250 and Counting

Awhile back we talked about a Loyalist who wrote an opinion piece under the pen name “Massachusettensis” (which we may have mocked a little bit but it’s just the Latin word for the Colony/State). His rhetoric angered John Adams to the point where he felt compelled to respond in kind, and he did so using … Continue reading 250 and Counting: January 23, 1775

It’s Cake and Candles today for Abraham Henry Schenck, State Assemblyman and then Congressman from New York State. But despite being from New York, and being a member of Congress, during his tenure as State Assemblyman he had something going on back at home. It wasn’t common in New York, but it wasn’t unheard of—nor … Continue reading 250 and Counting: January 22, 1775

As we’ve noted a few times, the Colonists in general didn’t want war with Britain; in fact most of them were pretty sure they were going to get wiped out should it come to that. Even our most famous Patriots of the time, such as John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and others, spent enormous … Continue reading 250 and Counting: January 21, 1775

Note: we inadvertently posted the January 20 episode yesterday. That episode has been replaced with the correct one, so if you want to hear the real January 19th episode, scroll down to the previous post and listen “again.” Apologies for the error and any confusion. It’s Cake and Candles today for André-Marie Ampère. He was … Continue reading 250 and Counting: January 20, 1775

Most people (we think) have this popular notion of American history involving the British imposing taxes and massacreing people in Boston and the Colonists responding with an indignant “Oh, we need to dump some tea and write a Declaration of Independence and take up arms and shoot those red-coated monsters right now!” But if you’ve … Continue reading 250 and Counting: January 19, 1775

When the Provincial Congress of Georgia met in the city of Savannah, the natural place for them to meet was a place called Tondee’s Tavern. Georgians were no fans of British activities such as the Intolerable Acts, but they otherwise prospered under British rule and remained largely indifferent to the mother country. However, while the … Continue reading 250 and Counting: January 18, 1775

In the early 1770s, the American colonies began feeling the need to defend themselves against British pressures. In some cases the activity was political, but there were plenty of people who saw that there could conceivably be a need to take up arms at some point, especially given the way they interpreted the Intolerable Acts. … Continue reading 250 and Counting: January 17, 1775

We suppose there’s something kind of heroic and–dare we say it, romantic–about the idea of a bunch of men dressing up as Native Americans, sneaking onto a boat and throwing 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. And as an overt act of rebellion, it certainly made a splash (you should excuse the expression). But … Continue reading 250 and Counting: January 16, 1775

Chances are, if you do your basic Google search for “first Mountain Man,” among the top results you’ll get would be a man named John Colter. We’d argue that he was ONE OF the first, but the real anser, as youll hear today, is Joseph Harrison Dixon. Dixon and Colter did, in fact, spend some … Continue reading 250 and Counting: January 15, 1775

William Legge was the Second Earl of Dartmouth and, just before the hostilities between the Colonists and the British started in earnest, was also the Secretary of State for the Colonies and the First Lord of Trade. Lord Dartmouth noticed that people throughout the Colonies appeared to be preparing for all-out war, so he sent … Continue reading 250 and Counting: January 14, 1775

At one time there were rumors that Benjamin Franklin had lots and lots of children born out of wedlock. (Insert your favorite “lightning rod” joke here.) As usual, the real story is more complicated than that. Franklin courted a woman named Deborah Reed. At the time, he was 17 and she was 15, so her … Continue reading 250 and Counting: January 13, 1775

Joseph Gist wasn’t an especially distinguished person, but you don’t have to be distinguised to get noticed on 250 and Counting. Gist was born in Union County, SC and while he moved to Charleston in his teen and college years, he moved to Pinckneyville to practice law. Pinckneyville was part of the Ninety-Six District, which … Continue reading 250 and Counting: January 12, 1775

Francis Salvador was a man who is in the history books for two notable things: the day he was elected to public office, and the day he died in the Revoluationary War. That doesn’t ordinarily make a person notable, but Salvador had the distinction of being the first person of his faith to achieve these … Continue reading 250 and Counting: January 11, 1775

James Sewall Morsell was a lawyer and then a judge in Maryland and Washington DC for the better part of his career. Perhaps most notable about his long tenure is that he handled freedom petitions for many Black Americans during the slavery era as the families’ representative, something that many other attorneys were not willing … Continue reading 250 and Counting: January 10, 1775

Daniel Leonard was the son of a prominent family in the ironworks industry. He lived in Taunton, Massachusetts until shortly after he accepted a position working for the Royal Governor of the state, at which point he became unpopular enough that he was forced to move to Boston, which was under British occupation at the … Continue reading 250 and Counting: January 9, 1775

It’s Cake and Candles today for Brigadier General John Harrison, born this day in 1775 in Pennsylvania. Harrison became a local official in his home county until the War of 1812, when he enlisted and his company was sent to defend Baltimore against the British in one of the war’s biggest victories for the American … Continue reading 250 and Counting: January 8, 1775

By all accounts, Ben Franklin was a charming guy. And while he has a reputation today for being the sort of ladies’ man who left behind lots of children with single moms, that wasn’t really the case (as you’ll discover in a future episode). But part of his charm came from his diplomacy skills, which … Continue reading 250 and Counting: January 7, 1775

The impression that most people have of John Adams, it seems, comes from one of two places. It’s either William Daniels’ portrayal of him in the play and film 1776 (and we’re big fans of that particular bit of cinema), or it’s Paul Giamatti’s portrayal in the seven-part miniseries on cable TV. Both stories had … Continue reading 250 and Counting: January 6, 1775

Daniel Dobbins was born this day in 1775. We’re pretty sure that’s the date; listen in and find out why. Dobbins spent most of his time on the waters of Lake Erie. He—and most of the people in the Lower Peninsula of modern-day Michigan—didn’t even know that the War of 1812 was going on until … Continue reading 250 and Counting: January 5, 1775

Samuel Seabury was a prominent figure in the Protestant Episcopal Church on this side of the pond. From a political standpoint, he was a Loyalist and spent some time writing pieces urging his followers not to seek independence from England. One piece in particular, which he wrote using a pen name, lit a fire under … Continue reading 250 and Counting: January 4, 1775

Thomas Flournoy was born this day in 1775, and while he therefore didn’t have a lot to do with the Revolutionary War, he did have an impact on the Florida Patriot War and on the War of 1812. Now, we’re pretty sure you’ve heard of the War of 1812 but we’re willing to bet that … Continue reading 250 and Counting–January 3, 1775

The Philadelphia Packet was a weekly newspaper that had only been around for about four years by the start of 1775, so tensions between the Colonies and the Crown were already in place from the first issue. But while publisher John Dunlap generally sided with the Americans, he did feel a responsibility to present both … Continue reading 250 and Counting: January 2, 1775

Welcome to the inaugural episode of 250 and Counting! This is a daily podcast, but don’t worry—it only runs about four or five minutes per day. Those of you of a certain age (ahem) may remember the Bicentennial Minute. For those of you who don’t: As the 200th anniversary of the United States approached, our … Continue reading 250 and Counting: January 1, 1775