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Posted at The National Archives: Nations come into being in many ways. Military rebellion, civil strife, acts of heroism, acts of treachery, a thousand greater and lesser clashes between defenders of the old order and supporters of the new--all these occurrences and more have marked the emergences of new nations, large and small. The birth of our own nation included them all. That birth was unique, not only in the immensity of its later impact on the course of world history and the growth of democracy, but also because so many of the threads in our national history run back through time to come together in one place, in one time, and in one document: the Declaration of Independence. Moving Toward Independence The clearest call for independence up to the summer of 1776 came in Philadelphia on June 7. On that date in session in the Pennsylvania State House (later Independence Hall), the Continental Congress heard Richard Henry Lee of Virginia read his resolution beginning: "Resolved

By R. Andrew Myers -  Posted at Log College Press: In the summer of 1780, five years into the American War of Independence, Major Patrick Ferguson of the British Army was assigned the task of organizing Loyalist militia forces and protecting the flank of Lord Cornwallis’ main force in the Carolina backwoods. A pivotal event in the Southern campaign of the war was the Patriots’ victory over Tory and regular forces at the Battle of Musgrove Mill In Laurens County, South Carolina on August 18, 1780. It inspired Patriots in the area to believe that the South Carolina backcountry was up for grabs. By September 25, Colonels Isaac Shelby, John Sevier and Charles McDowell, with their 600 Overmountain Men, had united with Col. William Campbell and his 400 men from Virginia in the territory of the Watauga Association at Sycamore Shoals near what is now Elizabethton, Tennessee, in preparation for what would become a major battle in the war at Kings Mountain in South Carolina. On September 26, 178

 Posted at Blogging the Revolution: Published July 4, 2007 In May of 1776, George Mason authored the Virginia Declaration of Rights, the first authoritative formulation of the doctrine of inalienable rights, which was to become the basis for the American Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights of the Constitution of the United States.  The Second Continental Congress met on May 10, 1776, in the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia. The Declaration of Independence was written and members of the Second Continental Congress decided to officially put the colonies in a state of defense.  On June 7, 1776, Virginian Richard Henry Lee made his famous proposal to congress: “that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States.”   On July 4th, the Declaration of Independence was signed in Congress.  On July 8th, the Liberty Bell rang out to call the people of Philadelphia to hear the first reading of the Declaration of Independence. The nex

 By Jane L. Green - Posted at Journal of the American Revolution : "On the morning of March 9, a sergeant appeared at the guard house and told Ditson to strip to his breeches. More men followed carrying a bucket of tar and a feather pillow. An officer standing in the doorway ordered the men to tar and feather Ditson from head to toe, including his pants. After he was tarred and feathered, a soldier read a placard to him and then hung it around his neck. According to Ditson’s oath, it proclaimed, 'American Liberty or Democracy exemplified in a villain who attempted to incite one of the soldiers of his Majesty’s 47th Regiment to desert and take up arms with rebels against his King and country.'” The status of Thomas Ditson, Jr., as a minor hero of the American Revolution has more to do with the perception that he was an average, unpretentious farmer caught in the wrong place at the wrong time than with specific displays of courage. A deeper look at his activities reveals yea

 By Al Baker - Posted at Forget None of His Benefits : FORGET NONE OF HIS BENEFITS volume 20, number 42, October 21, 2021 “Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks to God, as he had been doing previously.” -Daniel 6:10 When the power brokers in Babylon were offended by Daniel’s continued allegiance to Yahweh, they convinced King Darius to put forth a law requiring all of his subjects to pray to him alone. Daniel, in good conscience, could not and would not submit to the decree. He continued praying daily to the only true God. Hence his banishment to the lion’s den and miraculous deliverance by Yahweh, the eternal, sovereign, all powerful God of creation, providence, and salvation. In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic the Federal and state governments of our nation severely restricted public gatherings for family picnics, sporting events, concerts, church worship serv

