Western Settlement
Independence opened a vast western territory to settlement, most of which belonged to Virginia. Managing the land as hoards of settlers migrated west was difficult as Indian Tribes, lingering Redcoats, squatters, and treaty negotiators clashed with veterans coming to claim the only thing Virginia and Congress were able to pay them with: land.
"The New Dominion" (Gabriel Neville, JAR) - A three-part study of how Virginia veterans were compensated with land after the war and what it took to distribute it and settle on it.
“Initial Land Acquisition in Kentucky” (Neal O. Hammon, KY.gov) How the earliest Kentucky settlers got title to their land.
“Pioneers and Profiteers: Land Speculation and the Homestead Ethic in Frontier Kentucky” (Stephen Aron, Western Historical Quarterly) Winners and losers in the unruly race for Kentucky land.
“The 8th Virginia and Kentucky" (Gabe Neville, Kentucky History Channel) Gabriel Neville returns to the Kentucky History Channel to tell stories of the 8th Virginia in the war and postwar Kentucky.
New & Notable
"Captain James Wood, Diplomat" (Eric Stern, JAR) - In the interregnum between Dunmore's War and the Old Dominion's full commitment to war with Britain, Frederick's County's James Wood spent a month meeting with the northwest tribes, getting intelligence, building bridges, and preparing to formalize the armistice of Camp Charlotte
"Journey to Independence: How Virginia Led the Way in 1776" - A new video from Colonial Williamsburg explains Virginia's unique role in pushing for Independence, and the debate between Patrick Henry and Robert Carter Nicholas that forced careful consideration.
"Escape from Yorktown" (Nicholas R. Marsella, JAR) - Nicholas Marsella takes a close look at operations at Gloucester Point and what Charles Cornwallis could have done to avoid to defeat at Yorktown.
"What the Founders Really Meant to Say" (Robert Parkinson, Breaking History) - Historian Robert Parkinson has a serious conversation with Eli Lake about what the Founders did and did not mean to say in the Declaration of Independence.
"A British Major's Quixotic American Mission and True Loyalties" (Gene Procknow, JAR) - A retired British Army major told Lord George Germain in 1775 what would and would not work in the rebelling colonies. He was spot on, but Germain ignored his advice.
"The Lees of Stratford and the Cause of Liberty" (Gordon Blaine Steffey, ERW) - Lead Stratford Hall historian Gordon Steffey discusses his research on the Lee family and their role in the cause of independence.
