250 and Counting

Fraunces Tavern is an historic landmark and the oldest and most historic bar in New York City. That’s what it says on their website, so. At various points in its history, Fraunces Tavern served as a headquarters for George Washington, a venue for peace negotiations with the British, and housing federal offices in the Early Republic. […]

The post August 24, 1775: No Liquor Was Lost—We Hope appeared first on 250 and Counting.

When the Olive Branch Petition arrived in England, its contents hardly even mattered. There were elements of Parliament who were strongly disposed toward punishing the Colonies, and punishing them hard. The folks who were still pro-American were dwindling in number, because of the way it could affect their political futures. In short, the King had […]

The post August 23, 1775: George III Declares Rebellion appeared first on 250 and Counting.

Things were heating up all over, but it was still especially prevalent in the northeast. This time around, problems are cropping up in New Hampshire. The HMS Scarborough was designated to keep the peace by patrolling the mouth of the Piscataqua River, but when relations broke down between the British and the colonists there (and […]

The post August 22, 1775: HMS Scarborough Leaves Portsmouth appeared first on 250 and Counting.

We have two events taking place on this day. First, Rhode Island allows the death penalty for certain activities at sea. Next, word goes out that the Continental Army is in need of supplies…lots of supplies. It’s looking like General Washington isn’t seeing an end to the Siege of Boston anytime soon.

The post August 21, 1775: Rhode Island Cracks Down appeared first on 250 and Counting.

Lots of prominent early Americans weren’t Americans to begin with. For instance, the first President of the United States who was actually born in the United States would be Martin Van Buren, our eight president. But while most of these folks were born on the North American continent, the subject of today’s episode was not. […]

The post August 20, 1775: George Tucker appeared first on 250 and Counting.

In 1681, John Dryden said in his poem “Absalom and Achitophel”: Beware the fury of the patient man. I hear ya, Dryden, because that’s how I operate. And apparently George Washington operated the same way, because he initially took the high road, assuming that rumors about how American prisoners were being treated were just that, […]

The post August 19, 1775: Washington Hates the Rumor Mill appeared first on 250 and Counting.

James Elliot was born in 1839 (like the stone says over there), in Massachusetts. Later on he became a legislator for the state of Vermont, which was neither a state nor even a colony when he was born; it was still disputed territory between New York and New Hampshire. Although Elliot was too young to […]

The post August 18, 1775: James Elliot appeared first on 250 and Counting.

Philip Schuyler served as a delegate from New York to the Continental Congress until June 1775 when he was appointed a major general to the Continental Army. We’ll hear more about him as we start to delve into the Invasion of Quebec later this year. Schuyler was on his way to Saratoga, NY when he […]

The post August 17, 1775: The Six Nations Summit appeared first on 250 and Counting.

Just a couple of days ago we told you about the efforts on the part of the Continental Congress to get around its own rules in order to provide Washington’s army with the materials they needed to maintain the Siege of Boston. This time around, John Adams takes steps to do what he needs to […]

The post August 16: John Adams Gets Extralegal appeared first on 250 and Counting.

We do seem to be spending a lot of time with George Washington this week. It stands to reason, though: Washington was a very busy guy at this time, what with getting his army organized. That meant finding the men who were smart and reliable, to get the ones who weren’t into fighting shape. It […]

The post August 15, 1775: Washington Makes Some Appointments appeared first on 250 and Counting.