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Why the Revolution?

On Writing About the American Revolution

A Guest Post by Lars D. H. Hedbor

I’m often asked why I write about the American Revolution. It is true that here are many fascinating and compelling eras in human history. Indeed, when I reach the end of my explorations of the Revolution, I expect to broaden my scope.

The-Tree-CoverThere is Opportunity in Writing About the American Revolution

In part, I started writing about the Revolution because of the opportunity—there are a lot of fascinating small stories that contributed to the big events of the Revolution, and few of them have been explored in fiction. Having a wide, uncrowded field in which to work is hugely appealing.

Too, the events of the Revolution are familiar (if imperfectly), so I’m not having to explain to my readers that the Americans fought the British to achieve independence. They open my books knowing that much. The details and nuances, though, make terrific grist for my imagination.

Then there is the opportunity to remind readers that history is shaped by the small decisions of ordinary people. The Revolution was not accomplished by just a few heroic figures striding across the pages of history atop mighty white horses. Critical events were shaped at the kitchen tables of folks who would never make it into our histories. I take my readers to those kitchen tables and let them imagine what choices they might have made—and reflect on how they may affect history with their choices today.

The American Revolution Changed Humanity

Most importantly, though, I write about the Revolution because it changed the course of human history. It is unique in that it was not fought over the question of which prince would rule over a patch of dirt. The American War of Independence was as much a philosophical revolution as it was a military one. It reframed the very concept of governance—the whole relationship between the people and their leaders.

With the Revolution, we emerged from being subjects of the King to becoming citizens of the Republic. We were no longer ruled under divine right, but are led by men and women of our own choosing. It has become fashionable to focus solely on the imperfections of the Revolution—which were many and about which I write unflinchingly. However, thinking only about what the Founders got wrong tends to overlook how much they got right.

This magnificent accomplishment, which took a scattered collection of hardscrabble colonies and united them as one of the leading nations of the world, is well worth understanding deeply. That is why I write about the American Revolution, and will do so for some time to come.

Lars D. H. Hedbor is the author of the Tales From a Revolution series, each of which explores the Revolution as it unfolded in a different colony or future state. His most recent release is The Tree: Tales From a Revolution—New-Hampshire, which follows a young man as he is abruptly orphaned, and is left to manage his father’s timber grants with only the help of his eccentric aunt. He finds comfort in a new friendship with Betty, a decidedly odd neighbor. Defying the Royal Governor’s crackdowns and his aunt’s commands, Abe makes choices that put him on a collision course with both. With rebellion in the air, Abe must escape detection by the Governor’s agents and solve the puzzle of Betty’s past in order to secure his future.

The Tree is available in ebook, paperback, and audiobook. You can learn about all of Hedbor’s books on his website, LarsDHHedbor.com.

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Thanks for sharing in the spirit of learning about our collective American History by subscribing to the blog. Guest posts like this one are welcomed and encouraged––by academics, historians, authors, artists, and storytellers. Contact me for details.

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How to Garden Like Thomas Jefferson

Watercolor ”View of the West Front of Monticello and Garden” (1825) by Jane Braddick. Peticolas. The children are Thomas Jefferson’s grandchildren. – WikimediaCommons/PublicDomain

 

While planting season in Virginia usually begins around tax day, I’m anxious to get into my garden now. I live an hour or so from Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello where I frequently visit his historic gardens, which are still jaw-droppingly impressive. In three distinct garden areas, the estate sprouts flowers, fruits, and vegetables. To produce gardens, even on a small scale, that will make us equally proud, here are three simple tips:

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One: Keep a Gardening Notebook

In order to be a keen observer of what works in different areas of your garden from season-to-season, you can keep notes in a brief journal or calendar. Jefferson kept track of the weather and how it affected plantings, along with sketches and other memoranda, in what he called his “Garden Kalendar.” (Which you can meander through thanks to the Massachusetts Historical Society, Thomas Jefferson Papers.)