By Patrick Henry -   Posted at Colonial Williamsburg: To avoid interference from Governor Dunmore, the Second Virginia Convention met March 20, 1775 inland at Richmond — in what is now called St. John's Church — instead of the Capitol in Williamsburg. Delegate Patrick Henry presented resolutions to raise and establish a militia, and to put Virginia in a posture of defense. Henry's opponents urged caution and patience until the crown replied to Congress' latest petition for reconciliation. On the 23rd, Henry presented a proposal to organize a volunteer company of cavalry or infantry in every Virginia county. By custom, Henry addressed himself to the Convention's president, Peyton Randolph of Williamsburg. Henry's words were not transcribed, but no one who heard them forgot their eloquence, or Henry's closing words: "Give me liberty, or give me death!" Henry's first biographer, William Wirt of Maryland, was three years old in 1775. An assistant feder

Hotchkiss, Jedediah. Map of Augusta Co., Virginia , -1770. [1886] Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/99446927/ .  By David T. Myers - Posted at This Day in Presbyterian History: It was simple and direct. The mass meeting of people from the Virginia county of Augusta in Stanton chose two delegates to represent them in Richmond, Virginia in the Virginia Convention. One was Thomas Lewis and the other one was Samuel McDowell. That these delegates would faithfully be the representatives of them, the following written instructions were given to them: “Many of us and our forefathers left our native land, and explored this once savage wilderness to enjoy the free exercise of the rights of conscience and of human nature. Those rights we are fully resolved with our lives and our fortunes inviolably to preserve; nor will we surrender such inestimable blessings, the purchase of toil and danger, to any ministry, to any Parliament, or to any body of men upon earth by whom we are not represented and in w

Battle of Moore's Creek Re-enactment - Piedmont Trails Posted at Piedmont Trails: The normal teachings of this period discusses the forefathers and their actions that proclaimed separation from England, but in truth, it was widely known to many settlers and pioneers of North Carolina that religious beliefs would not allow a king to overpower their livelihood and progress. Families would worship one king and that was Jesus Christ. This was the ultimate division between the colony of North Carolina and England. This allowed Christians to stand up and fight the first battle of the Revolution in Alamance, NC in 1771. ... If we visited the homes of our ancestor’s in the wake of the American Revolutionary War, we would hear the words, liberty and independence quite often. The settlers living in North Carolina were all seeking one important common denominator, and that was prosperity. In order to achieve this, one must be free of obstacles that would hamper his progress. The t

Image Source: Find a Grave.com By David T. Myers - Posted at This Day in Presbyterian History : Here and there in these posts, you have read about Presbyterian clergy who were instrumental in preparing and molding the popular minds of Americans for the great struggle of the American Revolution. From both pulpit and battle field worship service, these Presbyterian chaplains challenged the troops to fight for their freedom and win the day. The British were certainly aware of the tremendous influences of these clergy toward that end and viewed it with alarm that it was thrown into the side of the rebellion. Among the many pastors of all denominations who joined the ranks were Presbyterians such as the Reverend Hezekiah James Balch, who is our character study today. Born in 1741 in Deer Creek, Hartford County, Maryland to Col. James Balch and Anne Goodwin, there is little known about his early years. The whole family moved south to Mecklenburg, North Carolina when he was young. A

By Kim Burdick - Posted at the Journal of the American Revolution:  Haslet was kind of a fighting preacher . . . My guess is, before the revolution, Haslet was probably recognized by the political establishment in Delaware as being a little bit too radical . . . Many Scotch-Irish immigrants moved to America in hopes of gaining some independence from an English government that kept them from schools and leadership positions . . . I think there was a bit of resentment toward the English because of the way they were treated in Ireland. Born in Straw Dungiven, County Londonderry in Ulster, Ireland,[1] thirty-year-old John Haslet was the young, widowed minister of Ballykelly Presbyterian Church. Arriving in America in 1757, he became a captain in the Pennsylvania militia and participated in the November 26, 1758 action at Fort Duquesne. Twenty years later, he would be killed at the Battle of Princeton. Continue reading... Originally featured April 30, 2019

