Following the Seven Years War, the aristocrats who gathered in Paris in February 1763 divided up North America belonged to sort of a huge gambling sort. The war started in 1754 as a skirmish between France and Britain in the Ohio River Valley but eventually exploded into a worldwide conflict. The imperial powers attacked each …
Category Archives: Ideas
Historical Tidbits — 11th Amendment to the US Constitution
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. February 7, 1795 11th Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified The Eleventh Amendment was adopted to overrule the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Chisholm v. Georgia (1793). …
Continue reading “Historical Tidbits — 11th Amendment to the US Constitution”
Historical Tidbits — French Alliance
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. February 6, 1778 ALLIANCE with FRANCE Treaty of Alliance The most Christian King and the United States of North America, to wit, New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, Rhodes island, Connecticut, …
The Scourge of Slavery (#18) — The Legacy of the Slave Trade
Slavery has left an indelible imprint on our nation’s soul. For most black Americans the end of slavery was just the beginning of a long battle for democratic equality, social acceptance, and economic opportunity. Millions of Americans of African descent languish in societal backwaters with limited opportunities for good jobs, good housing, adequate healthcare, and …
Continue reading “The Scourge of Slavery (#18) — The Legacy of the Slave Trade”
Can’t afford a painted portrait – Make a Silhouette
In the 1st century, Pliny the Elder told the story of Dibutade, a 5th century Corinthian girl, who traced her lover’s shadow, cast by candlelight, because she wanted to keep the image of her lover with her when he went away on a journey. A renaissance of this art form occurred in the 18th century …
Continue reading “Can’t afford a painted portrait – Make a Silhouette”
THE BILL OF RIGHTS: A BRIEF HISTORY #3
Insurrections often are propagated upon misinformation. So too are the most recent band of domestic terrorist who like to hide behind our most sacred American institutions. In this series, I want to explore the Bill of Rights and why some of the hype and hyperbole thrown around by the extremist is not just wrong but …
Basic Colonial Brewing #3 — What is a “Colonial Beer?”
Reenactors seem to revel in the debate over historical accuracy. We either passionately focus on authenticity or we bristle at those who do. Colonial brewers are reenactors and we run the gamut from casual historical entertainers to passionate academic historians. There is a place for everyone but we need to acknowledge the range of expression …
Continue reading “Basic Colonial Brewing #3 — What is a “Colonial Beer?””
“Beer” Recipe: Edenton Tea Party Mead
We all know the story of the Sons of Liberty boarding the Eleanor, Dartmouth, and Beaver on December 16, 1773 and dumping their cargo of 45 tons of East India Company tea in to Boston Harbor. What you might not know is that this simple act of civil disobedience and the then decade old Nonimportation …
A Colonial Orator: True Revolution is Fought with Words not Bullets
Does “Freedom of Speech” mean you can say anything you want about anyone you choose? Our Founding Fathers would certainly not agree! You can, of course, say anything you want but there must be consequences for malicious defamation of individuals and even in revolutionary America libel and slander laws were enforced. There is, however, one …
Continue reading “A Colonial Orator: True Revolution is Fought with Words not Bullets”
Evolution from Breeches to Gaitered Trousers
Breeches are a bifurcated garment covering the lower body from waist to knees or just below the knees. These garments were standard everyday attire for European and American men from the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries. Breeches were worn for both evening wear and day wear. They might be made of leather or buckskin for laborers …
Continue reading “Evolution from Breeches to Gaitered Trousers”
Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 