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 …

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 …

Our Nation’s Oldest Friend is in the Arabic-speaking Muslim world

Recently there has been a lot of unjustified animosity against Islam and its followers. As we enter the month of Ramadan, the month when our Muslim brothers celebrate Muhammad’s revelation of the first verses the Quran, it is important to remember that when the fledgling United States most needed allies and friends, the nation that …

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 …

Bring Documents to your Reenactments!

Today Americans boast a whoppingly deplorable literacy rate of about 86% depending on how you measure literacy.  Compare this to Colonial New England where, discounting slaves, women, indentured servants, and indians, in a time when books, newpapers, and magazines were largely unobtainable, the literacy rate was almost 60%*.  Today with telephones, television, radio, and various …