The right to bear arms -- then and now

The Second Amendment is often on the lips of gun-rights activists. But guns were radically different in Colonial times. This breakdown of how to fire a musket is based on instructions found in the book Soldiers of the Revolutionary War (Heinemann Library; 2011) by Patrick Catel. By the way, firing a rifle back then was a different matter.

France shows the world a tower of strength

Nov. 17, 2015 --France is often called the city of lights, or, better still, the city of love. But in the wake of terrorist attacks on this most beautiful city, it is clearly the city of pluck.

Independence Day: Why not celebrate July 2nd?

See a story on the first Independence Day celebration at StudyHall.Rocks.

Viral in the Colonies

Three weeks after the Boston Massacre, Paul Revere engraved and sold a picture of the event done by a local artist. The attempt was to stir anti-British sentiment. But was the picture accurate?

Love and Revolution

The letters of John and Abigail Adams chronicled their lives before, during and after the Revolutionary War, but also offered insight into the second president's marriage.

The Logan Act

When U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak about Iran before a joint session of Congress, some speculated about whether he had violated the Logan Act. So what is the Logan Act and what does it say?

UFO or spy plane?

In the 1950s, it seemed as though the American public had gone star crazy. As it turns out, we have the government to thank for all those UFO reports.

A Visit from St. Nick

The poem, "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," or "A Visit from St. Nicholas," told us everything we wanted to know about Santa. But who really wrote the poem?

Murder on the Frontier

The murder of Conestoga men, women and children by Pennsylvania frontiersmen known as the Paxton Boys is one of the dark spots of Colonial history -- but it shouldn't be forgotten.

Yellow Fever

The last thing you'd want to do is get sick -- really sick -- in the Colonial days. Alexander Hamilton managed to catch the yellow fever. George Washington avoided it. Even so, the first president was also the first to confront a public health crisis.