‘“Never can true reconciliation grow where wounds of deadly hate have pierced so deep.” All should ponder John Milton’s words.
Gene Procknow
@geneprocknow.bsky.social
Author and historian of the American Revolution. www.researchingtheamericanrevolution.com
“America is an asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty.” Thomas Paine, Common Sense, 1776. #History
The Broadway play 1776 did an injustice to James Wilson's legacy. See my review of the first-ever biography by a trade press of the Pennsylvania delegate to the Continental Congress. #History #AmericanHistory allthingsliberty.com/2026/07/the-...
The Lost Founder: James Wilson and the Forgotten Fight for a People's Constitution - Journal of the American Revolution
BOOK REVIEW: The Lost Founder: James Wilson and the Forgotten Fight for a People’s Constitution by Jesse Wegman (New York: Celadon Books, 2026) $30.00 hardcover The Broadway play 1776 depicts James W...
allthingsliberty.com
Spotlighting a neglected conflict during the American Revolutionary War! #History #AmericanRevolution open.substack.com/pub/geneproc...
The Surprising Scale of an Underappreciated War within the Revolutionary War
Book Review
open.substack.com
William Hunter sailed up the Delaware River with the British Army in 1777. Don’t know who William Hunter is? Check out www.geneprocknow.com
In your view, what makes a good book review? #history substack.com/home/post/p-...
Contradiction or Paradox? Anything New?
Book Review
substack.com
Young Washington humanizes a too-often marbelized figure. I encourage viewers, especially historians, not to focus on the film's inaccuracies. Rather, think about the major themes - ambition, Providence, and an emerging Imperial crisis. And enjoy the show! open.substack.com/pub/geneproc...
Lessons from the Foremost Founder: Overcoming Obstacles and Early Mistakes
Movie Review
open.substack.com
This is the reason trade presses need history editors. #History A Decorated Historian’s Research Comes Under Fire www.nytimes.com/2026/07/10/b...
A Decorated Historian’s Research Comes Under Fire
Kerri K. Greenidge appeared to lose her professorship at Tufts University after scholars began scrutinizing her 2022 book, “The Grimkes,” which is no longer listed on its publisher’s website.
nytimes.com
Over the past 8 months, I’ve been in contact with a sculptor working on paired figures representing an encounter between Elizabeth Steel and General Nathanael Greene in a Salisbury, NC tavern. Whether apocryphal or not, the story tells us about the RevWar. #history open.substack.com/pub/geneproc...
Memorializing a Fascinating Revolutionary War Vignette
A sculptor commemorates America's 250th birthday.
open.substack.com
@lizcovart.bsky.social is right! There is more to military history than battlefields. Often, wives and children shared the hardships while campaigning during the American Revolution. Discover the RevWar experiences of 10-year-old William Hunter and his family! benfranklinsworld.com/episode-442-...
Episode 442: Everyday Military Life in the American Revolution - Ben Franklin's World
Join a discussion of everyday military life in the American Revolution. Discover how armies were structured, what soldiers ate, what camp followers endured.
benfranklinsworld.com
Duo biographies are the most difficult to write. Read my review of Jurgen Overhoff's George Washington & Frederick the Great bio. Both studied the Enlightenment, but learned different lessons. #history open.substack.com/pub/geneproc...
Can a King be an Enlightened Leader?
Book Review
open.substack.com
No, the Continental Congress did not first vote for independence on July 4, 1776. Seven weeks earlier, on May 15, Congress authorized the thirteen former colonies to adopt constitutions and establish sovereign state governments. #History www.realclearhistory.com/articles/202...
Surprise! America First Proclaimed Independence in May 1776
No, the Continental Congress did not first vote for independence on July 4, 1776. Seven weeks earlier, on May 15, Congress authorized the thirteen former colonies to adopt constitutions
realclearhistory.com
It is always fascinating to discuss the American Revolution with @bradycrytzer.bsky.social. Thanks, Brady, for the conversation! jardispatches.podbean.com/e/e321-gene-...
E321: Gene Procknow: A British Major’s Quixotic American Mission and True Loyalties | Dispatches: The Podcast of the Journal of the American Revolution
This week our guest is author and JAR contributor Gene Procknow. Irish officer Apollos Morris was intent on stopping the American Revolution and had a foot in both worlds. For more information visit w...
jardispatches.podbean.com
Check out my review of Richard Bell's insightful book on the global aspects of the American Revolution researchingtheamericanrevolution.com/2025/12/22/a...
A Civil War within a Global War
Bell, Richard. The American Revolution and the Fate of the World. New York: Riverhead Books, 2025. Book Review Traditionally, the American Revolutionary War is depicted as a clash between American …
researchingtheamericanrevolution.com
A first glance at a controversial history debate. Why looking at the author’s footnotes first helps with assessing their arguments. researchingtheamericanrevolution.com/2025/10/29/h...
