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“To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them.” — George Mason of Virginia In April of 1775, the British Royal Military Governor of Massachusetts, General Thomas Gage, sent 800 British Army Regulars, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith, on a preemptive raid to seize guns from American patriots at Lexington and Concord.

During the first six decades of the eighteenth century, the American colonies were mostly allowed to govern themselves. In exchange, they loyally fought for Great Britain in imperial wars against the French and Spanish. But in 1763, after the British and Americans won the French and Indian War, King George III began working to eliminate American self-government. The succeeding years saw a series of political crises provoked by the king and parliament. What turned the political dispute into a war was arms confiscation at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, on April 19, 1775.

On April 19, 1775, seventy-eight-year-old Captain Samuel Whittemore crouched behind a stone wall next to his home. Whittemore’s old fingers tightly gripped his musket and his pistol. A sword hung from his belt. A phalanx of Redcoats looted homes as they retreated back to Boston. The senior Patriot, who had resisted tyranny and the rule of the Crown for years, planned to fight to the death to defend his home.When the British troops approached, he blasted away, slaying two Redcoats and wounding or killing a third with his sword. The Redcoats then unleashed their fury on Whittemore, shooting him in...

The teaching of history has become a flashpoint in the culture wars. But while the battle is fierce, it’s not new. An earlier round in the conflict in the 1920s — over the teaching of the American Revolution — indicates that it will be crucial for historians to weigh in loudly and forcefully during the current debate. That will give them the space to continue to teach the most accurate, up-to-date version of U.S. History and prevent forces that fundamentally don’t understand the job of historians from shaping what American children learn about the past. In the late 19th century,...

The Boston Massacre, The Boston Tea Party, The Battles at Lexington and Concord Dramatic narration and authentically recreated scenes, enhanced with an original score, chronicles the settlement of the American Colonies, the formation of colonial governments, and the tension that resulted from the economic strain on Great Britain for its prosecution of the Seven Years War with France. It illustrates how Great Britain’s attempt to make the American colonies pay for its debts, among other issues, brought about the revolt. British Parliament's passage of The Stamp Act, the Sugar Act, the Tea Act, and the Intolerable Acts, and the effects...

On the anniversary of the Boston Massacre, it is worth remembering how America passed its first major test in equal application of the law.It was March 5, 1770. Future President of the United States John Adams was enjoying a local Boston social gathering when the town bells began to ring. Townsmen often rang these bells in case of fire. However, the guests hurried out onto the cobbled streets to discover a different sort of blaze: British soldiers, surrounded by an indignant and pressing mob, had discharged their muskets, hitting 11 civilians. Three died on site. Two more followed in the...

He was the greatest American. Don't settle for less.“First in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen. He was second to none in the humble and endearing scenes of private life; pious, just, humane, temperate and sincere; uniform, dignified and commanding, his example was as edifying to all around him, as were the effects of that example lasting.“To his equals he was condescending; to his inferiors kind; and to the dear object of his affections exemplarily tender: Correct throughout, vice shuddered in his presence, and virtue always felt his fostering hand; the purity of his...

Could find nothing in the media to note the anniversay.

CNN — The National Archives in Washington, DC, closed early on Wednesday after two people dumped red powder on the display that protects the US Constitution, Archives officials said in a news release. “The Constitution was unaffected in its encasement. No damage was done to the document itself,” the Archives said in a statement. The individuals were immediately detained by security at the time of the incident, around 2:30 p.m., and officials are investigating, the Archives said

Climate Protesters Arrested after Throwing Pink Powder on U.S. Constitution in Museum Two climate activists were arrested on Wednesday after they poured a pink powder on a case holding the U.S. Constitution. The two protesters were caught on camera in the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom, claiming their act was to raise awareness for climate change. In a video posted on X, one of the activists can be heard saying: “This country is founded on the conditions that all men are created equally.” “We are calling for all people to have all these rights, not just wealthy white men.”...

