250 and Counting

It should come as a surprise to nobody that America has a troubled relationship with its past when it comes to race relations. It may come as surprise to you that our Founding Fathers had a complex relationship with their present when it comes to race relations. Yes, many of them owned slaves, but a […]

The post Dis-Integrated–November 12, 1775 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

The Battle of Hog Island was the first of two major events early in the Revolution that got South Carolina firmly on board with the Independence cause. Hog Island caused the South Carolina Committee of Safety to expand their navy; in this respect they were way ahead of the Continental Congress. But when King George […]

The post The Battle Of Hog Island–November 11, 1775 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

The United States Marine Corps celebrates its birthday every year on this day, usually with a ball (the dancing kind) and a cake-cutting ceremony. The cover art today is from their 233rd birthday celebration. Until 1921, the Marines marked the occasion on July 11, which was the date of the re-establishment of the Corps, since […]

The post Happy Birthday To The US Marines!–November 10, 1775 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

We gotta give Benedict Arnold this: he set a goal and he stuck to it. Given the opportunity to take men and help invade Quebec through a kind of pincer move with General Montgomery, Benedict Arnold took 1100 men through the wilds of Maine to the St. Lawrence River, a trip that he thought would […]

The post Arnold’s March to Canada Ends–November 9, 1775 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

When we talk about Franking, we typically use it in the context of the Franking Privilege, something that members of Congress, ex-presidents, and a few others get to use. In short, if they put their name on the envelope, they can mail stuff without cost to themselves. (The Congressional budget reimburses the US Postal Service.) […]

The post Birth of a Privilege–November 8, 1775 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

Lord Dunmore was driven from the Governor’s Mansion back in June, but he never went far. That same day he took refuge on a British ship near Williamsburg and continued playing the role of Governor, even though the House of Burgesses was already doing quite nicely, thank you. Slave revolts were a constant concern in […]

The post Dunmore Has A Tempting Offer–November 7, 1775 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

There are going to be days when no truly big events happen, but that wasn’t going to stop the Second Continental Congress from getting stuff done. Today we have a bit of an image of that group as a bunch of men who are hard-drinking philosophers, ready—and maybe eager—to burst into fisticuffs, or perhaps the […]

The post Congress Has A Busy Day–November 6, 1775 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

Guy Fawkes Day is one of those holidays, we think, that many people in America know ABOUT, but don’t necessarily know when it takes place, nor do they have any idea who Guy Fawkes was. Fortunately we’re here to give you some of the scoop. Guy Fawkes was one of eleven conspirators involved in a […]

The post Washington Chides His Men–November 5, 1775 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

As we told you yesterday, Major Preston was hoping that reinforcements were coming in time to rescue him and his men from Fort St. Jean, so he tried to stall for time with General Montgomery. General Montgomery wasn’t biting, though, and the siege finally ended when Preston’s men surrendered. Today, only a day later, a […]

The post Reinforcements Arrive Too Late–November 4, 1775 appeared first on 250 and Counting.

If you’re scrutinizing today’s cover art and you’re having trouble reading the plaque, that’s because what you see is mostly in French. The bottom half, only part of which is visible here, is in English. The English part (which is a translation of the French part) reads: FORT SAINT JEAN Constructed in 1743 by M. […]

The post The Siege at Ft. St. Jean Ends–November 3, 1775 appeared first on 250 and Counting.