American History & Studies

[image] Welcome to American History & Studies! 🇺🇸 Here we explore the ideas, events, people, and principles that shaped the United States — from the Founding Fathers to the moon, and everything in between. We dive into primary sources, celebrate American achievements, and examine the

[image] 177 years ago today — May 10–11, 1849 — The Astor Place Riot erupted in New York City. What started as a feud between rival Shakespearean actors (an American vs. a British star) exploded into a full-blown nativist (anti-immigrant) riot. A mob of thousands clashed with police and

[image] 93 years ago today — May 1, 1933 — Americans were required to surrender all gold coins, bullion, and gold certificates to the Federal Reserve under penalty of $10,000 fine (roughly 10 years’ wages at the time), 10 years in prison, or both. Nine months later, President Roosevelt

[image] Facing total annihilation, George Washington organized a skillful overnight evacuation under the cover of a miraculous fog at the Battle of Long Island, August 29–30, 1776. We often praise leaders for their vision, their strategy, and their ability to point the way forward. But

[image] The Third System of Coastal Fortifications. The War of 1812 exposed major gaps in American security, major U.S. ports and our coastline was completely vulnerable to invading warships. In 1816, Congress launched one of the largest infrastructure projects in national history: The

[image] In the summer of 1776, the Marblehead Militia, the 14th Massachusetts’ sailor-soldiers commanded by Colonel John Glover were an indispensable asset at the disastrous Battle of Long Island. Thousands of British regulars and their Hessian allies used New York’s harbors to descend

[image] Sherman’s Sympathy: The Surrender of the Army of Tennessee. April 18-26, 1865. Sherman made total war on the south until they were finally defeated, but once the fighting stopped, he became very generous, more generous than Lincoln and Grant had been to Lee. He accepted the

[image] 🇺🇸 Legendary American Ships 🇺🇸 USS TEXAS (BB-35) 🔱 Also know as the “Mighty T” or “The Fighting Texas” for her ability to unleash absolute hell on enemy coastal fortifications. In 1914 she was commissioned as the most powerful warship on Earth. She carried the largest guns in

[image] May you do good and not evil. May you find forgiveness for yourself and forgive others. May you share freely, never taking more than you give.

[image] 🇺🇸 Legendary American Ships 🇺🇸 USS Lexington (CV-16) 🔱 Also known as “The Blue Ghost.” The Japanese claimed they had sunk her four separate times. Tokyo Rose broadcast it. Japanese radio celebrated it. Each time the Blue Ghost came back, freshly painted in her distinctive

[image] After the British army burned down the home of Colonel Thomas Sumter in 1780, they awoke a relentless spirit. He did not just fight the British Empire, he destabilized their entire southern strategy with aggressive, unpredictable tactics, with a furious thirst for revenge.

[image] The America (built in 1897) is the world’s oldest commercially operating tugboat, still in service at the Port of Monroe, Michigan. Built in Buffalo, NY, this 83-foot steel-hulled vessel survived two sinkings, a fire, and has been converted from steam to diesel. She is now used

[image] Happy Patriots Day! 🇺🇸 During the Battle of Lexington and Concord, April 19, 1775, the British failed to confiscate patriot arms at Concord. News of the attack spread across Massachusetts. By noon, when the lobster-backs began their march back from Concord, the area was filled

[image] “George Washington and His Troops” by Frank Schoonover. (1926)

[image] Appomattox: The Collapse of a Dream. On April 9, 1865, General Robert E. Lee realized that further fighting was futile and that he must ask Grant for surrender terms. Lee said, “I would rather die a thousand deaths.” But he sent the message to grant. A Civil War history

[image] In the summer of 1776, the Old Continentals joined together. The New Englanders in a mix of civilian and maritime clothes stared at the men from other states in ragged regimentals. Virginians wore whatever military coats could be scraped together, like brown, or gray hunting

[image] On June 29, 1776, General William Howe brought a massive British fleet down from Boston in preparation for an aggressive campaign against the Americans in New York, anchored in the Lower Bay. Daniel McCurtin witnessed the massive flotilla from his seaside home that morning at

[image] On April 4, 1776—250 years ago today—George Washington set his Continental Army in motion from Cambridge, Massachusetts, beginning the long march toward New York City. Fresh off their hard-won victory in the Siege of Boston, Washington correctly anticipated that the Redcoats

[image] On August 1, 1801, the crew of the USS Enterprise learned a brutal lesson about naval warfare that changed the United States Navy forever. It was the first major battle of the First Barbary War, fought against North African corsairs who had been capturing American merchant ships

[image] Presley O'Bannon (1776 – 1850) was a distinguished First Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, renowned for his leadership in the First Barbary War (1801–1805). He is most famous for leading a 500-mile march across the North African desert and storming the city of Derna

[image] On April 18, 1775, Paul Revere began his famous midnight ride to warn the colonists that the “British are coming!” An important spark that lit the American Revolution. What’s your favorite Revolutionary War story, battle, or figure? Drop it below — let’s talk American history!

[image] The Permanent Corps of Discovery, (Lewis and Clark Expedition) was the core group of soldiers and civilians, about 33 people, who continued from Fort Mandan to the Pacific Ocean and back, 1805–1806, after the preliminary crew returned. In April 1805, the expedition was split.