"Give 'em Watts, boys!" ( Battle of Springfield - Wikipedia ) Posted at This Day in Presbyterian History : On this day of June 23, 1780 , an American Revolutionary Battle took place in Springfield, New Jersey. Ordinarily we might think that this has no place in a historical devotional, but it does, because of the presence of the Rev. James Caldwell, pastor of the Elizabethtown Presbyterian Church. Rev Caldwell was known as “the Rebel’s High Priest.” His congregation in present day Elizabeth, New Jersey, had provided forty line officers to the American Continental army. And Caldwell himself was the chaplain of Col. Elias Dayton’s Regiment in George Washington’s army. Read more here. Originally featured June 23, 2017.

By Joshua Horn - Posted at  Journal of the American Revolution: America has many heroes from its War for Independence, but one who is rarely remembered is Virginia’s Maj. Gen. John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg. If he is ever mentioned, it is usually as part of a legend in which he removed his robes after preaching a sermon to reveal a Continental uniform underneath, then proceeded to raise an entire regiment from his congregation. [1] Muhlenberg’s career went far beyond this. He served in the military throughout the war, participating in many of the most important battles, from Charleston in 1776 to Yorktown in 1781, and rose to the rank of major-general. Sullivan’s Island Muhlenberg got his first taste of military life as a young man in the British 60th Regiment of Foot, in which he served a short time after running away from the school in Germany to which his father had sent him. [2] He soon returned home to America and followed his father into the ministry. When Virginia raise

By Phil Greenwalt - Posted at Emerging Revolutionary War Era : On this date, in 1775, Virginian Patrick Henry, a delegate to the Second Virginia Convention from Hanover County, Virginia sat in on the ongoing debate at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia. The 28-year old then stood to give his defense of his proposed amendments to the petition then being debated. Below is the last few lines of his now famous statement, with the last sentence being the one most remembered; “If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come. "It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of reso

By Edna Gabler - Posted at the Journal of the American Revolution: Nestled amid factories, automotive shops and diners in an industrial section of southern New York, just a short walk from the Bronx boundary, sits a little-known gem of the American Revolution, St. Paul’s Church. Partially completed at the time of the Revolution, the church served as a hospital first for American soldiers and, after the American loss at Pell’s Point, for British and Hessian troops.[1] Today the site is in the city of Mount Vernon, but this historic structure appears to the passerby much as it did over 240 years ago when Mount Vernon was part of Eastchester, New York. St. Paul’s Church, originally called the Church at Eastchester, was a central focus of eighteenth-century life in Eastchester. Countywide elections, such as the 1733 contest between Lewis Morris, the favorite of the people, and the royal governor’s preferred candidate William Forster for a seat in the New York provincial assembly, wer

By Bob Rupert - Posted at the Journal of the American Revolution : Robert Erskine was born in Dumfermline, Scotland, to Ralph and Margaret Erskine on September 7, 1735. Ralph Erskine, being a Presbyterian minister, raised Robert to be thrifty, God-loving, determined, and well-educated. In 1748 and then again in 1752 he was enrolled in the University of Edinburgh. There are no records of his performance or if he even completed his studies. Upon leaving the university he moved to London and found employment that allowed him to get by. In 1759, he formed a business partnership with a Mr. Swinton selling hardware and farm tools. In 1760, hoping to do business in the American colonies, Swinton travelled to the Carolinas with a significant consignment of merchandise. Erskine never heard from him again and was forced to file for bankruptcy. Using his mechanical talent, he invented and patented a “Continual Stream Pump.” His plan was to use the profits from the sale of the pumps to payof

