His name forever associated with partisan political trickery, unfortunately few people know much else about Elbridge Gerry. He was a leading revolutionary, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, a highly influential figure at the Philadelphia convention, one of only 3 who didn't sign the Constitution, and the 5th Vice-President, serving under James Madison.
The post Gerry-Mandered first appeared on Tenth Amendment Center.
Despite the large slave population, and the colony serving as a key player in the slave trade, abolitionist sentiment grew, and on June 13, 1774, the colony enacted "An Act for Prohibiting the Importation of Negros."
The post Today in History: Rhode Island Becomes First Colony to Ban Importation of Slaves first appeared on Tenth Amendment Center.
On this date in 1755, patriot spy and American Revolution hero Nathan Hale was born
The post Today in History: Nathan Hale Born first appeared on Tenth Amendment Center.
On this date in 1775, representatives from the several colonies met in Philadelphia, forming the Second Continental Congress.
The post Today in History: Second Continental Congress Convenes first appeared on Tenth Amendment Center.
What finally forced the patriots into a shooting war with the British Army in April 1775 was not taxes or even warrantless searches of homes or occupation by soldiers, but one of many attempts by the British to disarm Americans as part of an overall gun control program
The post It Was Gun Control: What Started the War for Independence first appeared on Tenth Amendment Center.
James Madison nailed it: "The class of citizens who provide ... their own food ... are the best basis of public liberty, and the strongest bulwark of public safety."
The post Food Freedom FTW! first appeared on Tenth Amendment Center.
March 1, 1781 - the Second Continental Congress put into effect the Articles of Confederation as the law of the land, making it the first Constitution for the United States. The Articles have been mostly thrown in the dustbin of history, but doing so skips over essential, foundational principles of the Founders and Old Revolutionaries.
The post Articles of Confederation: An Introduction first appeared on Tenth Amendment Center.
Born Jan 23, 1737 - John Hancock was one of the most influential and important Revolutionaries, from the Stamp and Townshend Acts, through the Boston Massacre and the War for Independence. But he was also one of the leading advocates of what became the 10th Amendment.
The post Founding Tenther: John Hancock first appeared on Tenth Amendment Center.
Today in history, on January 5, 1781, much of Richmond, Virginia was burned to the ground by a British naval force led by Benedict Arnold. It was his most significant military retort against his former cause, a devastating strike that followed his dramatic betrayal.
The post Today in History: Benedict Arnold Captures and Destroys Richmond first appeared on Tenth Amendment Center.
On this date in 1776, Thomas Paine published the first chapter of The American Crisis. As historian Robert Dennehy put it, the essays helped "recharge the American Revolution."
The post Today in History: Thomas Paine Publishes First Chapter of “The American Crisis” first appeared on Tenth Amendment Center.