The Centennial Bell

In 1876, Philadelphia city officials discussed what role the Liberty Bell should play in the nation’s Centennial festivities. Some wanted to repair it so it could sound at the Centennial Exposition being held in Philadelphia, but the idea was not adopted; the bell’s custodians concluded that it was unlikely that the metal could be made …

Historical Tidbits — Aliens and Sedition Acts

When reenacting or acting as a historical interpreter, its good to have a few historical dates and stories to share. This series will publish a few. July 4, 1798         Aliens and Sedition Acts The Alien and Sedition Acts were a series of four laws passed by the U.S. Congress in 1798 amid widespread fear that …

Historical Tidbits — Declaration of Independence

When reenacting or acting as a historical interpreter, its good to have a few historical dates and stories to share. This series will publish a few. July 4, 1776 – a document formally enumerating the justification for separating America from the rule of the Crown and Parliament was formally adopted by the Continental Congress.   This …

Independence Day

On Independence Day, EVERYONE should read, aloud, the Declaration of Independence. Remember…. Declaration of Independence IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.  The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and …

If we tried to have a revolution today, would we succeed?

If we tried to have a revolution today, would we succeed?  Do we have what it takes?  I hear boasts at reenactments all the time and everyone thinks they have what it takes to rebel but are we willing to “dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another,”[1] or are we more likely …

Target Practice?

When you visit Copp’s Hill Burial Ground in Boston, you will see gravestones with pockmarks from musket balls, made when Redcoats used the graveyard as a target range. Yes, soldiers didn’t just point their muskets, they took aim and most of the King’s soldiers were surprisingly accurate shots given the limitations of smoothbore muskets.  Pockmarks …

Historical Tidbits — Massacre at Wyoming

When reenacting or acting as a historical interpreter, its good to have a few historical dates and stories to share. This series will publish a few. July 3, 1778                         Massacre at Wyoming On July 1st, John Butler’s force of about 1,000 regular British troops, Loyalist irregulars, and Indians, marched into the Wyoming Valley and seized …