https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/american-revolution/RSS feed for American RevolutionenThu, 03 Sep 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/to-defeat-the-royal-navy-during-the-american-revolution-a-rebel-inventor-designed-a-secret-weapon-a-bomb-carrying-submarine-180989400/David Bushnell developed the "Turtle" submersible as a student at Yale University. The vessel's attack on a British flagship failed, but the trailblazing boat's legacy endures 250 years laterThu, 03 Sep 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/to-defeat-the-royal-navy-during-the-american-revolution-a-rebel-inventor-designed-a-secret-weapon-a-bomb-carrying-submarine-180989400/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/inside-fight-to-save-300-year-old-tree-that-survived-revolutionary-war-battle-180989357/Arborists are working to preserve the 45-foot-tall live oak in South Carolina's Eutaw Springs Battlefield Park. The historic tree suffered damage during a lightning strike 50 years agoTue, 18 Aug 2026 15:50:28 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/inside-fight-to-save-300-year-old-tree-that-survived-revolutionary-war-battle-180989357/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-connecticut-teenager-spied-on-the-british-during-the-american-revolution-succeeding-where-nathan-hale-failed-180989309/Newly uncovered documents reveal the story of David Maltbie, who relayed intelligence to the patriots in 1776, narrowly avoiding execution as a spyMon, 17 Aug 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-connecticut-teenager-spied-on-the-british-during-the-american-revolution-succeeding-where-nathan-hale-failed-180989309/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-hessians-were-supposed-to-quickly-end-the-american-revolution-instead-they-endured-years-of-battles-and-suffered-thousands-of-casualties-180989252/Some 30,000 German soldiers fought for the British during the war. Contrary to popular belief, they weren't mercenaries, and not all were actually HessiansThu, 13 Aug 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-hessians-were-supposed-to-quickly-end-the-american-revolution-instead-they-endured-years-of-battles-and-suffered-thousands-of-casualties-180989252/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-historian-at-mit-discovered-the-surprising-truth-about-this-chinese-label-long-thought-to-be-a-souvenir-of-the-boston-tea-party-180989328/The saga of the artifact displayed at Boston's Old South Meeting House demonstrates how the study of history evolvesWed, 12 Aug 2026 21:17:23 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-historian-at-mit-discovered-the-surprising-truth-about-this-chinese-label-long-thought-to-be-a-souvenir-of-the-boston-tea-party-180989328/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-serpentine-sculpture-inspired-by-benjamin-franklins-join-or-die-call-for-unity-is-taking-shape-segment-by-segment-in-philadelphia-180989263/Created by John Collins, the 46-foot-long granite artwork inspired by an 18th-century political cartoon is slated to be unveiled on Independence Mall sometime this fallWed, 05 Aug 2026 14:16:18 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-serpentine-sculpture-inspired-by-benjamin-franklins-join-or-die-call-for-unity-is-taking-shape-segment-by-segment-in-philadelphia-180989263/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-volunteer-stumbled-upon-a-strange-document-in-the-uk-national-archives-it-turned-out-to-be-a-rare-copy-of-the-declaration-of-independence-printed-in-july-1776-180989169/Michael Scurr, a retired insurance broker, found the text while cataloging boxes of 18th-century correspondence housed at the London archives. It's the only known copy of its kind outside the United StatesTue, 21 Jul 2026 19:23:31 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-volunteer-stumbled-upon-a-strange-document-in-the-uk-national-archives-it-turned-out-to-be-a-rare-copy-of-the-declaration-of-independence-printed-in-july-1776-180989169/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/thomas-jeffersons-original-rough-draft-of-the-declaration-of-independence-can-be-seen-at-library-of-congress-180989113/The new exhibition, which shows how the document was edited, also features an early copy of the Gettysburg AddressTue, 14 Jul 2026 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/thomas-jeffersons-original-rough-draft-of-the-declaration-of-independence-can-be-seen-at-library-of-congress-180989113/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/dna-reveals-the-identity-of-a-teenager-who-died-in-the-revolutionary-war-cracking-a-nearly-250-year-old-cold-case-180989095/John Pumphrey was still a boy when he enlisted in the Continental Army in 1777. After archaeologists discovered his remains, a genetic genealogy analysis identified 20,000 DNA matches for living relativesFri, 10 Jul 2026 16:07:49 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/dna-reveals-the-identity-of-a-teenager-who-died-in-the-revolutionary-war-cracking-a-nearly-250-year-old-cold-case-180989095/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-city-of-boston-discovered-one-of-the-oldest-known-gravestones-of-a-free-black-american-who-shared-a-name-with-the-massachusetts-capital-180989088/Also known as Sebastian, he died in 1729 and is buried alongside Samuel Adams, John Hancock and Paul Revere. His life tells a story of slavery and freedom in the North before the American RevolutionWed, 08 Jul 2026 20:56:06 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-city-of-boston-discovered-one-of-the-oldest-known-gravestones-of-a-free-black-american-who-shared-a-name-with-the-massachusetts-capital-180989088/