Before the republic and before the revolution, colonial life was shaped by law, belief, and survival. This category explores the systems of justice, cultural tensions, and theological disputes that defined the settlements.
You’ll find stories of trials and confessions, land conflicts and punishments, sermons and scarcity. These are accounts of how power moved — through pulpits, magistrates, militias, and the fragile order they tried to enforce.
George Washington’s survival in battle often defied logic. From the chaos of Monongahela to the daring charge at Princeton, he emerged unscathed while death claimed those around him. His men saw it. His enemies noted it. And Washington himself, though reserved, acknowledged it. Was it providence, luck — or something else?
Bulletproof George Washington: Was He Protected by Providence or Luck? Read More
On July 4th, 1826 — exactly fifty years after the Declaration of Independence — John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died within hours of each other. Once allies, then bitter political enemies, they reconciled through years of candid correspondence. Their deaths on the nation’s golden jubilee fed the myth of divine providence and helped shape America’s sense of manifest destiny.
Died on the Same Day: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson Read More
In 1642, George Spencer was executed in Connecticut after a piglet was declared his offspring and legal witness. A trial shaped by resemblance, not reason—and a verdict delivered by theology, not law.
The Pig and the Penitent: George Spencer’s Trial and Execution, 1642 Read More
