Burning of Buffalo, 1813 In 1775, In his General Orders, Washington confronts the problem of expiring enlistments at year’s end: Soldiers may receive only one month’s overdue pay due to a shortage of cash; commissaries must supply rations for the men’s journeys home; and recruiters are authorized to enlist free Black soldiers, a significant shift. In 1813, The British burned Buffalo, N.Y., during the War of 1812. In 1853, The United States acquired nearly 30,000 square miles

"A complete power, therefore to procure a regular and adequate supply of revenue, as far as the resources of the community will permit, may be regarded as an indispensable ingredient in every constitution." Alexander Hamilton, Federalist Paper No. 30 *Question - did the Founder's mean for taxation to go as far as it has in modern America?

Sir Archibald Campbell, British Lt. Col at Battle of Savannah In 1775, In his General Orders, Washington delivers news: Congress has sent far less money than expected. Only one month’s pay can be distributed, as remaining funds must cover advance pay for the new army and other expenses. He also orders that no discharged men may leave camp with ammunition. In 1778, British Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Campbell and his force of between 2,500 and 3,600 troops, which included the

Lakotah Tribe In 1732, Benjamin Franklin  of Philadelphia first published Poor Richard’s Almanack . The book, filled with proverbs preaching industry and prudence, was published continuously for 25 years and became one of the most popular publications in colonial America, selling an average of 10,000 copies a year. In 1775, Washington reads an intercepted letter from Lord Dunmore to General Howe, which includes plans to “reduce” the southern colonies to obedience. He forwards

Ethan Allen In 1620, Mayflower arrives at Plymouth Harbor. In 1775, News has reached Washington of Ethan Allen’s brutal treatment in British captivity. Enraged, Washington drafts a letter to General William Howe. His tone is formal but cold: If Allen continues to suffer, Brigadier General Richard Prescott, held by the Americans, will receive “exactly” the same treatment. In 1777, General George Washington’s army celebrated the first national Thanksgiving in Gulph Mills and o

The same persons who tell us in one breath, that the powers of the federal government will be despotic and unlimited, inform us in the next, that it has not the authority sufficient event to call out the POSSE COMITATUS. Alexander Hamilton, Federalist Paper No. 29

Richard Kuklinski In 1728, Congregation Shearith Israel of New York purchases a lot on Mill Street in Lower Manhattan to build the city's first synagogue In 1775, Henry Knox writes to report he has successfully moved the captured Ticonderoga artillery across Lake Champlain. He has prepared 42 sleds and secured 80 yoke of oxen. If the snow holds, Knox believes he can present Washington with a “noble train of artillery” within weeks. In 1777, French foreign minister Charles Gra

In 1775, Washington writes to Joseph Reed, a trusted advisor, revealing his anxieties. He thanks Reed for alerting him to local jealousies in Massachusetts and apologizes if his demanding duties have made him seem uncourteous. He worries over slow enlistments, the lack of money from Congress, and unauthorized camp letters appearing in newspapers. In 1791, the Bill of Rights was ratified when Virginia became the tenth state to ratify those first amendments to the U.S. Constitu

"If the representatives of the people betray their constituents, there is then no resource left but in the exertion of that original right of self-defense which is paramount to all positive forms of government, and which against the usurpations of the national rulers, may be exerted with infinitely better prospect of success than against those of the rulers of an individual state." Alexander Hamilton, Federalist Paper No. 28

Saturday Night Fever In 1775, In the day’s General Orders, Washington announces the appointment of Henry Knox, a 25-year-old Boston bookseller with a passion for artillery, as colonel of the new regiment of artillery. Washington’s respect for Knox’s knowledge of gunnery, self-taught from European manuals, is evident. In 1787, Pennsylvania  becomes the second state to ratify  the Constitution , by a vote of 46 to 23. Pennsylvania was the first large state to ratify, as well as

It merits particular attention in this place, that the laws of the confederacy, as to the enumerated and legitimate objects of its jurisdiction, will become the SUPREME LAW of the land; to the observance of which, all officers, legislative, executive, and juducial, in each state, will be bound by the sanctity of an oath. Alexander Hamilton, Federalist Paper No. 27

Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback In 1620, 103 Mayflower pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. In 1719, First recorded display of Aurora Borealis (northern lights) in New England. In 1775, William Sever writes from Watertown with encouraging news: The Massachusetts legislature has created quarantine measures for refugees suspected of smallpox. In 1775, From his Cambridge headquarters, Washington writes to John Hancock, president of Congress. He reports that smallpox may indeed be

"...if we are not cautious to avoid the repetition of the error, in our future attempts to rectify and ameliorate our system, we may travel from one chimerical project to another: we may try change after change; but we shall never be likely to make any material change for the better." Alexander Hamilton, Federalist Papers No. 26 While this quote is directly related to how one conducts itself after a revolution to secure private rights with the energy of government it is also

In 1672, New York Governor Lovelace announces monthly mail service between New York & Boston. In 1690, a failed attack on Quebec and subsequent near-mutiny force the Massachusetts Bay Colony to issue the first paper currency  in the history of the Western Hemisphere. In 1765, the Connecticut Resolutions are issued. In 1775, Lund Washington, the General’s cousin and farm manager, writes from Mount Vernon about land deals, troublesome tenants, and the idea of shipping flour an

"Wise politicians will be cautious about fettering the government with restrictions that cannot be observed, because they know that every breach of the fundamental laws, though dictated by necessity, impairs that sacred reverence which ought to be maintained in the breast of rulers towards the constitution of a country, and forms a precedent for other breaches where the same plea of necessity does not exist at all, or is less urgent and palpable." Alexander

John Pulitzer In 1775, From Albany, General Philip Schuyler writes Washington to report on cannon at Ticonderoga and Crown Point and lays out a bigger vision. Reinforce him with 3,000 men, he insists, and he can drive into Canada and help secure Quebec. In 1775, At Fort Ticonderoga, New York, Henry Knox begins his historic transport of abandoned British artillery to Boston, Massachusetts, later forces the British to evacuate Boston. In 1793, The first edition of the "American

Montgomery Bus Boycott In 1492, Christopher Columbus lands on and names the island of Hispaniola. Convinced he has reached the Indies and found the gold-rich biblical land of Ophir, he has in fact done neither. In 1775, Colonel Henry Knox writes from Fort George, New York. Knox reports he has reached the edge of Lake George and begun preparations to haul captured British artillery from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston. He lists the cannon and mortars in careful detail but admits th

Washington Retires his Commission In 1619, Thirty-eight colonists from Berkeley Parish, England, disembark in Virginia and give thanks to God, considered by many the first Thanksgiving in the Americas. In 1682, First General Assembly in Pennsylvania (Chester). In 1775, Washington faces a flood of administrative demands. He writes to Colonel Alexander McDougall in New York. The recent capture of the British ordnance ship Nancy has supplied his army with shells and shot, but he

The San Jacinto Battlefield Monument is located in La Porte, Texas near the Chevron Oil Refinery. It is the site of the last battle between the Texians and the Mexicans during the 1836 Texas Revolution and it is majestic in its grandeur while encompassing a much larger area than I expected due to the refineries nearby. Just a little background on the Battle of San Jacinto. This is the last battle of the Texas Revolution which led to Texas’ independence. The Texians led by Gen

Willis Carrier - hero of every southern summer In 1773, Three Charleston, South Carolina Merchants were forced to go down to the docks and drop the “illegal” tea they ordered into the harbor, thirteen days before Boston’s “party”. In 1775, In his General Orders, Washington expresses “surprise and astonishment” that several Connecticut soldiers could abandon their duty so close to the end of their enlistment. He sends an express to Governor Jonathan Trumbull with their names s

"The fabric of American empire ought to rest on the solid basis of THE CONSENT OF THE PEOPLE. The streams of national power ought to flow immediately from that pure, original fountain of all legitimate authority." Alexander Hamilton, Federalist Paper No. 22

Deputy Sheriff Elfebo Baca In 1641, Massachusetts becomes the first colony to give statutory recognition to slavery. In 1775, Washington issues orders: Too many soldiers have been straying from their posts, ignoring duty, and leaving the lines exposed to surprise attack. Washington warns of “fatal consequences” when men are “scattered and remote from their posts.” From now on, no officer or soldier may leave his station without written permission. In 1779, General George Wash