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. September 25, 1787 – a first of a series of fifteen essays arguing AGAINST the formation of a new US Constitution were published. The authors of these ANTIFEDERALIST papers …
Category Archives: Ideas
Atomic Don: Enemy to Capitalism
Pardon me as I take a diversion from my normal 18th Century personae. I frequently tire of being the “… army [ramming] the ramparts, [taking] over the airports, [doing] everything it had to do, and at Fort McHenry, under the rockets’ red glare, it had nothing but victory.”1[i] To discuss a little economics. Yes, I …
Historical Tidbits
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. September 22, 1776 – Nathanial Hale is executed as a spy on Long Island without trial. “My only regret is that I have but one life to give to …
Historical Tidbits
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. September 21, 1776 — Great Fire of New York erupted destroying 10 to 25 percent of buildings in the city. The British Army accused revolutionaries of deliberately setting the …
Buff and Blue: Whigs and Tories
When George Washington choose his uniform, he could have literally chosen any color scheme, so why buff (tan) and blue. The choice was not arbitrary. The Whig party in England (not to be confused with Andrew Jacksons divisive party in the 1830’s) had been standing against the abuses of the crown since 1688. Their rallying …
Historical Tidbits
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. September 20, 1777 – PAOLI MASSACRE: Major General Charles Grey launched a surprise attack on General Anthony Wayne’s camp, near the General Paoli Tavern. To ensure that the Americans …
18th Century Science Day at Pottsgrove Manor TRANSIT OF VENUS Saturday, September 26, 2020
While we all know the ramification of Enlightenment thinking on politics in the 18th Century, it also had a profound and seminal effect on science. Prior to the Enlightenment, scientific thought, when it could be separated from theology, was dominated by theories of absolute truth but over the course of the 16th and 17th Centuries this …
The US Constitution
Hopefully, you were able to stick with me through all those letters. The final document we call the US Constitution is very brief, a mere 4 pages. All the debates, all the discussions that went into it, is the character of our Founding Fathers intention. Too many people forget that the Constitution IS NOT just …
FEDERALIST No. 85: Concluding Remarks
We are on the eve of a very important election. Much has been said about the Constitution and what is Constitutional so let’s take a few weeks and look at the foundational letters written by Madison, Hamilton, and Jay arguing for the creation of the US Constitution. The comment tab is open. Please share your …
FEDERALIST No. 84: Certain General and Miscellaneous Objections to the Constitution Considered and Answered.
We are on the eve of a very important election. Much has been said about the Constitution and what is Constitutional so let’s take a few weeks and look at the foundational letters written by Madison, Hamilton, and Jay arguing for the creation of the US Constitution. The comment tab is open. Please share your …
Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 