Photo courtesy of the author One of the things I love to do is travel to historic American places to learn about our history. One such place is Philadelphia, where I visited many historic spots within the city. Previously, I wrote about the “President’s House,” which was essentially the original White House when the capital moved from New York to Philadelphia prior to moving to its final location in Washington, DC. Today, I am going to focus on the Liberty Bell and the histor

Montgomery, Washington, and Arnold In 1662, the first American lime kiln began operation in Providence, Rhode Island. In 1776, the HMS Cruizer was ordered to sail up the Cape Fear River, but turned back when it saw the impressive defensive breastworks of the city. The HMS Cruizer attempted to land a raiding party but was forced to abandon it after receiving rifle fire from both sides of the river. The ship was continually fired upon until it left the river area. In 1776, Col

"There are strong minds in every walk of life, that will rise superior to the disadvantages of situations, and will command the tribute due to their merit, not only from the classes to which they particularly belong, but from the society in general." Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 36

Library of Congress In 1654, according to the terms of the capitulation protocol, Portugal decreed that Jewish and Dutch settlers had three months to leave Brazil. Approximately 150 Jewish families of Portuguese descent fled the Brazilian city of Recife, in the state of Pernambuco. By September, twenty-three of these refugees had established the first community of Jews in New Amsterdam. In 1782, the Battle of Frigate Bay took place between a British fleet under Rear-Admiral S

"There is no part of the administration of government that requires extensive information, and a thorough knowledge of the principles of political economy, so much as the business of taxation. The man who understands those principles best, will be the least likely to resort to oppressive expedients, or to sacrifice any particular class of citizens to the procurement of revenue." Alexander Hamilton, Federalist Paper No. 35 .

In 1775, Americans dragged cannon up hill to fight the British at Gun Hill Road, Bronx. When the British navy landed on Staten Island in 1775, New York City Patriots feared an imminent invasion. They did not want the precious cannon at the Battery to fall into enemy hands. In December 1775, they took the cannon to the mainland and scattered them roughly along present-day Gun Hill Road from today’s Jerome Avenue across the Bronx River to modern White Plains Road. In 1776, fro

"To judge from the history of mankind, we shall be compelled to conclude, that the fiery and destructive passions of war reign in the human breast with much more powerful sway, that the mild and beneficent sentiments of peace; and that to model our political systems upon speculations of lasting tranquility, would be to calculate on the weaker springs of the human character." Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist Paper, No. 34

In 1639, the Connecticut colony was organized under the Fundamental Orders. In 1648, Lord Baltimore's representative, Margaret Brent ejected from the Maryland Council after requestingthe right to vote. In 1656, the first Jewish doctor in the North American colonies, Jacob Lumbrozo, arrived in Maryland. In 1776 , Colonel Henry Knox arrived in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with the 43 British cannons and 16 mortars captured by Ethan Allen at Fort Ticonderoga. These artillery piece

Elizabeth Blackwell Letter In 1776, Washington  writes   Charles Lee to confront hard realities: Canada falters after Quebec, yet reinforcements are finally on the march. He warns Lee that British General  Henry Clinton has sailed from Boston, destination unknown but likely New York. New York and Washington believes may decide the war. In 1789, Georgetown College (now Georgetown University ) was established in Washington, D.C. In 1849, Elizabeth Blackwell received an M.D.

Florida Keys Railroad - 1912 In 1673, the Postal service between New York and Boston was inaugurated. In 1776, the HMS Blue Mountain Valley was captured by the colonials after it was in distress off the coast of Sandy Hook, NJ. In 1776, Washington spent much of the day at his desk, binding the war together with letters. New Hampshire’s General Court  reports that it has already advanced wages to men marching for Canada and accepts his assurance that Congress will reimburse t

Angel Island In 1677, the first medical publication in America, a pamphlet on smallpox, was published in Boston In 1776, Washington issued  General Orders directing regimental commanders to send knowledgeable officers into the countryside to purchase serviceable firearms. Recruits who bring their own guns will be paid for their use and compensated if those weapons are lost. In 1789, the first American novel, William Hill Brown's "The Power of Sympathy," was published by Isa

Elizabeth Cady Stanton In 1776, from Cambridge, Washington drafted detailed instructions to Captain Charles Dyar, sending the schooner Harrison to prowl the sea around Boston: Seize supply ships, gather enemy intelligence from letters and papers, waste no powder, and treat prisoners with humanity. In 1778, the 1st American military court-martial trial began in Cambridge, Massachusetts In 1801, U.S. President John Adams nominated John Marshall to be C hief Justice of the Su

