250 and Counting

Just a few days ago, Congress passed a resolution that George Washington should be thanked for his efforts in Boston, and that a Congressional Medal should be issued to him. Specifically, the resolution read: Resolved, That the thanks of this Congress, in their own name, and in the name of the thirteen United Colonies, whom […]

The post Thanks, George–April 2, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

re: the title, I regret nothing. Nathanael Greene (you’ll also see it alteratively spelled as “Nathaniel”) was one of Washington’s trusted generals, largely because he had a keen mind for military tactics, but also because he had high expectations for his soldiers. In addition to drilling them regularly, he also insisted that they keep as […]

The post Gang Greene–April 1, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

In discussing the life of Jane Randolph Jefferson, I mentioned during the episode that Thomas Jefferson rarely discussed her. This is not, however, to suggest that he lacked affection for her, or that he was somehow ashamed of her. There are family remembrances and contemporary biographies that show that Jane was a revered family member. […]

The post Farewell, Mother Jefferson–March 31, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

Jurist Jonathan Belcher was born in Boston. He was the second son of Jonathan Belcher and Mary Partridge, Belcher entered Harvard College, where in 1728 he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Divinity Studies. In 1730 he entered the Middle Temple, London, to read law, and in 1734 was called to the English bar. […]

The post Death Of A Belcher–March 30, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

While we’re focusing on one letter written by Benjamin Franklin today, written to Anthony Todd, it’s rather impressive the sheer number and breadth of letters written by, or to, Franklin during his lifetime as a statesman. There is a collaborative effort going on between Yale University and the American Philospohical Society, among others, to search, […]

The post From One Postal Official To Another–March 29, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

Juan Bautista de Anza is considered one of the founding fathers of Spanish California. He was born in 1736 in New Spain (what we now call Sonora, Mexico) into a family of military leaders. Most of his military actions involved taking on Native Americans while he explored what is now known as Arizona. Near the […]

The post He Built This City–March 28, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

The image in today’s cover art is an engraving of Citadel Hill, around 1780. Citadel Hill is a very popular historic site in Halifax, and while four forts have been built on this site, none of them have ever had to withstand a direct attack. In a couple of instances, structures near the Citadel were […]

The post A New Home For The Royal Navy–March 27, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

Samuel Ward Sr. was a farmer and a politician, the governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, and a Justice of that colony’s Supreme Court. As a younger man, Ward believed in governments issuing hard money rather than paper, often battling with Stephen Hopkins over this issue. Because of this specific topic, […]

The post A Death In Rhode Island–March 26, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

The raid on Tybee Island wasn’t the only one of its kind; in fact a similar action had been taken at Sullivan’s Island in South Carolina a few weeks earlier. In that case there were many more runaway slaves involved, but like Tybee, very few were actually captured and the fate of most of the […]

The post Raid On Tybee Island–March 25, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

Mike had a little fun busting on George Washington’s spelling in today’s episode, but we do have to offer a little grace here, because in 1776 efforts to standardize spelling in the English language were only just beginning to catch on. About a hundred years earlier, some of the language was simplified; thus, sinne became […]

The post Letters From The General–March 24, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.