[image] Happy National Dog Day! George Washington: Father of the American Foxhound The man who helped birth a nation also helped birth one of America’s great dog breeds. Here’s the story of his meticulous work with hounds. Thread below 👇🧵

[image] Map of Pioneer Roads — General Drafting Co. Inc., N.Y. This details a view of the early pioneer routes including the Cumberland Road and Wilderness Road which were blazed by Daniel Boone in 1775 through Cumberland Gap connecting Nashville, Louisville, Cincinnati, and Frankfort

[image] 🇺🇸 Washington’s Ten Little Schooners 🇺🇸 As Treasury Secretary, Alexander Hamilton saw the young United States was bleeding money to smugglers. Tariffs were the lifeblood of the new government, and without armed vessels to enforce them, the revenue simply would not come in.

[image] “USS Enterprise Battling the Barbary Pirates, 1801.” by Patrick O'Brien. The third ship in U.S. history to carry the name Enterprise was a schooner used to capture pirate ships during the Barbary Wars. American shipping vessels were frequently attacked in the Caribbean, and the

[image] The Sinking and Rescue of PT-109 ⚓️🇺🇸 On this day in history, August 2, 1943, one of the most defining chapters in the life of future U.S. President John F. Kennedy unfolded in the South Pacific. While commanding the torpedo boat PT-109 during the Solomon Islands campaign,

[image] “The present and future generations of our country can never be better employed than in studying the models set before them by the fathers of the Revolution.” -William Wirt

[image] On April 4, 1841, the shortest presidency in American history came to a tragic end. William Henry Harrison, the 9th President, had delivered the longest inaugural address in U.S. history—lasting nearly two hours in cold, wet weather—just 32 days earlier. He caught pneumonia

[image] 🇺🇸 Legendary American Ships 🇺🇸 The USS Enterprise (CV-6) 🔱 She was the most decorated U.S. surface warship of World War II and one of the most legendary ships ever to fly the Stars and Stripes. Also known as “The Big E” “The Lucky E” “The Grey Ghost” and “The Galloping

[image] On this day, April 4, 1818, the United States Congress passed the Flag Act, forever shaping one of America’s most enduring symbols. With the nation rapidly expanding westward, lawmakers decreed that the Stars and Stripes would feature 13 permanent red and white stripes

[image] The Point of No Return. 📜✍️ August 2, 1776. Most Americans celebrate July 4. But the real moment of no return came today. The engrossed parchment copy of the Declaration of Independence was laid out in Philadelphia. One by one, 56 men stepped forward and put their names on

[image] 🇺🇸 Night Raids: Stephen Decatur 🇺🇸 When the frigate Philadelphia ran aground on an uncharted reef while blockading Tripoli and she fell intact into enemy hands. Her 300-man crew was taken prisoner and the Tripolitans began turning the powerful American warship into a floating

[image] Appomattox: The Final Salute. On a cloudy day, April 12, 1865, four years to the day from the firing on Fort Sumter, the Union Fifth Core led by Joshua Chamberlain, the hero of Little round top at Gettysburg, marched into Appomattox to receive the surrender of the Army of

[image] First Baptist Church Meeting House, Providence, Rhode Island, 1850 — Unknown photographer (daguerreotype) This church is the third meeting house of the congregation founded in 1638 by Roger Williams. One of the oldest Baptist churches in America.

[image] “I have not yet begun to Fight!” 🧵(1/12) John Paul Jones is remembered as the Father of the U.S. Navy. He emulated the daring tenacity of the Continental Navy during the Revolutionary War, where he earned his reputation as a naval hero. An American History thread. 🇺🇸

[image] Happy 236th Birthday to President John Tyler. Born March 29, 1790 in Charles City County, Virginia. A true son of the Old Dominion and strict constructionist, Tyler became the 10th President and firmly set the precedent that the Vice President fully assumes the office. He vetoed

[image] On August 7, 1782, George Washington created the Badge of Military Merit—the first American decoration ever awarded to ordinary soldiers. From his headquarters at Newburgh, he ordered that any man who performed a meritorious act could wear a purple cloth heart edged with lace

[image] Washington’s Act of Faith and the decisive battle of the Revolutionary War. Without knowing whether or not the French Navy would be there; in an act of faith, George Washington marched his army to the Chesapeake Bay where the decisive battle of the war was fought and won. An

[image] The Battle of Mobile Bay. 🧵(1/10) In the summer of 1864, Southern raiders remained defiant on the high seas, but Union naval forces held overwhelming superiority. Grant fought to outflank Lee, determined to take Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy. And Sherman’s

[image] “Attack on the Akagi” by R.G. Smith depicting lieutenant commander Richard “Dick” Best landing a fatal hit on the Japanese flagship.

[image] In Congress, July 4, 1776 The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the

[image] Washington’s Act of Faith and the decisive battle of the Revolutionary War. Without knowing whether or not the French Navy would be there; in an act of faith, George Washington marched his army to the Chesapeake Bay where the decisive battle of the war was fought and won. An

[image] “The Swearing in of Calvin Coolidge by His Father” by Arthur I. Keller On this day in 1923, in a quiet Vermont farmhouse lit only by a kerosene lamp, Calvin Coolidge was sworn in as President of the United States by his own father. No parade. No crowd. No spectacle. Just a