On August 20, 1619, “20 and odd” Angolans, kidnapped by the Portuguese, arrive in the British colony of Virginia and sold English colonists. These slaves were captured by Kongo and Ndonga kingdoms in western Africa and sold to Spanish slave traders who loaded them onto the San Juan Bautista and set sail for Veracruz on the Spanish …
Continue reading “The Scourge of Slavery (#3a) — African Slaves brought to British Colonies in 1619”
The acquisition of indentured servants and slaves began with the earliest days of the settling of America. Before 1680, the most common form of bound labor was the white indentured servant. Up to two-thirds of the English migrants who came to Virginia between 1630 and 1680 arrived in servile status. In return for the cost …
Continue reading “The Scourge of Slavery (#3b) — Indentured Servants”
Along the border between Poland and the Czech Republic is region of Silesia. Its largest city is Wroclaw and until 1327, this region was under the domain of the Polish crown. When King Henryk VI died without an heir, the region was annexed by Bohemia (peacefully) and under Bohemian rule the ‘Rata’ or ‘Rathaus’ was governed by …
Continue reading “Trade Wars are Bad! Consider the Vretslav Beer War of 1380.”
People are always welcome to come to my events and if you come in 18th Century kit, you can be part of the program or just hang out in the tent as you see fit. However, if you are truly interested in really learning the process, teaching the public, and being the brewer, you should …
Forgive me if today I take a little departure from American History. Let’s talk taverns, Jewish Taverns, and the quintessential Jewish Tavern would have been in 18th Century Poland. It was Sunday, and from church after morning Mass,They came to Yankel’s to drink and relaxIn everyone’s cup grey vodka swished‘Round with a bottle the barmaid …
Well, you would think that the Candlelight Tour season at Fort Mifflin would be more than enough “ghost stories” for one year but, alas, I have found another. In October, November, and December of 1803, a number of people in the Hammersmith area of London claimed they had seen and, in some cases, even been …
Oktoberfest began on October 12, 1810, Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig, married Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The Bavarian royalty invited the citizens of Munich to attend the festivities, held on the fields in front of the city gates. This festival lasted for several days with free food and beer served to all. The celebration concluded with …
The reason many of us in the West feel such intense pressure around productivity, why we bring our phones with us everywhere, why we eat at our desks, and push all our personal needs (including housework, yardwork, and other work) to the “weekend” is a product of Mercantilism. Before Britain invented the mercantile system in …
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. October 7, 1780 – BATTLE OF KINGS MOUNTAIN: Patriot militia defeated the Loyalist militia commanded by British Major Patrick Ferguson of the 71st Foot. Coming after a series of …
Continue reading “Historical Tidbits — BATTLE OF KINGS MOUNTAIN”
On May 17, 1785, Jefferson became the United States’ second-ever minister to France, succeeding the equally-famous Benjamin Franklin. As his nation’s top diplomat in Paris, he met many of France’s top leaders and thinkers, including Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, a well-regarded naturalist. Buffon, like many European elites at the time, believed that Europe was …
Continue reading “Thomas Jefferson was Obsessed with Getting a Moose Shipped to Europe”
Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 