"A LAW, by the very meaning of the term, includes supremacy. It is a rule, which those to whom it is prescribed are bound to observe. This results from every political association. If individuals enter into a state of society, the laws of that society must be the supreme regulator of their conduct. If a number of political societies enter into a larger political society, the laws which the latter may enact, pursuant to the powers intrusted to it by its constitution, must

William Windom, Former US Senator from MN In 1776, Washington convenes a Council of War at headquarters; John Adams and James Warren attend. Washington lays out his conviction that a bold stroke against the ministerial army in Boston must come before spring reinforcements. The council answers unanimously: Attempt it as soon as circumstances favor. In 1777, Vermont declared independence from New York. In 1847, John C. Frémont was appointed Governor of the new California Territ

Ethel Hedgeman In 1639, in Hartford, Connecticut , the first constitution in the American colonies, the “ Fundamental Orders ,” was adopted by representatives of Wethersfield, Windsor, and Hartford. In 1776, Washington writes a frank letter to Joseph Reed, his former secretary and a trusted confidant, responding to Reed’s private criticisms. He thanks Reed for speaking plainly and insists that the unguarded truth is the only remedy for error. In 1777, the people of New Connec

Andrew Jackson In 1733, James Oglethorpe and some 120 English colonists arrived at Charleston, South Carolina, while en route to settle in present-day Georgia. In 1776, writing to the Massachusetts General Court, Washington exposed the army’s mounting crisis. Far fewer arms have been collected from discharged soldiers at year’s end than expected, and nearly all of those have already been reissued to recruits. He urges Massachusetts to gather arms from towns immediately. In 17

"The third will be found in that clause which declares, that congress shall have power "to establish an UNIFORM RULE of naturalization throughout the United States." This must necessarily be exclusive, because if each state had the power to prescribe a DISTRINCT RULE, there could be no UNIFORM RULE." Alexander Hamilton, Federalist Paper #32

Historical Charleston Museum - this one burned and has been replaced with a plain brick building. In 1773, the oldest public museum in the United States was established in colonial Charleston , South Carolina. Its original purpose was to promote a better understanding of agriculture and herbal medicine in the area. In 1776, nearly two weeks after the failed American assault on Quebec, Washington remained unaware of the defeat or of Richard Montgomery’s death. He writes Montg

In 1776, Thomas Paine published Common Sense, setting forth his arguments in favor of American independence. In 1776, in Washington's General Orders, he notes that "the day dawns tense and watchful at Cambridge. Last night, under cover of darkness, Major Thomas Knowlton and a chosen party performed a raid near the enemy’s works on Bunker Hill, burning targeted houses without firing a single shot." In 1779, after a short but heavy bombardment by the British navy, Fort Morris s

In 1675, First American commercial corporation chartered (NY Fishing Co.). In 1790, George Washington delivers first State of the Union address. In 1806, Explorer William Clark views skeleton of a 105 ft whale washed up on Cannon Beach, inhabited by the Tillamook Nation (modern Oregon). In 1815, U.S. General Andrew Jackson defeated Great Britain in the Battle of New Orleans , the final engagement in the War of 1812 . In 1835, US national debt reaches $0 for the first and on

Second Bank of the United States In 1608, Jamestown, VA is destroyed by fire. In 1776, In a letter to Connecticut governor Jonathan Trumbull, Washington warns that British ships fitting out in Boston are likely bound for New York. If the enemy seizes the city and the North River, he writes, they will command the country and open communication with Canada. He resolves to send Charles Lee ahead, gathering winter volunteers and disarming suspected loyalists. In 1789, the first U

In 1752, Great Britain (excluding Scotland) and its colonies, move New Year to January 1. Previously the British have observed the New Year on March 25. Scotland had changed to January 1 in 1600. In 1776 , The Burning of Norfolk was an incident during the American War of Independence. British Royal Navy ships in the harbor of Norfolk, Virginia began shelling the town, and landing parties came ashore to burn specific properties. In 1776, In his first General Orders of the new

Men, upon to many occasions, do not give their own understandings fair play; but yielding to some untoward bias, they entangle themselves in words, and confound themselves in subtleties. Alexander Hamilton, Federalist Paper No. 31

As we enter 2026 let the celebrations for the United States of America begin. And with those celebrations let a revival of American History that is based on fact begin to permeate the country to counter those who would revise our history in such a way as to denigrate the country. Each country has a history that includes the good, the bad and the ugly (to paraphrase the Clint Eastwood movie) but our country has more good than anything else because of what it represented to hu