 

Two: Buy Heirloom Seeds

Over 300 varieties of vegetables were produced by Monticello including beans, peppers, and tomatoes. Thanks to a long-sustained heirloom project—whereby seeds were and are harvested from plants each season—some of those original varietals can be yours. Why heirloom? According to Lynn Coulter on a post on Gardening Know How, some reasons may include better taste, pest resistent, or more fragrant flowers. With delightfully-painted new package designs, by local artist Tim O’Kane, the Monticello heirloom seeds feel even more charming.

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Three: Plant Abundant Flowers Along Walkways

In a letter from 1807, Jefferson writes that a “limited number of our flower beds will too much restrain the variety of flowers in which we might wish to indulge.” The borders of his walkways—which were curved, not straight—were packed with flowers that help keep the gardener amused and enthralled.

For more information and events about the historic plantings at Monticello and in early America, connect with the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants.

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Thanks for sharing in the spirit of learning about our collective American History by subscribing to the blog. Guest posts are welcomed and encouraged. Contact me for details.

For deeper dives on book-related research, giveaways, book news, and author events, subscribe to my e-publication, CHASING HISTORIES.

 

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Martha Washington, Aide-de-camp

Women in History: Telling a More Complete Story

The Martha We Learn About

I remember visiting Colonial Williamsburg when I first moved to Virginia. A reenactor spoke to our tour group about all Martha Washington accomplished during her life. Land holdings inherited from a first husband, passed via coverture to the second, George. Childbirth. Hostess to hundreds of visitors at Mount Vernon each year. During one particular hog-season, she oversaw the slaughter and smoking of 50 hams.

This five-foot-nothin’ Virginian had always been shown to me as a noble, rosy-cheeked woman who would become our first First Lady. Not once had I ever heard her being referred to as an aide-de-camp.

Martha as Aide-de-camp, No. 33

In 1776, aides-de-camp were all men—officers in the Continental Army who were General Washington’s private secretaries or couriers, who gathered intelligence, or handled Washington’s correspondence and social affairs. There were 32 in all. Until 1906.

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Martha was about 45 in 1776—so this public domain image is a closer representation of her while an aide-de-camp.

That year, Worthington Chauncey Ford, chief of the Manuscripts Division at the Library of Congress, reviewed Martha Washington’s role in the Cause. She often traveled with her husband and stayed at headquarters during the winter months, including Valley Forge in 1777, where she did more than simply improve morale through social events. She also fulfilled the role of clerical assistant to the general, contributing so much that Ford added Martha to the list.

While this designation is well-known among Revolutionary historians, for me that her contributions had been overshadowed for over 130 years—and never were they discussed in any of my American history classes—was a revelation. The lopsided history we’re often shown about the men winning the war, while the women smoked hams… well, that’s bologna. (To be sure, it was slaves who Martha was overseeing each hog-season, and their stories are thankfully getting deeper coverage in historic places now.)

Learning through my own studies that “contribution” is not tied to race, gender, or official rank has enabled me to feel quite free, especially as a “popular historian,” to chase history about lesser known roles, people, or events.

Besides, what could I possibly add to GW’s lexicon of life stories? According to biographer Ron Chernow, there are approximately 900 biographies about George. Plus over 6000 articles with his name in the title! Yeah… that’s enough already.

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Thanks for sharing in the spirit of learning about our collective American History by subscribing to the blog. Guest posts are welcomed and encouraged. Contact me for details.

For deeper dives on book-related research, giveaways, book news, and author events, subscribe to my e-publication, CHASING HISTORIES.

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Washington’s Rules of Civility, No. 55

GWRulesofCivility55_KarenAChaseOut of Season Street Food

Though George Washington had some great, and common sense thoughts, not all of his Rules of Civility pass my taste test. Take number 55: “Eat not in the Streets, nor in the House, out of Season.”

While I champion eating seasonal fruits and vegetables as they are more likely to be from local farms, a plump raspberry popped in my mouth in the dead of winter is just the burst of spring I crave.

To be fair, in George’s day, without refrigeration, smoking or salting were the primary methods to preserve food. While finding a raspberry jam might have been possible, a salted berry… I suppose not.

