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On Veterans Day 2025, I went on a road trip through central Indiana to visit the graves of several veterans of the American Revolutionary War. The sites I found -- and the stories behind them -- completely amazed me. There's so much hidden history tucked away in small roadside cemeteries across the country. Come along for this unforgettable Revolutionary War road trip! Note: for those concerned about the flag that was knocked over- I straightened up the gravesites prior to leaving, as I always do. I found George Washington's Drummer & other Revolutionary War Graves | Journey With Murphy |...

Join me on a journey through historic Philadelphia as I visit the final resting places of seven signers of the Declaration of Independence -- the men who put their names on one of the most important documents in American history. Along the way, I'll explore the lives, sacrifices, and stories behind these remarkable Founding Fathers and the places where they were laid to rest. I'll also visit the grave of Betsy Ross, whose story has become deeply intertwined with the American Revolution, as well as the graves of two other signers of the U.S. Constitution. From churchyards tucked away in...

Before he was Vice President, Elbridge Gerry was a rising leader from Massachusetts, who partook in some of the earliest and most important phases of the American Revolution. He signed the Declaration of Independence and he went on to play an interesting role in the Constitutional Convention in 1787. When he died in 1814, he was serving as the Vice President and the War of 1812 was in full swing. Today, he is the only signer of the declaration who is laid to rest in the District of Columbia. Buried nearby is Tobias Lear, a patriot who had a tragic...

“What if?” That’s a question you may have asked yourself at times throughout your life. What if something happened or didn’t happen is often the query. I won’t go into detail about all the “what ifs” I’ve questioned myself about in my life. I could write lots of columns on that question alone. No one wants to read about that, for sure! When it comes to American history, though, I’ve often thought about that question — wondering how history would have been different had this or that happened or not happened. What if George Washington had not had fog to...

It came over with the Mayflower and stayed on to be the unchallenged drink of democracy. by Max Rudin Related Stories: When the micros got macro 10 Great American beers (below) In the history of American beer, the modern period begins on the spring day in 1882 when the short-lived American Association of baseball teams opened for business. The establishment-leaning National League, aiming for a tonier clientele, had recently doubled ticket prices and banned gambling, Sunday playing, and—most important—beer. Franchise owners in St. Louis, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, and other brewing centers refused to accept the new rules and seceded from...

At noon on September 22, a small ceremony will take place at the foot of a bronze statue in Manhattan’s City Hall Park. A color guard will stand at attention, a wreath will be laid and most New Yorkers walking by probably will not notice. They should. The statue is of Nathan Hale, one of America’s first spies. Two hundred and fifty years ago, the British hanged him. He was 21 years old. Hale hardly seemed destined for spy work. He was a Yale graduate, class of 1773, and a schoolteacher from Coventry, Connecticut – tall, fair and, by contemporary...

The 2026 Idaho Liberty Bell Tour will kick off with three stops in East Idaho this week before it continues its journey through all 44 counties. The bell, modeled after the cracked original in Philadelphia, will be in Pocatello from 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday and from 10 a.m. to noon Friday at the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation. It will then travel to Blackfoot on Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. for the Eastern Idaho State Fair and Parade. The Idaho Liberty Bell was one of several replicas that were distributed to U.S. states and territories to promote the...

The Battle of the Tappan Zee unfolded on the night of August 16–17, 1776. Patriot fireships attack HMS Phoenix and HMS Rose in an eighteenth-century engraving. Residents along the western shore of the Tappan Zee were awakened during the night by cannon fire as one of the American Revolution’s earliest naval battles erupted on the Hudson River. Looking across the water, families watched Patriot fireships drift toward two British warships while flashes of cannon fire illuminated the night sky. For nearly two hours, Patriot boats battled Royal Navy warships in a desperate attempt to drive away the British squadron. Today,...

After the high of the Declaration of Independence, wartime reality set in for the founders.Michael O’Hanlon is a defense and strategy analyst at the Brookings Institution and the author of “To Dare Mighty Things: U.S. Defense Strategy Since the Revolution.”Despite the heady moment in Philadelphia with the Declaration of Independence’s approval in early July, 1776, that summer was a tough one for the nation’s founders, George Washington in particular. The rest of that year — until Washington crossed the Delaware River and won the Battle of Trenton on Dec. 26 — would go down as the worst period of the...

On August 2, 1776, members of Congress affix their signatures to an enlarged copy of the Declaration of Independence. Fifty-six congressional delegates in total signed the document, including some who were not present at the vote approving the declaration. The delegates signed by state from North to South, beginning with Josiah Bartlett of New Hampshire and ending with George Walton of Georgia. John Dickinson of Pennsylvania and James Duane, Robert Livingston and John Jay of New York refused to sign. Carter Braxton of Virginia; Robert Morris of Pennsylvania; George Reed of Delaware; and Edward Rutledge of South Carolina opposed the...

After 13 days of bombing Iran, on Friday we took a break. If we were dealing with rational opponents, the war in Iran would be over now, but we are dealing with fanatics and a situation where the monsters are fighting each other, and no one seems sufficiently in charge to enter into a meaningful surrender. In the meantime, we can turn to domestic matters, and to my mind, the situation at the Smithsonian Museum warrants our attention. It seems that we are paying super-woke people to denigrate our history and culture, and because of the way in which the...

During my military career, I have led people in combat and made choices with real consequences. From this experience, I can say with confidence that George Washington’s crossing of the Delaware River in December 1776 was not desperate. It was a clear act of leadership. By that point, Washington had suffered several defeats. Losing New York was a huge blow, and his army had been pushed back again and again. The British had the upper hand in almost every way—better ground, supplies, more troops, and momentum. Washington had lost the initiative and the trust of Congress and many leaders in...

The boy was around 14 when he joined the Continental Army. He signed his enlistment papers with an “X,” suggesting that he’d never learned to write his name. During his three-and-a-half-year military career, he marched more than 1,000 miles. When he died at the Battle of Camden in South Carolina in 1780, he was buried in an unmarked grave and forgotten for nearly 250 years. Researchers excavated the boy’s remains in 2022. Now, they’ve discovered this young soldier’s identity: His name was Private John Pumphrey, and he was one of America’s oldest John Doe cases. “As far as we knew,...

William Franklyn-Miller, Kelsey Grammer, and director Jon Erwin join Fandango correspondent Nikki Novak to discuss their upcoming historical war drama, 'Young Washington'. William Franklyn-Miller shares his experience embodying the patriot George Washington before he became the Father of a Nation, Kelsey Grammer details why his character Lord Fairfax would invest this young man with such responsibility, and director Jon Erwin explains why the story of the Revolutionary War is so enthralling for himself and audiences. 'Young Washington' hits theaters July 3! "You See the Ambition" William Franklyn-Miller & Kelsey Grammer on 'Young Washington' | 17:42 Fandango (Fandango's Big Ticket) |...

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....

If you come from northern Pennsylvania, you might understand that the name "Wyoming" predates the western state, and that it played a once well-remembered, if not wholly accurate and now nearly forgotten, role in the War for Independence. The Battle of Wyoming: 1778 | 18:10 The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered 1.64M subscribers | 2,930 views | July 3, 2026

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...