Visions
The Seduction of Thomas Gage
In 1776 Britons wondered how relations with the colonies could have gone so wrong. An anonymous print maker suggested an answer.
Events
How Our Revolutionary War Began
The British army was sent to Massachusetts to maintain order. It started a war instead.
Visions
Imagining the Battle of Lexington
What did the Battle of Lexington look like? Artists have shaped how we imagine the beginning of our Revolutionary War for the last 250 years.
Visions
Imagining the Battle of Lexington — Video Documentary
This video was produced by Cana Academy as a special presentation in its History250 series — an outstanding collection of short documentaries on the American past. For more documentaries in this series go to History250.
People
Ebenezer Huntington’s Revolution
Ebenezer Huntington was a twenty-one-year-old idealist when he joined the American army a few days after Lexington and Concord. He was among the last officers to go home eight years later. In between he grumbled and threatened to resign several times, but his idealism always prevailed.
Events
A Revolution in Tar and Feathers
On a cold night in January 1774, Bostonians dragged John Malcom from his house and coated him with tar and feathers. His story illustrates the changing nature of colonial resistance — and popular outrage — on the eve of the American Revolution.
Commentary
Liberty Enlightening the World
A French member of the European Parliament recently suggested the United States return the Statue of Liberty if we no longer believe in the ideals it symbolizes. He should reflect on the ideals of the man who imagined the statue. So should we.
People
The Elusive Peter Hunter
The story of Peter Hunter, one of thousands of black soldiers of our Revolutionary War, challenges us to recover the evidence of their courage and their commitment to freedom.
Events
The Enduring Importance of the American Revolution
The American Revolution is our national epic. It secured our independence, established our national identity, created our republic, and committed our nation to ideals that have shaped our history.
Ideas
Finding Common Ground
Andrew J. Zwerneman
A distinguished educator urges us to embrace historical study to recover our moral bearings. We should approach the past sympathetically, recognizing suffering with empathy and regret but focusing on the good — the basis of creativity, improvement, and hope.
Ideas
Getting Right with the Declaration of Independence
The Declaration is our manifesto of national purpose and should be at the center of American history education.
People
The Secret of Flight
Many people thought heavier-than-air flight was a fantasy until Wilbur and Orville Wright learned how to fly. How did they do it?
How We Know
The Shooting of Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt was shot while campaigning for president in 1912 — a consequence of the increasingly public, democratic nature of presidential politics.
Why The American Crisis?
We believe renewed understanding of our shared past is vital to our future. We draw inspiration from Thomas Paine’s The American Crisis. At a desperate time in our Revolution, he called on Americans to face the nation’s challenges together. “Tyranny, like hell,” he wrote, “is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.” Our aim is to address the crisis of our time with that determined spirit, encourage interest in our rich history, and renew commitment to our highest ideals.
The American Crisis is an independent publication of The Foundation of American Ideals. We publish new essays and articles weekly, including feature articles and shorter pieces in our departments — Commentary, People, Events, Ideas, Places, How We Know, Visions, News, Reviews, and From the Editor. You can find all of our articles and essays in the Archive — just scroll left or right through the carousel.
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The American Crisis presents original historical writing, commentary and reflection on public life inspired by American history and traditions, and news and opinion about the conservation of American ideals and the rich cultural and natural resources we have inherited and for which we are responsible.
We are advocates for understanding and appreciating the American past, for the preservation of historic places, and for accurate and effective history education.
The Foundation of American Ideals
The Foundation of American Ideals advocates understanding and appreciation of independence, liberty, equality, natural and civil rights, and responsible citizenship — ideals at the heart of our national identity and shaped by our history and traditions.