Reading his No. 55 maxim another way, I wonder if G.W. would frown upon the immense satisfaction I get from eating street food. The food carts in Portland, OR. The vendors in midtown Manhattan. The lunch trucks right here in Richmond. With warmer days not far off, I can’t wait to plunk down on a downtown curb with one of my favorite Boka tacos in hand.

If GW were here today and he ate a Sabretts hot dog, while watching baseball, I suspect he’d pick up a pen and strike out number 55. (Once he removed the giant foam finger from his grease-stained hand.)

What do you eat out of season or out of doors?

You can read more about the “Food that Fueled the American Revolution” in this post by the Smithsonian.

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Thank you for joining me and learning about our collective American History by subscribing to the blog. Guest posts are welcomed and encouraged. Contact me for details.

For Karen-related author research tidbits, book news and events, subscribe to my e-publication, CHASING HISTORIES.

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Kris Spisak–On American Language

Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of an American Language

A Guest Post by Kris Spisak.

KrisSpisak_AuthorWhen people think of the American revolution, freedom comes to mind—freedom, liberty, and independence from the necessity of following rules established without any thoughtful representation. But these ideals weren’t and aren’t limited to government. The English language itself went through its own revolution, with founding fathers such as Ben Franklin at the helm here too.

It was an era when “thee” and “thou” were just starting to decline in usage. Our “unalienable rights” were discussed rather than today’s standard “inalienable rights,” and “the” was more commonly written “ye” as a stand-in because the “th” sound no longer had a single alphabet letter to represent it as it once had.

The English language has continuously evolved for hundreds of years, but because the first print dictionaries were published in the 1600s and 1700s, this was an especially turbulent time for words.

Ben Franklin himself suggested that we create a new twenty-six letter alphabet, dropping the letters C, J, Q, W, X, and Y and adding in six new ones of his own creation. His new alphabet would allow, he said, for a phonetic reading of the entire English language. Many ignored him. Many others, like Noah Webster, took Franklin’s many language thoughts into consideration. Thus, when Webster’s American English dictionary was finally published in 1828, he included Franklin’s suggestions that the “u” be removed from “color,” “favorite,” and “honor” and that the “re” in “theatre” and “centre” should be reversed, among many other ideas. The differences between American English and British English were born of this celebration of reason and independent thought, but, of course, the story hardly end there.

The fact that Thomas Jefferson used linguistic ciphers in his correspondence with Merriweather Lewis during his great expedition westward with William Clark is a story for another day.

Kris_Spisak_GetGripGrammar3D

Kris Spisak wrote her first book, Get a Grip on your Grammar: 250 Writing and Editing Reminders for the Curious or Confused (Career Press, 2017), with a goal to help writers of all kinds empower their communications. Her “Words You Should Know” podcast and “Grammartopia” events follow the same mission. A former college writing instructor, having taught at institutions including the University of Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth University, Kris now works as a freelance editor, specializing in fiction. She is on is on the board of directors of James River Writers, is the co-founder and director of creative strategy of Midlothian Web Solutions, and can’t wait for you to hear about her next book. Sign up for her monthly writing and communications newsletter for more tips and trivia like this.

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Alphabet anecdotes and language-based ciphers also play a role in my American Revolutionary novel Carrying Independence, debuting in summer of 2019.

For research related to the novel and to stay updated on Karen-related author research tidbits, book news and events, subscribe to my e-news publication, CHASING HISTORIES.

Thank you for sharing in the spirit of learning about our collective American History by subscribing to the blog. Guest posts like this one are welcomed and encouraged––by academics, historians, authors, artists, and storytellers. Contact me for details.

 

 

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Rachel Pater–A Walking Tour for Justice

The Life and Times of Elizabeth Van Lew

A Guest Post by Rachel Pater.

After 20 years in the Midwest and 10 years in the Wild West, my partner and I landed in Richmond, Virginia in 2016.  Prior to moving here, I had little knowledge about the Civil War—even less about Richmond’s role in it.

Like many others, the way I can best access history is through narratives from or about people who lived through specific periods of time.  Since moving here, my portal to Civil War times has been through the life of Elizabeth Van Lew, a Unionist Spy who lived in Church Hill. 

