The Purchase of Manhattan: The Most Misunderstood Real Estate Deal of All Time
The Dutch felt like they got a steal on the purchase of Manhattan. The Lenape they delt with, however, left that meeting with a very different impression.
The Spanish Requirement of 1513: Justifying the Unjustifiable
The Spanish Requirement of 1513 contained a twisted logic that enabled the slaughter of indigenous peoples across the Americas.
Courting Quebec: Congress’s Attempt to Bring Quebec Into the American Revolution
The Continental Congress attempted to convince their ‘friends and fellow subjects’ in Quebec to join in on the fun of the American Revolution. And they pulled out all the stops to flatter their amis to the north.
The 14th Colony: Nova Scotia in the American Revolution
Nova Scotia in the American Revolution: yes, it did almost happen! Though the idea of the original 13 has become sacrosanct, 14 damn near rebelled.
The Canadian Martyrs and a Strange Death Wish
We’ve all read about those Europeans who came to the colonial Americas to live. But what of those who came to die? Among the more religiously minded colonists, especially those who belonged to the Society of Jesus, the notion of being a martyr, of joining the hallowed ranks of the early converts slaughtered in Roman coliseums, was an appealing one. Or, at least, so they claimed.
The Beaver Wars and the Mourning Wars: A Tale of Two Wars
Two ideas, the Beaver Wars and the Mourning Wars, have defined the way we think of the Franco-Iroquoian conflicts of the sixteenth-century. Which is better?
“A New Method of Macaroni Making”: Tar and Feathering in the American Revolution
Tar and feathering in the American Revolution was far more violent than it’s often made out. Could it be categorized as an act of terror?
The Atlantic World: A Brief Historiography
A look into the history of the Atlantic World, and the way historians use the Atlantic World paradigm to reinvent the way we think about the past.
Till the Cows Come Home: A Look Into New England Colonialism and King Philip’s War
Was King Philip’s War caused by cows? The answer might surprise you! Spoiler alert, King Philip’s War was caused by cows, oh, and pigs.
Bartolomé de Las Casas: Two Sides of the Same Peso
Bartolomé de las Casas is one of the most fascinating people in history. He started his life in the Americas as a slaveholder, before having a religious experience and becoming one of the biggest proponents of Native American rights in the wake of European colonization.