250 and Counting

With the Lee Resolution on hold for the time being, but still a very real thing, the Continental Congress needed to get organized with regard to how this was going to be presented and effected. As we told you a few days ago, some delegates needed hard instructions. Others needed a little more clarity regarding […]

The post Who Wants To Write A Declaration?–June 10, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

It was a busy day for corresponding with George Washington on this day, as three letters to Washington were sent. Each one had a bit of information that was negative at its worst and neutral at its best. But these letters were a bit of a problem, in that information took so long to get […]

The post News From All Over–June 9, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

As a nation, we should be able to face our failures as squarely as we crow our triumphs, and make no mistake: the invasion of, and withdrawal from Canada was a botched effort from one end to the other. Perhaps the only thing that kept it from being a bigger deal was the distraction a […]

The post Finally Bailing Out Of Canada–June 8, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

It was one of the last major steps before the Declaration, and it happened on this day. The Lee Resolution, as it came to be known, was named after Richard Henry Lee, delegate from Virginia, who was given instructions from his government to propose that the Colonies become designated as free and independent states. Now, […]

The post The Question is Called–June 7, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

Mike is having a big day today (that is, his son is having a big day), so apologies for the delay in getting today’s episode to you, and thanks for your patience. William Reed was from Marblehead, Massachusetts, and while Mike has said about all there is to say, I thought I’d talk about Marblehead […]

The post William Reed–June 6, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

Using the input of George Washington from just a few days earlier, the Second Continental Congress wasted little time putting together some Continental Army protocols to ensure that this relatively ragtag group of men would adhere to some kind of formalized behavior. But the Continental Army protocols they worked on also helped to establish better […]

The post Congress Does Some War Business–June 5, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

The Rockland County area of New York State is some lovely country. It’s just north of New York City and, along with adjacent Duchess and Westchester Counties, could be considered the heart of the area where the Dutch settlers came and stayed. As a result you’ll find many place names that have Dutch origins. This […]

The post Isaac Van Houten–June 4, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

Josiah Bartlett was, in fact, the inspiration for the presidential character who appears in the TV show The West Wing. The modern day president, Jed Bartlet only spelled his name with a single T at the end, but it was only around this time that the spelling of English words was starting to standardize, so […]

The post Congressional Mail–June 3, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

John Thomas was a doctor and a soldier from Massachusetts who was in Quebec during the attempted invasion and was in charge of the withdrawal until he got smallpox and died on this day in 1776. Thomas discovered he liked military service about as much as he liked being a surgeon, so in 1747 he […]

The post RIP John Thomas–June 2, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

George Schetky came from a very musical family. As we mention in the episode, his father was also a cellist and composer who was originally from Vienna. As a result his home always had plenty of music present and was a regular hub of performances. In fact, one could say that the Schetky family was […]

The post George Schetky–June 1, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.