Elizabeth’s story took a hold in me, and I knew I wanted to share it.  And so, in collaboration with a few musicians and the Richmond Story House, we recorded an audio narrative of her story (hear a sample here).  You can now take this 70-minute, 2-mile, downloadable walking tour on your own time, by yourself or with a group.  The tour starts and ends at St. John’s Church in Church Hill.    

Elizabeth’s Significance Then and Now

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Following the fall of Richmond, Ulysses S. Grant said that Elizabeth Van Lew provided him with “the most valuable information received from Richmond during the war.” Her lessons continue to provide us with knowledge of our city’s participation in the slave trade and the Civil War, challenging participants to make connections between this history and the insidious forms of racism still alive in our city and world today.

Proceeds from the tour go directly to expanding our work in the Richmond City Justice Center, where we run weekly personal narrative workshops.  Download the Van Lew Tour and see a slideshow here.

Rachel Pater is the Founder of Richmond Story House. Visit Richmond Story House for the tour, workshops, and also information on volunteering and donations.

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Thanks for sharing in the spirit of learning about our collective American History by subscribing to the blog. Guest posts like this one are welcomed and encouraged––by academics, historians, authors, artists, and storytellers. Contact me for details.

For Karen-related author research tidbits, book news and events, subscribe to my e-publication, CHASING HISTORIES.

 

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Washington’s Rules of Civility, No. 110

GWRulesofCivility_KarenAChase_No110The Spirit of Giving

I heard this morning that some people don’t like Christmas (or the holiday season in general) because it’s not about them. Sigh… That’s entirely missing the point of the season and of George Washington’s maxim No. 110 from his “Rules of Civility.”

Generosity toward others begins with having a filter to sort out whether we are behaving admirably or not. Also known as a conscience.

Checking in with our inner voice during the holidays, might prevent us from saying things aloud that might dim the light around our dining room tables. Perhaps it might make the fires in our hearts burn a little warmer as we go into the new year, too.

Happy holidays to you all. Make memories, scatter joy.

 

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Thank you for joining me and learning about our collective American History by subscribing to the blog. Guest posts are welcomed and encouraged. Contact me for details.

For Karen-related author research tidbits, book news and events, subscribe to my e-publication, CHASING HISTORIES.

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National Bill of Rights Day

In honor of National Bill of Rights Day (December 15), a guest post by historian and author Tony Williams.

James Madison and Bill of Rights Day

On June 8, 1789, during the First Congress, Representative James Madison arose on the floor of the House and made a speech introducing amendments that would come to be known as the Bill of Rights.

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Bill of Rights via the National Archives

Madison had previously thought the Bill of Rights was unnecessary.

And yet, during an exchange with Thomas Jefferson, Madison started to change his mind and admitted that a bill of rights could help the liberties become ingrained in the American character.

Madison began his June 8 speech by appealing to the spirit of compromise: “We ought not to disregard their inclination, but, on principles of amity and moderation, conform to their wishes, and expressly declare the great rights of mankind secured under this constitution.”

Madison teaches us a lesson about moderation.

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James Madison Portrait via Library of Congress’s Prints and Photographs division, digital ID cph.3a53278.

“If we can make the constitution better in the opinion of those who are opposed to it, without weakening its frame, or abridging its usefulness, in the judgment of those who are attached to it, we act the part of wise and liberal men.”

Madison became the “Father of the Bill of Rights” as he skillfully guided the amendments through the Congress during the summer of 1789. Virginia became the last state to ratify on December 15, 1791.

This Bill of Rights Day affords Americans an opportunity to reflect on the basis of their rights and their form of government as well as the compromise and spirit of moderation that enabled them to protect their inalienable rights.

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Tony Williams is Senior Teaching Fellow at the Bill of Rights Institute, and author of Washington and Hamilton: The Alliance that Forged America and Hamilton: An American Biography.  You can also follow him on Facebook.

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Thanks for sharing in the spirit of learning about our collective American History by subscribing to the blog. Guest posts like this one are welcomed and encouraged. Contact me for details.

