American Revolution
Principles of ’98: Rooted in the American Revolution
In response to the hated Alien and Sedition Acts, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison drafted the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions of 1798, sometimes referred to as the “Principles of ‘98.” But the principles behind them were nothing new – they were part of a...
The Albany Plan: Benjamin Franklin’s Forgotten Call for Colonial Unity
On May 9, 1754 – just about a month before the Albany Congress was set to meet – Benjamin Franklin published his famous Join or Die political cartoon in The Pennsylvania Gazette, symbolizing his now long-forgotten call for a colonial union. Although it was...
The Satirical Genius of Benjamin Franklin’s 1774 Letter to Lord North
“A friend to military government.” That’s not what we’d expect from one of the leading supporters of American independence, but that’s just how Benjamin Franklin signed his “Open Letter to Lord North.” While many American colonists confronted arbitrary British power...
Prelude to Independence: Thomas Jefferson Declares British Acts Null and Void
“A nullity” and “we declare these acts void” This was the bold conclusion about British Acts that Thomas Jefferson came to in his powerful pamphlet A Summary View of the Rights of British America. Written nearly two years before the...