On This Day: Colonel Israel Angell

On this day, May 4th, 1918, the relocated graves of Colonel Israel Agnell and his first wife, Martha, were dedicated at a ceremony in Providence, Rhode Island. Israel Agnell was born on August 24th, 1740 to Oliver and Naomi Agnell in Providence, Rhode Island and was a fifth generation descendant of one of the original settlers
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On This Day: A Second Copy of the Declaration of Independence Discovered

On April 24th, 2017 a second copy of the Declaration of Independence was discovered in Chichester, England. The copy is believed to have been commissioned by Charles Lennox, Third Duke of Richmond: “Richmond was a strong critic of Lord North’s American policy. In December 1775, he declared in the House of Lords that the resistance
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On This Day: The Massachusetts Spy

The Massachusetts Spy was a colonial weekly newspaper founded in 1770 by Isaiah Thomas and his former master, Zechariah Fowle; later Thomas would buy out Fowle to become sole publisher. Having a circulation of around 3,500, the Spy was substantially more popular than other newspapers of the day which typical had circulations of less than
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On This Day: Patrick Henry

If you’ve only heard the last line, Patrick Henry’s speech to the Virginia legislature on March 23rd, 1775 is worth reading in it’s entirety. Henry spoke as a delegate to the Second Virginia Convention at St. John’s Episcopal Church in the town of Richmond on that day. The convention was debating whether to include language
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On This Day: Crispus Attucks

On this day, March 5th 1770, Crispus Attucks is killed during the Boston Massacre. The first to defy, The first to die. On March 5, 1770, British soldiers Captain-Lieutenant John Goldfinch and Private Hugh White stood guard outside the Boston Custom House on King Street in Boston (known as State Street today). Edward Garrick, a wigmaker’s
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