For Karen-related author research tidbits, book news and events, subscribe to my e-publication, CHASING HISTORIES.

 

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Rice and Slavery in Colonial America

Not the Land o’ Cotton

A Guest Post by Susan Keogh

When most Americans think of the Old South, they envision the cotton plantations of Gone with the Wind or Roots. Most think cotton was all the South produced. They might also think of tobacco growing. But I would wager few outside South Carolina think of rice.

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A demonstration rice field at Middleton Plantation in South Carolina, photo taken by Susan Koegh as part of her research.

How important was Rice in the Revolutionary South?

“Nowhere in the Americas did rice play such an important economic role as in South Carolina,” writes author Judith A. Carney in her book, Black Rice. “Rice and South Carolina share a history that led to the establishment of the crop early in its settlement… On the eve of the American Revolution… rice exports from South Carolina exceeded sixty million pounds annually.”

Who Introduced Rice to the Colonies?

To work the fields of this labor-intensive crop, English planters in Carolina used slaves brought from Africa. While some Colonists may have claimed credit for introducing rice to Carolina, the more likely source was the slaves who were born and raised along Africa’s Rice Coast and provided the knowledge of rice cultivation.

Carney writes: “About a hundred slaves accompanied the first settlers arriving in South Carolina from Barbados in 1670; within two years they formed one-fourth of the colony’s population, and by 1708 blacks outnumbered whites.”

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Driver'sWife_SusanKeogh_CoverSusan first published a series of novels centered around the adventures of Jack Mallory, a young Englishmen who is both pirate and eventually the patriarch of a large rice plantation in the colonial province of Carolina.

 

Her latest book, THE DRIVER’S WIFE, set in 17th Century South Carolina, is available now.  Follow her via: Facebook, Twitter, or on her blog.

 

 

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Thanks for sharing in the spirit of learning about our collective American History by subscribing to the blog. Guest posts like this one are welcomed and encouraged. Contact me for details.

For Karen-related author research tidbits, book news and events, subscribe to my e-publication, CHASING HISTORIES.

 

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Christian Di Spigna Reexamines History

The Generous Benedict Arnold

A Guest Post by Christian Di Spigna

To many Americans, the name Benedict Arnold is synonymous with treason and treachery. The former American patriot hero flipped sides and became a spy in the employ of the Crown. When Arnold’s betrayal was uncovered in 1780, it shocked and pained patriot sons and daughters of liberty.

Many historians have claimed that one of Arnold’s motivations for becoming a traitor was financial. Yet such a rationale betrays an incredible act of generosity that Arnold bestowed upon the young orphaned children of Dr. Joseph Warren, the martyred hero of the Bunker Hill battle.

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Arnold and Warren had met briefly and befriended each other in the spring of 1775. Arnold’s wife died that June—the same month Warren was killed in action, leaving Arnold a widower with young children of his own.

 

A remarkable letter written by Warren’s fiancé, Mercy Scollay, to Benedict Arnold in July 1780 has uncovered the fact that Arnold had personally given nearly 3,000 pounds for the education and care of Warren’s orphaned children in the years since his battlefield death.

This kindness contradicts Arnold’s motivation of greed. It adds an additional layer to the many complexities surrounding the man. None of Dr. Joseph Warren’s patriot brethren—including future American governors and presidents—provided Warren’s children such financial support. Perhaps now, centuries later, Arnold’s historical lens needs some refocusing.

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You can attend events with author and historian Christian Di Spigna (listing via his website) or connect via Twitter.  His newest book Founding Martyr is about Dr. Joseph Warren, an architect of the colonial rebellion, and a man who might have led the country as Washington or Jefferson did had he not been martyred at Bunker Hill in 1775. It’s available online, and at bookstores via IndieBound.

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Thanks for sharing in the spirit of learning about our collective American History by subscribing to the blog. Guest posts like this one are welcomed and encouraged. Contact me for details.

For Karen-related author research tidbits, book news and events, subscribe to my e-publication, CHASING HISTORIES.

 

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