Historical Tidbits — QUARTERING 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. June 2, 1774 – QUARTERING ACT made provisions for British troops to be given food and shelter at the expense of the American colonies, especially Massachusetts where a large …

US Marines in the American Revolution — Fighting Tops

29 May 1781 Early in May 1781, the Continental frigate Alliance sailed home from France. Between the Newfoundland Banks and the Amer­ican coast she moved cautiously for that stretch of water was dominated by the enemy. The weather, however, proved to be more destructive. Amid booming rolls of thunder and a heavy sea on the …

US Marines in the American Revolution — John Adams Reviews John Paul Jones’ Marines

13 May 1779 On 13 May 1779, soon after John Adams, American Commissioner to France, arrived at the Port of L’Orient, France, on board the Continental frigate Alliance, he and 16 other officers and gentlemen were given an elegant dinner by John Paul Jones at L’Epee Royal, a fashionable inn situated on the port’s waterfront. …

Historical Tidbits — 2nd Continental Congress

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      2nd Continental Congress As the first Continental Congress adjourned in December 1774, they agreed that should Parliament not repeal the Coercive Acts by May, they would …

Historical Tidbits — Rhode Island declares independence

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 4, 1776                        Rhode Island declares independence. Rhode Island, the colony founded by the most radical religious dissenters from the Puritans of Massachusetts Bay Colony, becomes the first North …

Historical Tidbits — The Midnight Ride

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. April 18, 1775     The Midnight Ride of William Dawes and Paul Revere. Thanks to Longfellow, hardly a scholar or school child alive does not know the name of Paul …

Freedom Means NOTHING Unless You Also Embrace Tolerance

Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one’s own beliefs. Rather it condemns the oppression or persecution of others. John F Kennedy As Americans we focus a lot on our Constitutional Freedoms.  Frankly, we are far more enthralled with these than most of the rest of the world for in the time since our Revolution, …

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 …

US Marines in the American Revolution — A Marine Lieutenant Dies

6 April 1776 The voyage northward following the raid on New Providence was routine. An hour into the midnight watch on 6 April 1776, however, the situation changed ; two unidentified sails were sighted to the southeast. All hands were called to quarters as the distance closed, and it became clear that one of the …