The Seven Years’ War (AKA French and Indian War) officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris by France, Great Britain and Spain on February 10, 1763. In the early 1750s, France’s expansion into the Ohio River valley repeatedly brought the country into armed conflict with the British colonies. In 1756, the British …
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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 …
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). …
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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, …
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”
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”
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 …
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?””
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 …
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”
Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 