Free Republic

Before the war was over, five would be captured, 12 would lose their homes, and 17 would lose their fortunes. None renounced the cause of their own free will. Congress voting on the Declaration of Independence. Library of Congress/Public Domain =============================================================== Today the United States celebrates the 250th—or semiquincentennial—anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. While July 4 marks the day Thomas Jefferson’s revised draft of the Declaration of Independence was adopted, it would take months for the document to be signed by all 56 men who would eventually affix their names to it. Several key figures in...

The Second Continental Congress voted to approve the U.S. Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Some former colonists — now citizens — could not wait an entire year to celebrate, albeit in a somewhat morbid way. In the summer of 1776, Americans held mock funerals for King George III of Great Britain, their former sovereign whom the Declaration of Independence labeled a tyrant. The mock funerals represented a dramatic change in more ways than one. First, as subjects in the British Empire, American colonists had grown accustomed to celebrating the king’s birthday each year. George III turned 38 years...

Went with my brother and a friend today to see "Young Washington" which was released today. I have been looking forward to this movie for some time, and wondered if any other Freepers saw it, and if you liked it. Me? I thought it was great. I am reasonably well read on Washington, and I think he is one of the greatest men who have ever lived. To me, 95% of Americans who know anything about George Washington only know about his activities in the years directly before and after 1775, and this movie ended about ten years before that....

No lies detected here from Mr. Bob Odenkirk. Pretty amazing to hear one of Hollywood's most bankable stars of the past 15 years implicitly refer to the Founders as "a whole bunch of good people." Not something you're apt to see at the Oscars! Even better, it looks like this may be a series, perhaps leading up to the 4th of July. Thanks for showing us how it's done, Saul!

Even though it’s been nearly 250 years since the Continental Congress declared independence from Britain, the study of the American Revolution is far from over. For decades, archaeologists have dug at Revolutionary War battlefields across the country, yielding fascinating artifacts. From southern sites to northern battlefields, these places are still sharing secrets — and shedding new light on our country’s founding. As America celebrates its 250th, below are a few Revolutionary War battlefields that are still revealing new discoveries. 1. Bunker Hill One of the earliest military engagements of the Revolutionary War, the Battle of Bunker Hill was fought in...

The personal relationship between Jefferson and Adams had soured under the weight of political rivalry—exacerbated by the brutal campaign of 1800. For years after the election, the two men remained estranged. The physician and mutual friend Benjamin Rush played a pivotal role in bringing the two former friends back together. Encouraged by Rush, Jefferson and Adams began corresponding in 1812, initiating a remarkable exchange of letters that spanned 14 years and addressed topics ranging from politics and philosophy to their reflections on aging and legacy. Through this correspondence, Jefferson and Adams confronted their differences—both political and personal—with candor and a...

IntroductionThe Coercive Acts not only sparked outrage among the common people whom Gouverneur Morris (1752–1816) derided as members of the mob; they also inflamed the indignation of Americans who occupied positions of power and influence. One such person was Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), a member of Virginia's House of Burgesses who helped write a May 1774 resolution designating a day of fasting and prayer to show solidarity with the people of Massachusetts. Soon after, Lord Dunmore (1730–1809), the royal governor, showed his solidarity with Parliament by dissolving the House of Burgesses. As the elected members of that body prepared to regroup...

From Roman freedom to Viking happiness, the iconic words in the Declaration of Independence reveal thousands of years of humans wrestling with how to live well together – and the power of language to put those ideas into action. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." When Thomas Jefferson drafted these words in the Declaration of Independence, two things were on his mind. One: he needed to find "terms so plain and...

Two hundred and fifty years after the Declaration of Independence, we speak of the founders with a reverence that can flatten them into marble—preordained, wise, and magnificent. But George Washington is a far more interesting figure than the monument allows. He was, by most accounts, a mediocre battlefield general. He lost more engagements than he won. He was outmaneuvered at Long Island and badly beaten at Brandywine, and lost Philadelphia in the aftermath. As president, of course, he was transformative, setting precedents for executive restraint and the peaceful transfer of power that still define the office.But neither the flawed general...

TALEA Beer Co used molasses-based recipe from Washington's Seven Years' War notebook to craft historic brew VIDEO AT LINK....... The New York Public Library (NYPL) is giving visitors a chance to "taste history" by recreating George Washington's beer recipe from the first president's 1757 military journal, which is housed in the library's research collections. The library collaborated with New York City-based TALEA Beer Co. to recreate the brew, along with a Liberty Lager to appeal to modern palates. "The initial response to [the library] reaching out was obviously awe," LeAnn Darland, TALEA co-founder and co-CEO, told Fox News Digital. "Just...