Helping Readers Assess Revolutionary Controversies
Ellis, Joseph J. The Great Contradiction: The Tragic Side of the American Founding. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2025. First Glance On the publication date of Revolutionary Era historian Joseph Ellis…
researchingtheamericanrevolution.com
Thought provoking presentation at the Society of the Cincinnati last evening.
The UK fires its ambassador over the Epstein birthday book, while the US continues to support a similar participant as president. Power is more important to Americans than accountability. www.npr.org/2025/09/11/n...
U.K. fires its ambassador to Washington over emails to Jeffrey Epstein
In one email, Peter Mandelson wrote to Jeffrey Epstein, "I think the world of you and I feel hopeless and furious about what has happened." In another note, he called Epstein his "best pal."
npr.org
British politicians Edmund Burke and Charles James Fox were not perfect. Still, in the face of powerful adversaries, they demonstrated courage in their convictions—an admirable trait that offers timeless lessons. open.substack.com/pub/geneproc...
A Revolutionary End to a Partnership of Liberal Goals, Conservative Means
Book Review
open.substack.com
Learn the difference between lessons of history and misusing history.
Alan Lester@alanlester.bsky.social · 11mo agoClue to help spot the difference between serious historical writing and historical propaganda: Is the author a specialist historian or a non-specialist connected with think tanks & lobbying companies? alanlester.co.uk/blog/accusat...
In a speech to Parliament, Burke issued a timeless political rights warning, stating, “If you take away the Civil Execution of justice, you maim and mangle the whole constitutional Polity of England.” Read more about Burke's lessons of history: www.realclearhistory.com/articles/202...
Keep Troops Off the Beat: A Conservative’s Warning
As President Donald J. Trump sends National Guard troops to help reduce crime in the nation’s cities, lessons from Edmund Burke, a prominent conservative politician in Britain during the 18th-ce
realclearhistory.com
Great advice. It’s hard to think of anything more helpful as the new year begins than reading history, spying out the moments of dignity and grace, seizing them and trying to pull them into the future. | We Need to Know History, Especially Now by @Peggynoonannyc
Historians should use AI as an assistant, but with extreme care. My recent experience with ChatGPT confused Samuel with John Adams. As Todd Frankel states in this article, AI can help with recalling dates but not interpret context, connections, or motivations. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Will historians really be replaced by AI? They remain skeptical.
A recent Microsoft study sent shockwaves with its rankings of threatened jobs. But some historians dismiss the idea, offering lessons for others.
washingtonpost.com
Well rounded leadership assessments, novel interpretations and myth busting make excellent histories. Here’s an example. allthingsliberty.com/2025/08/figh...
Fighting for Philadelphia - Journal of the American Revolution
BOOK REVIEW: Fighting for Philadelphia: Forts Mercer and Mifflin, the Battle of Whitemarsh, and the Road to Valley Forge, October 5-December 19, 1777 by Michael C. Harris (El Dorado Hills, CA: Savas B...
allthingsliberty.com
Did you know that Washington chose a Blue and buff uniform, as it was the colors of the British Whig opposition to King George III? That, and more, in an insightful article on George Washington. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/int...
Opinion | When America found its first great leader
George Washington’s first major test of the Revolutionary War came in August 1775.
washingtonpost.com
“All men are created equal” except in DC where we are a Second class citizens. Does the Declaration of Independence apply to all or do you prostitute your principles for politics. We demand equal rights!
Another politician misreading their constituents!
Revolutionary War 250@revwar250.bsky.social · last yr.2 AUGUST 1775, PERTH AMBOY, NEW JERSEY: Governor William Franklin writes to Lord Dartmouth that though there are no Americans “who would draw their Swords in Support of Taxation,” “Thousands” will fight for the Crown when they realize the Patriots want to “establish a Republic.”
Interested in loyalty and the Revolutionary War? A Trenton merchant's treason trial is riveting courtroom drama. Check out my book review! researchingtheamericanrevolution.com/2025/08/02/c...
Cards, Oaths, and Consequences: Unraveling Allegiances in the American Revolution
Book Review Davis, Michael A. Treason: The Trial of Abraham Hunt. Denver, CO: Independently Published, 2025. Typically, history books describe people of the Revolutionary Era as either Patriots or …
researchingtheamericanrevolution.com
researchingtheamericanrevolution.com/2025/07/29/c...
Country Over Party: Rethinking John Adams’s Presidency
Book Review Chervinsky, Lindsay M. Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic. New York, N.Y: Oxford University Press, 2024. Over the past thirty years, a bevy of…
researchingtheamericanrevolution.com