“There is no man who hates the power of the crown more, or who has a worse opinion of the Person to whom it belongs than I.” - Charles James Fox, letter to Edmund Burke, 24 January 1779. Quoted in L. G. Mitchell, Charles James Fox (1997:41). “It is intolerable that it should be in the … Continue reading The Fox: A Bygone Symbol of Liberty
William III
Put That in Your Pipe and Smoke It: Tobacco & Politics in the 1700s
Colonial American. Think about that term. What does it mean to you? It refers to citizens of the American colonies prior to the Revolution. In the minds of many of us in the present-day United States, however, it might denote a unique American identity, probably because our own identities as Americans are firmly set and … Continue reading Put That in Your Pipe and Smoke It: Tobacco & Politics in the 1700s
A ‘Link’ Between the Washingtons and William and Mary
This cuff link or ‘sleeve button’ – made in the mid 1700s – was recovered by archaeologists from George Washington’s boyhood home at Ferry Farm. It is one of the earliest examples of the Washington family’s resistance to King George III. What makes this sleeve button so interesting is the man depicted: King William III, … Continue reading A ‘Link’ Between the Washingtons and William and Mary