The Revolutionary War and the Quakers
As I rub imaginary elbows with the men and women who fought the Revolutionary War, I am constantly amazed at the variety of people who joined in the conflict. They were ordinary every-day… Continue reading
Category Archive: American history
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History of Christmas Postcards
When I sat down last week to take care of the most time-consuming and expensive of all my Christmas projects–that of preparing Christmas cards–I wondered how this dying art form got its start.… Continue reading
The First Thanksgiving
As the days grow shorter and colder and the leaves fall from the trees, it’s time to celebrate the holidays. Thanksgiving has always been my family’s favorite holiday, beating out Christmas by a… Continue reading
Naming Rights and the First Governor of New Jersey
The source of place names always fascinates me. We are at the shore this week, enjoying Cape May Point with family. It has me wondering about the name of the place. Who was… Continue reading
The Swamp Fox: Hero of the Revolution
One of my writing passions is taking those tantalizing footnotes of history and weaving stories around them. Celebrating Independence Day got me thinking about heroes and reminded me that there are some who… Continue reading
George Washington’s Tent
History is made up of people, places, events—and objects. Among the latter Washington’s Marquee (his campaign tent) stands out, if only for its arc of American history. I first saw the tent at… Continue reading
Battery 223 and a Day at the Beach
One of the joys of moving east is how close we are to the coast. When I discovered I could lunch at Cape May and enjoy a day at the shore and still… Continue reading
Rosie the Riveter
As this week marks the 75th anniversary of Rosie the Riveter, the iconic symbol of women filling in for men at industrial job sites while they were fighting an overseas war, it’s a good… Continue reading
War and Remembrance: the Origins of Memorial Day
At the end of America’s bloodiest conflict, there was scarcely a household North or South that had not suffered loss. Estimates of the dead due to combat, accidents, starvation, and disease range from… Continue reading
The Yellow Slave Trade
Recently, a human trafficking operation was exposed in Florida, in which young Chinese girls were imported under the guise of finding legitimate employment and then made to perform sexual acts from the cover… Continue reading