By Rev. David T. Myers - Posted at This Day in Presbyterian History: We are more apt to recognize the New Jersey delegates like the Rev. John Witherspoon, or maybe Richard Stockton, as signers of the Declaration of Independence. But joining them was one Abraham Clark. Born February 15, 1726 in Elizabethtown, New Jersey, his family was solid Presbyterians in their denominational affiliation. Baptized as an infant by the Rev. Jonathan Dickinson, first professor of the College of New Jersey, he grew up in the thrilling but dangerous days of increasing agitation of separation from England. With his inclination to study civil law and mathematics, he became known to his neighbors. Popular as “the poor man’s counselor,” he refused to accept any pay for his helpfulness to his neighbors. He further served them as High Sheriff of Essex County. But it was as a member of the Continental Congress on June 21, 1776, that he became interested in the issues of liberty and justice. Pennin

John Gridley’s Prayer Bill. “John gridley and his relations desires to Bless god for his goodness to him in returning from captivity to his friends again.” (Medfield Historical Society) By Roberto O. Flores de Apodaca - Posted at the  Journal of the American Revolution : Housed in the Medfield Historical Society is a rare collection of prayer bills containing the prayers of thanksgiving from Massachusetts soldiers and their families during the American Revolution. These commonplace slips of paper include fascinating stories and spiritual requests of ordinary Continental soldiers. One of these late-eighteenth-century prayer notes was written by a veteran named John Gridley. In his prayer bill, Gridley and “his relations” expressed their “desires to Bless God for his goodness to him in returning from captivity to his friends again.” This prayer of thanksgiving contained no particulars describing his “captivity” or how exactly the “goodness” of God was manifested toward him that e

By Phil Greenwalt - Posted at Emerging Revolutionary War Era: Published September 11, 2019 Before the horrific terrorist attacks that struck the United States on September 11, 2001, this date in American history saw the longest single day engagement with the highest number of combatants during the entire American Revolution fought in southeastern Pennsylvania. Known to history as the Battle of Brandywine, approximately 30,000 soldiers were involved and 1,887 became casualties, the majority, 1,300 being Americans. One of those 1,300 individuals was Reverend or Chaplain Joab Trout, from New Hampshire. The night before the engagement, he gave the following sermon beat the evening call on the eve of battle. And 242 years later the words still echo with a sense of patriotism and stoicism for a cause that was worth fighting and dying for. Below is the full sermon... Read the full sermon here.

By Kim Burdick - Posted at the Journal of the American Revolution:  Haslet was kind of a fighting preacher . . . My guess is, before the revolution, Haslet was probably recognized by the political establishment in Delaware as being a little bit too radical . . . Many Scotch-Irish immigrants moved to America in hopes of gaining some independence from an English government that kept them from schools and leadership positions . . . I think there was a bit of resentment toward the English because of the way they were treated in Ireland. Born in Straw Dungiven, County Londonderry in Ulster, Ireland,[1] thirty-year-old John Haslet was the young, widowed minister of Ballykelly Presbyterian Church. Arriving in America in 1757, he became a captain in the Pennsylvania militia and participated in the November 26, 1758 action at Fort Duquesne. Twenty years later, he would be killed at the Battle of Princeton. Continue reading...

Philadelphia’s Third Presbyterian Church, often simply referred to as the “Pine Street” church. (ProfReader/Wikimedia Commons) By William Taylor - Posted at the Journal of the American Revolution: “Can it be supposed,” he asked, “that God who made man free … should forbid freedom, already exiled from Asia and Africa, and under sentence of banishment from Europe—that he should FORBID her to erect her banners HERE, and constrain her to abandon the earth?” [8] No, he said, America was to be the new standard-bearer for liberty and would continue as such “until herself shall play the tyrant, forget her destiny, disgrace her freedom, and provoke her God.” - Rev. George Duffield—future chaplain to the Continental Congress, March, 1776 There was no turning back after the morning of April nineteenth. [1] When the militiamen under Captain John Parker defended themselves against the British regulars at Lexington, they signaled a transition in the imperial crisis. What was still primar