John Dickinson and the Case Against Independence
July 1, 1776, witnessed one of the most consequential debates in American history. The venue was the floor of the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia. The topic was whether America should declare independence. The principal participants were the passionate...
Shots Fired, Ship Burned: The Sons of Liberty vs the HMS Gaspee
“For transporting us beyond seas, to be tried for pretended offences.” From the Declaration of Independence, one of the charges against the King that justified secession. It was built on a violent American raid on a British ship years earlier that few of us are ever...
The Runup to the Declaration of Independence
In the years before 1763, the British Empire—although in theory a unified entity—was really a federation. The central government in London controlled foreign affairs and the imperial post office. It also regulated trade with foreign countries and among units of the...