The First Virginia Constitution
If you want an introduction to the philosophy of government as understood by America’s Founders, don’t read the U.S. Constitution, instead read a Declaration of Rights from …
America
George Washington Writes in a Letter to his Brother, “Providence Which Has in Many Instances Appear’d for Us, Will Still Go On to Afford Its Aid”
On May 31, 1776, George Washington wrote to his younger brother John Augustine Washington, We expect a very bloody Summer of it at New York. …
George Washington Orders his Troops to Observe the Day of Fasting, Humiliation, and Prayer for the ‘Giver of Victory to Prosper Our Arms’
The rag-tag and green Continental Army would need heaven’s help. In April 1776, they arrived in New York, a city with a large population of …
General William Livingston Made a Resolution of Congress that May 17th Should be Observed by All Colonies as a Day of Humiliation, Fast, and Prayer
General William Livingston made a resolution to Congress which passed without dissent: “We earnestly recommend that Friday, the 17th day of May be observed by …
Battle of Dorchester: General Washington Bold Plan to Take Back Boston is Foiled by Weather, but Maybe God kept His Young Army from a Battle they Could Not Win
Gen. Washington’s bold plan to take back Boston, would have trapped him on Dorchester Heights early in the war without an escape route in which …
The American Seizure of British Occupied Nassau
On March 3 the Marines captured Nassau without a fight and seized a sizable store of cannon, mortars and munitions. The battle marked the first …
Benjamin Franklin Article on the Rattlesnake as a Symbol for America
The following letter from “An American Guesser” was published in the Pennsylvania Journal on December 27, 1775. Its author has been identified as Benjamin Franklin. …
King George Establishes ‘The American Prohibitory Act’, Forbidding the Americans from All Trade and Commerce
American Prohibitory Act “It throws thirteen colonies out of the royal protection, levels all distinctions, and makes us independent in spite of our supplications and …
The Olive Branch Petition: A letter from the 2nd Continental Congress to King George to Repeal his Tyrannous Laws
The Olive Branch Petition was issued (shipped by boat) from the American colonies to King George III in England. It proposed a final peace deal with England …
Thomas Jefferson: “We are Reduced to the Alternative of Choosing an Unconditional Submission to Tyranny, or Resistance by Force. The Latter is our Choice!”
The Continental Congress issued A Declaration by the Representatives of the United Colonies of North-America, Now Met in Congress at Philadelphia, Setting Forth the Causes and …