Samuel Adams and the Question of Independence

On April 3, 1776—just three months before the Declaration of Independence—Samuel Adams wrote from Philadelphia, where he was serving as a Massachusetts delegate to the Second Continental Congress. In a letter to fellow Massachusetts native Reverend Samuel Cooper of Boston, he posed a striking question: “Is not America already independent? Why then not declare it?” […]

Committees of Safety: Local Guardians of the American Revolution

Guarding the Revolution at Home: The Forgotten Committees While battles are often what we remember about the American Revolution, the local Committees of Safety played a critical role in the theatre of war, albeit away from the battlefields. Acting as enforcers, organizers, and guardians, these committees ensured revolutionary laws and ethos were followed, supplies reached […]

Committees of Correspondence: Backbones of the American Revolution

Grassroots Foundation of the American Revolution: Ink & Quil Before Bullets and Battles The American Revolution began long before the “shot heard ’round the world.” This is the story of how Americans, armed with ink, quill, and paper, corresponded through networks of committees to defy British Rule and later wage a war against the Empire. […]