We all think of Benjamin Franklin as a grandfatherly type who invented and published things, sort of that eccentric neighbor who was everyone’s friend, but there was a ruthless side to Franklin. In 1728, a printer named Samuel Keimer founded the Pennsylvania Gazette, the second newspaper ever printed in the colony. It did not do …
Continue reading “Dirty Business and Politics are Often Bedfellows”
Catholicism in England was heavily repressed under Queen Elizabeth I, particularly after the pope excommunicated her in 1570. During her reign, dozens of priests were put to death, and Catholics could not even legally celebrate Mass or be married according to their own rites. When James I took the throne upon Elizabeth’s death in 1603, …
Continue reading “Remember, Remember the 5th of November, Gunpowder, Treason and Plot…”
Gulliver’s Travels, or Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships is Jonathan Swift’s best known work, and a classic of English literature but the Irish writer and clergyman didn’t write his “traveler’s tale” as a children’s book. Swift …
Continue reading ““Gulliver’s Travels” is first published on October 28th, 1726″
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. July 15, 1715 – The Riot Act took effect in Britain. Assemblies of more than a dozen people could be forcibly dispersed in order to maintain the peace. The …
The acquisition of indentured servants and slaves began with the earliest days of the settling of America. Before 1680, the most common form of bound labor was the white indentured servant. Up to two-thirds of the English migrants who came to Virginia between 1630 and 1680 arrived in servile status. In return for the cost …
We all think of Benjamin Franklin as a grandfatherly type who invented and published things, sort of that eccentric neighbor who was everyone’s friend, but there was a ruthless side to Franklin. In 1728, a printer named Samuel Keimer founded the Pennsylvania Gazette, the second newspaper ever printed in the colony. It did not do …
Continue reading “Dirty Business and Politics are Often Bedfellows”
We all think of Benjamin Franklin as a grandfatherly type who invented and published things, sort of that eccentric neighbor who was everyone’s friend, but there was a ruthless side to Franklin. In 1728, a printer named Samuel Keimer founded the Pennsylvania Gazette, the second newspaper ever printed in the colony. It did not do …
Continue reading “Dirty Business and Politics are Often Bedfellows”
Gulliver’s Travels, or Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships is Jonathan Swift’s best known work, and a classic of English literature but the Irish writer and clergyman didn’t write his “traveler’s tale” as a children’s book. Swift …
Continue reading ““Gulliver’s Travels” is first published on October 28th, 1726″
Thomas Jefferson is noted for reminding us that “a little rebellion now and then is a good thing.” On this Independence Day, I think it is fitting to consider our current government in the context of the charges and accusations levied against the British Crown that lead to rebellion. As you watch parades on Independence …
Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 