250 and Counting

The Halifax Resolves was the first official action in which Independence from Great Britain was actually called for and approved. I have to admit that in earlier years, when driving up and down Interstate 95, when I got to Halifax County in North Carolina, I’d see a sign saying that this county is “Where the […]

The post The Halifax Resolves–April 12, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

While there were a lot of smaller things going on on this day in 1776, there are typically multiple things going on for any given day. We often have to make choices regarding what we’re going to concentrate on, and don’t think we don’t feel a twinge of regret when we spot something else that […]

The post Notes From All Over–April 11, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

The construction of Fort Defiance in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn made perfect sense. That part of the peninsula sticks out into New York Harbor and provides an excellent view of anything that might be sailing in or out. Red Hook comes from the Dutch Roode Hoek, “hoek” translating to “point”, which can still […]

The post A Fort Grows in Brooklyn–April 10, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

We need your love! Don’t forget to share this show with your friends. Likewise, share it with your enemies; maybe they’ll become your friends as a result. The Lees were a very prominent family in Virginia, connected to most major events in that era of American History. So it makes sense that Francis Lightfoot Lee […]

The post Letter to Virginia–April 9, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

Esek Hopkins wasn’t just the Commander In Chief of the Continental Navy; he was the only Commander In Chief of the Continental Navy. As we noted just a day ago, the navy was disbanded shortly after the war (sold off, you may recall) until a few years later, when the US Congress decided we needed […]

The post Mutiny(ish) Leads To Bounty–April 8, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

Captain John Barry was commanding the Lexington, looking for Lord Dunmore’s fleet when they more or less stumbled on the HMS Edward off the coast of the Virginia Capes. By most accounts the battle went on for two hours and included the Edward trying to lure the Lexington into the capes, though it’s not clear […]

The post Our First Win At Sea–April 7, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

We’ve mentioned a few times that boycotts and import restrictions didn’t have a huge impact on the British economy. After all, the British Empire was huge and America just didn’t have the financial clout to make such things hurt. The real issue, many Britons thought, was that America had the impudence to act at all. […]

The post Brits: Keep Out!–April 6, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

The war was less than a year old, but heroes were already beginning to emerge, as we learn from contemporary writings. The arrival of George Washington in Providence, RI, was considered a big event each time he came through. In fact, it was such a big deal that the website for Stephen Hopkins’ house in […]

The post Mr. Washington Goes to Providence–April 5, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

To say the Washington left the Longfellow House is putting the cart before the horse, because Washington was in it before Longfellow. The house originally belonged to John Vassall Jr, a Loyalist who had the good sense to get out of town when the shooting started. From July 16, 1775 until this day in 1776, […]

The post Washington Departs Cambridge–April 4, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

I mentioned briefly that Elias Boudinot Caldwell was a member of the Society for the Colonization of Free People of Color of America (to the extent that anyone can say that briefly), and I though I’d get a little deeper into that organization here. The group was founded in 1816 by Robert Finley, along with […]

The post Elias Boudinot Caldwell–April 3, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.