that world through the eyes—and the hands—of everyday people who shaped it...
What if loyalty, not rebellion, was the default position in British North America? It’s easy to forget that before 1776, most colonists identified as proud Britons. They didn’t see themselves as future Americans or revolutionaries; they saw...