The SECOND Constitutional Congress Meets in Philadelphia on May 25, 1787

Four years after the United States won its independence from England, delegates convened in Philadelphia to compose a new U.S. Constitution.  The current constitution, The Articles of Confederation, ratified several months before the British surrender at Yorktown in 1781, provided for a loose confederation of U.S. states, which totally were sovereign in most of their …

Truth or Dare Gone Terribly Wrong!

The Game of High Jinks Today when we talk of “high jinks” (or more commonly high jinx), we typically mean horseplay but in the 17th century, “high jinks” was a boisterous drinking game characterized by the antics and boisterous or rambunctious carryings-on that this game originally produced. The name is derived from the Scottish word …

Colonial Hospitality – Spiced Pineapple Mead

They say “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”[i] and this has become my view on mead.  Technically, mead should not be part of my portfolio[ii] as it was not particularly popular in colonial America.  Keeping bees and processing honey into mead, while a straightforward and simple process, was not nearly as …

The Regimental Brewmeister does “Talks” as well as brewing demonstrations.

The Regimental Brewmeister is happy to give talks and lectures at your site to audiences of any size. I ask that you provide appropriate auto visual projection equipment and event promotion. I typically come in 18th Century attire and conduct interactive discussions. While I am happy to consider talks on other subjects, I have delivered …

John Adam’s Preamble to the Lee Resolution

On May 15, 1776, the Second Continental Congress passed a resolution authored by John Adams that was tantamount to a declaration of independence.  With Richard Henry Lee, he put forth a resolution recommending that the individual colonies assume all powers of government — to secure ‘the happiness and safety of their constituents in particular, and …

Historical Tidbits — Constitutional Convention

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. May 14, 1787      Constitutional Convention Four years after the United States won its independence from England, 55 state delegates, including George Washington, James Madison and Benjamin Franklin, convene in …

Historical Tidbits — BATTLE OF FORT TICONDEROGA

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. May 10, 1775 – BATTLE OF FORT TICONDEROGA:  Benedict Arnold joined Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys in a dawn attack on the fort, surprising and capturing the …