Elizabeth Drinker and the Quaker Exile

Posted by on Mar 17, 2023 in | Comments Off on Elizabeth Drinker and the Quaker Exile In 1758, at the age of 23, Philadelphia Quaker Elizabeth Drinker began keeping a diary. In it, she recorded social calls, correspondence, the operation of her household, illnesses, births, deaths, and marriages. An avid reader, Elizabeth also recorded her thoughts on books she read. She continued her diary until the end of her life. Throughout the tumultuous years of the American Revolution,...
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Editor’s Letter

Posted by on Mar 17, 2023 in | Comments Off on Editor’s Letter This April 3 marks the 75th anniversary of President Harry S. Truman’s signing of the European Recovery Program, better known as the Marshall Plan. Pennsylvania native and former Army chief of staff George C. Marshall, Truman’s secretary of state, first articulated the need to rehabilitate the economic structure of Europe following the devastation of World War II in a speech at Harvard...
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Two Faces of Molly Pitcher

Posted by on Mar 10, 2022 in | Comments Off on Two Faces of Molly Pitcher Perhaps one of the most enduring legends of the American Revolution is that of a woman, who while carrying water to thirsty troops during the Battle of Monmouth in 1778, witnessed the death of her husband as he was manning a cannon in the heat of battle. Desperate to secure a victory, this woman takes his place, continuing to fire the cannon and inspiring the men around her to fight on as well....
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Editor’s Letter

Posted by on Mar 9, 2022 in | Comments Off on Editor’s Letter History begets questions. What would have happened if events unfolded in a different way? How do present circumstances impact progressions from the past? How reliable is the available evidence in providing greater truth about the stories that have come down to us? The questions we ask are often as meaningful as the history itself. One of the most popular traditional stories of the American...
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Run-Up to the Revolution: Philadelphia’s Response to the Taxation Crisis

Posted by on Aug 23, 2021 in | Comments Off on Run-Up to the Revolution: Philadelphia’s Response to the Taxation Crisis Colonial America in the 18th century was a dynamic environment — constantly shifting, changing and growing as its population increased and governments and institutions developed to support it. More merchants progressively established shops in cities such as Philadelphia, Boston and New York, selling a dizzying array of necessities and luxury goods both domestic and imported. These goods,...
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William Logan Comments on William Pitt and the Stamp Act of 1765

Posted by on Aug 13, 2021 in | Comments Off on William Logan Comments on William Pitt and the Stamp Act of 1765 The Stamp Act was passed by British Parliament on March 22, 1765. It was levied to help pay for debt caused by the stationing of British troops in America during the French and Indian War, the North American conflict in the global Seven Years’ War (1756–63) between France and Great Britain. The act was to take effect on November 1, 1765. It was a direct tax imposed by the British on the American...
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Editor’s Letter

Posted by on Aug 13, 2021 in | Comments Off on Editor’s Letter The cover of this edition features a poignant watercolor portrait, Woman in Blue, Waiting, by a Philadelphia artist whose work has been regrettably overlooked in the past but is now being rediscovered as new studies and exhibitions, as well as a preservation effort to save his home, have emerged in recent years. Printmaker and painter Dox Thrash sought to document the African American experience...
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World of Trouble by Richard Godbeer

Posted by on Jun 8, 2020 in | Comments Off on World of Trouble by Richard Godbeer World of Trouble: A Philadelphia Quaker Family’s Journey through the American Revolution by Richard Godbeer Yale University Press, 480 pp, hardcover $38 Fortunately, some historians are meticulous researchers, and their thoroughness inspires deep confidence in their narratives. And fortunately, some historians are skilled topic-choosers and narrative-spinners; readers are mesmerized by their...
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To Form a More Perfect Union: Violet Oakley’s Murals in the Pennsylvania Senate Chamber

Posted by on Apr 15, 2020 in | Comments Off on To Form a More Perfect Union: Violet Oakley’s Murals in the Pennsylvania Senate Chamber At breakfast tables on Sunday morning, December 3, 1911, readers of The New York Times were confronted with a surprising headline running across the magazine section: “A WOMAN CHOSEN TO COMPLETE THE ABBEY PAINTINGS.” Four months earlier, the news that the American artist Edwin Austin Abbey (1852–1911) had passed away in London raised speculation about who would receive the remainder of his...
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Archaeology at the Site of the Museum of the American Revolution by Rebecca Yamin

Posted by on Apr 14, 2020 in | Comments Off on Archaeology at the Site of the Museum of the American Revolution by Rebecca Yamin Archaeology at the Site of the Museum of the American Revolution A Tale of Two Taverns and the Growth of Philadelphia by Rebecca Yamin Temple University Press, 152 pp., paperback $19.95 Philadelphia’s rich archaeological heritage has benefited from urban archaeologist Rebecca Yamin’s passion for telling the stories of the colonists in one of America’s earliest cities. Research and excavations...
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