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Known as the “Conscience of the American Revolution,” Mercy Otis Warren accomplished things unknown to women in her time. She was a prolific and influential writer, the first woman playwright, wrote the first history of the American Revolutionary War (by a man or woman), and influenced most of founding fathers, as well as speaking up … Read more

Called the Father of the Revolution, Patrick Henry is remembered as an influential speaker who sparked the flames of treason which grew into a full-blown rebellion and then a war of independence. Early Life & Education Patrick Henry, Father of the Revolution painted by George Bagby Matthews, after Thomas Sully . Public domain image. Patrick Henry … Read more

Of all the Revolutionary War battles, the Skirmish at Kemp’s Landing is one of the smallest. Its only real claim to fame is that it was the first fight in Virginia, and when the first Virginian blood was spilled for the Revolutionary cause. In the mid-1600’s, George Kempe of England acquired land along the Elizabeth … Read more

King George III could not have foreseen that ignoring the Olive Branch Petition would cost him all his land in the America, so recently secured from French invasion during the Seven Years War. “To the King’s Most Excellent Majesty, and Most Gracious Sovereign, “We your Majesty’s faithful subjects of the colonies of New-Hampshire, Massachusetts-Bay, Rhode Island and … Read more

Henry Clinton was a British general who fought in the American Revolution. He was Commander-in-Chief at the time that the colonies were lost. Not much is known of his early life and few details are known of his life after the war. Sir Henry Clinton | public domain courtesy of Wikimedia Commons He was born … Read more

The Marquis de Lafayette was a French aristocrat who joined the American Revolutionary War at his own request, becoming one of America’s most successful leaders in combat and General George Washington’s most loyal companion. Lafayette was the son of a general in the royal navy, and his father died when he was not yet two. … Read more

The original Star-Spangled Banner, seen by Francis Scott Key streaming over Fort McHenry during the War of 1812 and now hanging in the Smithsonian Institution, is missing a star. What happened to it? When you look at the famous flag, the first place your eyes go is to the large hole where there should be … Read more

The Battle of Sullivan’s Island is the first time during the American Revolutionary War that Patriot troops successfully defended against a British sea and land invasion.The city of Charleston in South Carolina dealt primarily in commerce, having the busiest port in the colonies. When the war broke, they joined the rest of the colonies in … Read more

After the fighting was over, the issue of slavery, which had become taboo, was tentatively brought to the forefront. By this time, free slaves had mostly migrated north, and plantations and slave-owners dominated the southern states. The federal government, which was deep in debt and still forming, looked for ways to increase federal revenue. Taxation … Read more

Affectionally dubbed “Gentleman Johnny” by the soldiers he worked alongside, John Burgoyne was a handsome, intelligent British general. History remembers him best for the British failure at the battle of Saratoga. This mistake was made by taking an army of 6,000 British soldiers down the Hudson River, where lack of reinforcements and supplies led to … Read more