During his life, Franklin had many careers... In his later years he became vocal as an abolitionist and in 1787 began to serve as President of the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery. The Society was originally formed in Philadelphia, as The Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage... As a young man he owned slaves, and he carried advertisements for the sale of slaves in his newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette. At the same time, however, he published numerous Quaker pamphlets against slavery and condemned the practice of slavery in his private correspondence. It...

‘Revolutionary America’ Coming to Theaters from Fathom Entertainment May 31 – June 2 HILLSDALE, Mich. and DENVER, Colo. — April 17, 2026 — “Revolutionary America,” produced by Hillsdale Studios and distributed by Fathom Entertainment, the leading specialty distributor of content to theatrical partners worldwide, is Hillsdale College’s first feature-length documentary. Narrated by Tom Selleck, the film explores the Revolution through the experience of Americans between 1763-1791, bringing into focus the political principles that animated their fight for independence and self-government, as the Founding Fathers risked their “lives, fortunes, and sacred honor” in a fight for liberty that would shape a...

This is Robert Morris, the richest man in America in 1776. He literally bankrupted himself using his vast personal fortunate, shipping fleet, and fiscal acumen to pay for the American Revolution. AOC is stupid. Extract from AOC quote: Quote End Wokeness @EndWokeness · May 8 "The American Revolution was against the billionaires of their time" - AOC Readers added context Robert Morris, considered the richest man in America at the time, used his own personal wealth to finance much of the American Revolution. The American Revolution was not against the billionaires as AOC claims when the richest man was funding...

Archaeologists have uncovered a previously unknown remnant of Thomas Jefferson’s era at Monticello: a brick kiln used to build his home. The kiln was recently found on the east side of the Founding Father’s home amid an excavation that began in March, officials said. Monticello historians believe it dates back to the early 1770s, sometime before Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence in 1776. It was part of the construction of Monticello I, the first version of Jefferson’s home. The current structure reflects a later rebuild and expansion completed after his time in France, after 1789. Photos from the site...

Philadelphia, April 1781. A boy of about eight is shifting in his seat. His voice, clear and steady, rises inside the quiet room. Mah nishtanah halailah hazeh mikol haleilot? “Why is this night different from all other nights?” For those participating in the Passover seder, all crowding a small rented room just blocks from where Congregation Mikveh Israel holds its services, this is a loaded question. In a land with barely 2,500 Jews from one end of the 13 colonies to the other,1 fewer than one in every 10,000 souls,2 and almost everyone around the table is a refugee displaced...

There are things that I am definitely aware of even though I don't often or ever bring them up. One of those things is the de-humanization campaign that progressives have engaged in (in varying degrees) ever since our first progressive President, Theodore Roosevelt, and it puts us in the position to ask the question. How can we re-humanize our Founding Fathers? What tools can we rely on or use or else, what tools can we build to have an effect against the problem? First, let's recognize something. There is a lot of power in the spoken word. It is very,...

Today I am happy to announce the release of the very short audio for Thomas Jefferson's interesting letter "A Dialog between the Head and Heart", which reaches just past 30 minutes long. Yes, it is a very short recording, but this one is a little different than most others I work on. This recording is a compilation; that is, there are three voices present that are seemingly talking to each other in a way. One of the recordings in this I recorded. This does not signal my triumphant return to the microphone though. I wish. I still have a very...

Gov. Ron DeSantis unveiled a statue of Alexander Hamilton in White Springs near the Suwannee River as part of America’s upcoming 250th birthday during a press conference in Hamilton County this week. Hamilton was a founding father and the first Secretary of the Treasury under President George Washington from 1789 to 1795. Hamilton also founded the Federalist Party, America's first political party, in 1791. He is also on the $10 bill. While attending King's College (now Columbia University) around 1774, Hamilton became a vocal writer for the American cause against the British crown. Hamilton would later join the Revolutionary War...

"If you want to understand the real Declaration, do not repeat the preface." - Woodrow Wilson There is so much in that little line. The obvious question is regarding the preface - what's in the preface of the Declaration of Independence that scared Wilson so much? In short, fundamental truths. Timeless, tested, proven to work fundamentals. Our reliance on our creator, and not upon government, for our rights. In 1911, Woodrow Wilson gave his now infamous speech regarding the Declaration to - of all places, I love this - the Jefferson Club. "An Address to the Jefferson Club of Los...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Some of the documents that helped shape the United States are temporarily leaving Washington, D.C., ahead of America’s 250th anniversary, giving many Americans a rare chance to see them in person. The "Freedom Plane National Tour: Documents That Forged a Nation" – launched by The National Archives – is bringing founding-era records out of the nation’s capital and into communities across the country. The nationwide tour kicked off Friday at the National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, where visitors can walk through a specially prepared exhibit room to see several historic documents...