The National Archives Rotunda and galleries in Washington, DC, closed to the public today after two individuals dumped red powder on the encasement protecting the U.S. Constitution at approximately 2:30 pm. They were immediately detained by security personnel. Officials are investigating the incident.

A 200-year-old painting of George Washington was stolen from a Colorado storage unit in January.. The Englewood Police Department (EPD) received a call Jan. 22 about the theft of the “historical painting” from a storage facility, but they believe the theft occurred two weeks earlier on Jan 10 ... “The painting is of our first president, George Washington, and was created in the early 1800s... The approximate size of the piece is 24 inches by 30 inches, measured in a gold-colored frame. The value is undisclosed and hard to estimate due to its historical significance,” ... Police told the outlet...

The man known to history as Thomas Jefferson was born on the 13th of April 1743 at his 0:09 father’s estate of Shadwell in Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia. 0:16 His father Peter Jefferson was a surveyor and planter who owned several plantations 0:21 in Virginia, including the tobacco plantation of Shadwell which he founded in the 1730s, 0:27 worked by slaves and free labourers. At the time Virginia was one of the thirteen British colonies in North America, but in 0:35 just over three decades it would become one of the leading states behind the creation 0:40...

On February 5, 1824, Samuel Vaughan Merrick and William H. Keating founded The Franklin Institute of the State of Pennsylvania for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts. Within three years of its founding, that promotion took place through public lectures, a high school, a library, public exhibitions, and a research journal, and many of these endeavors remain core activities to this day... For the organization's first century, the Institute offered classes in mechanics, drafting, and engineering, and promoted science and invention. In 1930, despite the Great Depression, The Franklin Institute and the Poor Richard Club began to seek funds to...

Four in ten Democrats agree with removing statues of George Washington as some leftist cities consider doing so, a Rasmussen Reports survey released Thursday found. While the survey found 77 percent of Democrats expressing at least a somewhat favorable view of the country’s first president and Revolutionary War hero, 40 percent at least somewhat approve of removing public monuments of the figure. Of those, 21 percent of Democrats “strongly” approve. However, 53 percent at least somewhat disapprove of doing so.

The Framers structured the Constitution to lead the new Republic to the ultimate end of slavery but were unable to set a time frame for its abolition. The story comes to us from James Madison’s classic Notes of the Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787.The discussion on slavery at the Federal Convention in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 centered on two issues: 1. how to count the slaves in the apportionment of members in the popularly elected House of Representatives and; 2) setting an end date for the slave trade.Three distinct groups clashed on the assignment of House...

This country isn't going to make it to its 250th birthday. We cannot continue like this; we have to have a government that's accountable to the Constitution, to the Rule of Law, and to Legacy Americans only.

Almost four decades after the death of George Washington, a beautiful new marble sarcophagus was donated to replace the deteriorating original. On Oct. 7, 1837, family and friends gathered at the vault on the grounds of Mount Vernon for the installation. During the process, Washington's inner wooden coffin was found in poor condition. Part of the lead lining was pulled back to reveal the head and chest of the Father of Our Country. Here's a description from a private letter in the collection of the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon.This episode is brought to you in part by...

I happened to notice that a biography of Benjamin Franklin was produced and published at Librivox. Thought you all might enjoy this. Benjamin Franklin, Robin McKown (1907 - 1975)This biography of Franklin was written for young people, but can be enjoyed by anyone. The author Robin McKown, is known for her young adult historical fiction and historical biographies. - Summary by Ciufi GaleazziThis audiobook is a solo, which means it is of a much higher quality than group books and yes, this reader did a fantastic job. However, it's free and open source so I would encourage you to give...

The few remaining viewers of CNN got a remarkable dose of news on Saturday. Just in time for Constitution Day, CNN’s dwindling audience learned that the Consitution of the United States — the oldest written government charter in the world and the document that gave birth to the nation that has spread democracy around the globe — has become so “outdated” that it’s actually a “threat to democracy.” Of course, that’s democracy as CNN’s scholars understand it. And you can’t spell ignorance without “C-N-N.” The word came on “Newsroom,” anchored by former CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta. Acosta interviewed...