In the 21st Century, I carry a laptop computer everywhere I go. You see, as an educated person, I generally work with my mind and for that to have any meaning whatsoever, I must communicate those thoughts, ideas, analyses, and such to others. While far fewer people were educated in the 18th Century and even …
Author Archives: Michael Carver
Does Anybody Know what Day it Really is? 1752 was a really Bizarre Year.
In accordance with a 1750 act of Parliament, England and its colonies changed calendars in 1752. By that time, the discrepancy between a solar year and the Julian Calendar had grown by an additional day, so that the calendar used in England and its colonies was 11 days out-of-sync with the Gregorian Calendar in use in …
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I Need Your Help!
I need your help with the Moland House. This will be my second year planning the annual reenactment at Moland House. Last year, I took reins of organizing the event after Jo-Anne Mullen has decided to step down from organizing the event. We’ve had some growing pains trying to live up to the 15 years of tireless …
Precedent for the Stamp Act
We are all familiar with The Stamp Act of 1765 which was a tax on all paper documents levied on American colonists in order to pay off debt from the Seven Years’ War (1756-63). Coming in the midst of economic hardship in the colonies, the Stamp Act aroused vehement resistance. Parliament pushed forward with the …
Give me LIBERTY or give me DEATH!
Patrick Henry was a Virginia-born lawyer and skilled orator who was unreservedly passionate about American freedom. The outspoken Henry delivered his fiery “Liberty or Death” speech on March 23, 1775, famously concluding with a challenge: “I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” Henry’s …
Historical Tidbits — Give me Liberty or Give me Death!
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. March 23, 1775 – Patrick Henry addressed the Virginia Legislature with a rousing speech – “I know not what course others may take; but as for me, Give me …
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Extreme Measures
In 1848, Henry Brown was a Virginia slave with a wife and three children. When the plantation owner sold Brown’s wife and children to another slave owner, and Brown could do nothing to stop it, he began to plan his escape to Philadelphia. While many American slaves viewed the Underground Railroad as a means to …
Planters’ or Jamaica Punch
Planters or Jamaica Punch begins with the Hibiscus sabdariffa, often called roselle, a plant indigenous to continental Africa that now flourishes in tropical regions of the Western hemisphere. The punch gets its name because the main ingredient, the hibiscus plant, was originally brought over to America from Jamaica. When enslaved Africans were brought to the …
Historical Tidbits — STAMP ACT
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. March 22, 1765 STAMP ACT The Stamp Act of 1765 was the first internal tax levied directly on American colonists by the British Parliament. The act, which imposed …
Historical Tidbits — MASSACRE AT HANCOCK’s BRIDGE
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. March 21, 1778 – MASSACRE AT HANCOCK’s BRIDGE In Thomas Fleming’s novel, Liberty Tavern, there is a chapter telling the story of General Howe’s army burning houses as they …
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Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 