Rhode Island’s Independence Day

Posted by on May 4, 2012 in 18th Century, All Posts, American Revolutionary War | No Comments
Rhode Island’s Independence Day

As J. L. Bell points out at Boston 1775, today is Independence Day in Rhode Island. On May 4, 1776, Rhode Island became the first colony to break allegiance to Great Britain when its legislature repealed the law titled “An Act for the more effectual securing to his Majesty the allegiance of his subjects in ...

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Tory Retaliation for Nathaniel Freeman’s March on Barnstable Courthouse?

Posted by on Mar 30, 2010 in 1763-1775, 18th Century, All Posts, American Revolutionary War, Colonial America, Major Historical Events | 6 Comments

On September 27, 1774, 26-year-old Dr. Nathaniel Freeman of Sandwich, Massachusetts, led 1500 Patriots from the Cape Cod area in “the first open overt act done in the face of day without disguise, which according to the British jurisprudence, would be called treason,” as reflected on the 1774 event in the June 3, 1837 issue ...

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Pre-Revolutionary War Betting Odds

Posted by on Mar 27, 2010 in 1763-1775, 18th Century, All Posts, American Revolutionary War, Colonial America, Humor | 3 Comments

If you were a gambling American in late 1774, you would have appreciated reading these betting odds, published in the October 24, 1774 issue of the Newport Mercury (Rhode Island). “Five to one that if the sword is drawn, General Gage mistakes a windmill for a magazine of arms, and is more intent on gaining ...

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The Originial Flag of the Thirteen United States

Posted by on Jan 17, 2010 in 18th Century, All Posts, American Revolutionary War, Major Historical Events | 3 Comments

On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution stating: “That the flag of the Thirteen United States be Thirteen Stripes, alternate red and white: That the union be Thirteen Stars white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.” The brief article pictured above was published in the lower right-hand corner ...

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The Real First President of the United States

Posted by on Jan 10, 2010 in 18th Century, All Posts, Oddities, Presidents | No Comments

A Googling of “John Hanson” reveals some controversy over whether he should be considered the first President of the United States, the third or just President of the Continental Congress (leaving the POTUS title for GW). The fact is that John Hanson was indeed the first President of the Continental Congress elected under the terms ...

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