Merry Christmas, Grandfather

In 1809, a clever lad wrote to his grandfather wishing him a “Merry Christmas”. Thomas Jefferson was pleased to receive the letter and most taken with the new phrase popular in the new country, “Merry Christmas”. Christmas observances in colonial and revolutionary America (1630s-1830s) were very different from our current practices. How one observed Christmas…

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On This September Day in American History

September 2, 1789 – The third Presidential cabinet department, the U.S. Treasury, was established by Congress September 3, 1783 – The Treaty of Paris was signed by John Adams, Ben Franklin and John Jay, formally ending the American Revolutionary War between Britain and the United States. September 5, 1774 – The First Continental Congress assembled…

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Recognizing America’s Founding Father’s

The term “Founding Fathers” was first coined in Chicago in 1915 at the Republican National Convention. Warren G. Harding used the phrase in his keynote address. The phrase took hold and now serves as a clearly defining representation of who our founding fathers were and what they believed. Warren G. Harding, 29th President of the…

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Ten Facts: Women During the Revolutionary War

Fact #1: Women followed the armies and provided a sense of normality to military camps. Often known as camp followers, it was common for women and children to follow the army. Each woman had their own motivations for following the armies: most were the wives, daughters, and/or mothers of male soldiers and wanted to stay…

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