A Rare Copy of the 13th Amendment Signed by Abraham Lincoln Sells for a Record $13.7 Million
Kenneth Griffin, the billionaire art collector and hedge fund founder, purchased the document that abolished slavery, as well as a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation
These Daring Revolutionary-Era Artists Promoted the Patriot Cause From the Heart of Enemy Territory
A new book explores how painters, sculptors and writers, especially women and people of color, used their craft to advocate for American independence while living in George III’s capital city
This Forgotten Founding Father Hoped to ‘Die Up to My Knees in Blood’ in the Fight for American Independence. He Got His Wish
Joseph Warren was a key leader of the American Revolution, mobilizing troops and managing a circle of spies. But he’s mainly remembered for his death at the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775
Meet the Defiant Loyalists Who Paid Dearly for Choosing the Wrong Side in the American Revolution
American colonists who aligned with the British lost their lands, their reputations and sometimes even their lives
How the Thirteen Colonies Tried—and Failed—to Convince Canada to Side With Them During the American Revolution
After peaceful attempts at alliance-building stalled, the Continental Army launched an ill-fated invasion of Quebec in June 1775
What Spurred the South to Join the American Revolution?
How a disagreement with a Scottish lord over westward expansion, a cache of gunpowder, and the future of enslaved labor helped kick-start the southern colonies’ embrace of the radical cause
America’s 250th Anniversary
To mark the 250th anniversary of America’s founding on July 4, 1776, Smithsonian magazine is highlighting the people, places and events that shaped the United States’ fight for independence from Great Britain
Discover Patrick Henry’s Legacy, Beyond His Revolutionary ‘Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death’ Speech
Delivered 250 years ago, the famous oration marked the height of Henry’s influence. But the politician also served in key roles in Virginia’s state government after the American Revolution
This Rare Printing of the Declaration of Independence Could Sell for $4 Million
Made by a printer in New Hampshire, this 1776 broadside edition was created to disseminate America’s founding document to the public
The Bald Eagle Just Became America’s National Bird. What Took So Long?
An eagle enthusiast has been lobbying for the designation for years. On Christmas Eve, President Biden signed legislation making it official
After Failing Math Twice, a Young Benjamin Franklin Turned to This Popular 17th-Century Textbook
A 19th-century scholar claimed that “Cocker’s Arithmetick” had “probably made as much stir and noise in the English world as any [book]—next to the Bible”
At a Bold Meeting 250 Years Ago, the Continental Congress Set America in Motion
While far less famous than the coalition that met in 1775, this group of founders found agreement in their disagreements and laid the groundwork for a revolution
Why Were There So Many Skeletons Hidden in Benjamin Franklin’s Basement?
During restorations in the 1990s, more than 1,200 pieces of bone surfaced beneath the founding father’s London home
This History Buff Found a Scrap of George Washington’s Tent at Goodwill
The fragment, which was part of Washington’s dining marquee during the Revolutionary War, is now on display at a museum in Philadelphia
You Could Own Rare Copies of the Nation’s Founding Documents, Just in Time for the Fourth of July
Sotheby’s is auctioning early printings of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, as well as a 1790 Rhode Island broadside
Benjamin Franklin Was the Nation’s First Newsman
Before he helped launch a revolution, Benjamin Franklin was colonial America’s leading editor and printer of novels, almanacs, soap wrappers, and everything in between
The Real Story Behind Apple TV+’s ‘Franklin’
A new limited series starring Michael Douglas as Benjamin Franklin revisits the founding father’s years as the American ambassador to France
How Ben Franklin Invented the Library as We Know It
Books were rare and expensive in colonial America, but the founding father had an idea
Untold Stories of American History
This Peaceful Nature Sanctuary in Washington, D.C. Sits on the Ruins of a Plantation
Before Theodore Roosevelt Island was transformed into a tribute to the nation’s “conservation president,” a prominent Virginia family relied on enslaved laborers to build and tend to its summer home there
The Met Is Selling This Rare Portrait of George Washington
Artist Gilbert Stuart painted the work after the president sat for him in late 1795
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