During the 18th century, elements of Enlightenment thinking culminated in the American, French, and Haitian revolutions. By the eighteenth century, as the American colonists began to think of freedom from England, they thought of other freedoms as well. In 1777, Thomas Jefferson drafted the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. In 1789, freedom of religion became the law of the land with the passage of the First Amendment to the Constitution.
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The Newburgh Conspiracy and George Washington’s Powerful Speech to Calm It
One of the early threats to the republic came in March 1783, when a group of officers in the Continental Army decided to challenge the authority of the Congress. The incident was caused by the inability of Congress to pay the members of the military. Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress ...
Congress approved the Printing of the First English-language Bible in America called “the Bible of the Revolution”
On Sept. 12, 1782, Congress approved of Robert Aitken’s printing of the Bible. Called “the Bible of the Revolution,” it was the first English-language Bible printed in America and the only Bible ever authorized by an act of Congress: Endorsement of Congress Honble James Duane, Esq. Chairman, and the other ...
Francis Marion Rescues 200 American Prisoners from British Capture; None Will Join Him in Fighting for Freedom
Francis Marion, the inspiration for Benjamin Martin's character in the movie The Patriot, was much more than a knife-between-the-teeth warrior; he's a man who had obviously thought deeply about the local political economy. In one passage, Marion observes that the white population of his state “form but two classes, the ...
The United States of America: A Perpetual Union was Founded by 13 States with the Enactment of the Articles of Confederation
The United States in Congress Assembled (USCA), the third united American republic, was formed by 13 States with the Articles of Confederation’s enactment on March 1st, 1781, and expired on March 3rd, 1789, with the implementation of the current U.S. Constitution on March 4th, 1789. The republic was constitutionally governed ...
Kate Moore Barry, the “Heroine of the Battle of Cowpens”, Rides Through the Back Trails of South Carolina to Warn of Approaching British Troops
Catherine “Kate” Moore Barry, the “Heroine of the Battle of Cowpens,” rode through the back trails of South Carolina to warn of approaching British troops and round up militia, including her husband, to join General Daniel Morgan for the Battle of Cowpens, Jan. 17, 1781. Catherine Moore Barry served her ...
General Benedict Arnold made His Decision to Betray America
In July of 1775, General Washington appointed Dr. Benjamin Church as the first surgeon general of the Continental Army. Three months later, Washington discovered Dr. Church had been spying for the British, writing coded messages address to British officer, Major Crane. Washington informed the Continental Congress, Oct. 5, 1775: "I ...
George Washington’s Speech to the Delaware Chiefs: “You do well to wish to learn our arts and ways of life, and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ.”
The Speech to the Delaware Chiefs was an address given to the Delaware Nation by General George Washington on May 12, 1779, giving them news of the situation regarding the status of the American Revolution then being fought. Claimed to be a deist by modern liberalism, Washington had given numerous ...
Alexander Hamilton’s Letter to John Jay Regarding Arming Slaves for Battle
Dear Sir, Col Laurens, who will have the honor of delivering you this letter, is on his way to South Carolina, on a project, which I think, in the present situation of affairs there, is a very good one and deserves every kind of support and encouragement. This is to ...
Samuel Adams: “While the People are Virtuous They Cannot be Subdued; but Once They Lose Their Virtue They Will be Ready to Surrender Their Liberties”
Samuel Adams, in a letter to James Warren: A general dissolution of principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy. While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but once they lose their virtue they will be ready ...
American Revolution: Louis XVI of France declares war on the Kingdom of Great Britain
France entered the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) in 1778, and assisted in the victory of the Americans seeking independence from Britain (realized in the 1783 Treaty of Paris). The example of the American Revolution was one of the many contributing factors to the French Revolution. Following the American Declaration of ...
