250 and Counting

There’s a line in the play 1776 about how everyone in the New York Legislature is very loud and talks very fast and as a result nothing ever gets done. This was likely a side effect of the fact that New York was so politically mixed at the time. Everyone hollering at rather than talking […]

The post Helping New York Help Itself–February 21, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

Oliver Wolcott was one of our Founding Fathers in that he was one of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence, but while he never achieved prominence on the level of Franklin or Adams, he nevertheless served an important role as a member of the Second Continental Congress. As the Revolution began, Wolcott was […]

The post From Connecticut To Georgia–February 20, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

Today we’re looking at Fort Moultrie. I know, it wasn’t that long ago that I was gushing about Fort McHenry, but I live in Baltmore so it’s kind of the law around here to pump up the local history. Also, Fort, McHenry is a cool place to visit. And so is Fort Moultrie! In fact, […]

The post Fort Moultrie–February 19, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

William Scarbrough, who was the owner of the USS Savannah more than he was anything else, purchased the ship when it was still on the slipway. It was purchased with the aim of converting it to an auxiliary steamship and give his company the distinction of offering the world’s first transatlantic steamship service. The Savannah […]

The post William Scarbrough–February 18, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

Back in June, Mike told you about the Continental Congress taking a stab at issuing common currency that could be used throughout the Colonies. It didn’t work out very well, and the Continentals became a joke because there was nothing backing them up. But this time around, they may have gotten it right, because the […]

The post Making Money–February 17, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

Mike already tells you about all you need to know about Nicholas Ware in today’s episode, so let me focus on his home, which was derisively nicknamed “Ware’s Folly.” The house was completed in 1818 at a total cost of $40,000, which would be well over $12 million today. Part of this derives from the […]

The post Nicholas Ware–February 16, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

We should confess that by the time we actually get to the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge, it’s not going to be as big a battle as anyone thought it was going to be. But the buildup was something else again. It seemed pretty clear to everyone involved that this was going to be epic […]

The post Things Heat Up in Wilmington–February 15, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

There were many reports from George Washington over the course of the Revolutionary war, but for the most part I think they were carefully crafted and frankly not always worthy of the reactions they proposed. The careful craftsmanship does makes sense, though, because Washington was a diligent collector and reader of books. As an autodidact, […]

The post Washington Goes Mail-Order Shopping–February 14, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

So nearly a year ago, in March 1775, Patrick Henry said “Give me Liberty or give me death.” Today the Continental Congress said “Bet,” and sent him to lead troops in Virginia. That was a coincidence, of course: practically anyone who showed any real leadership skills was given the opportunity to lead troops. Henry had […]

The post A More Organized War–February 13, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

The thing that’s hard to understand when considering the flag that Mary Pickersgill put together, and that inspired our National Anthem, is that it’s huge. Mike says specifically that this flag is 17 feet by 42 feet, but that’s hard to picture. When the flag was first displayed at the Smithsonian, it hung out in […]

The post Mary Pickersgill–February 12, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.