Search
The Rare & Early Newspapers Hobby
Receive the Newsletter
Buy Historic Newspapers
Is it Patriot Day, Patriot’s Day, or are they interchangeable?
September 11, 2025 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Is it Patriot Day? Yes. Is it Patriot’s Day? Yes again. Are they interchangeable? If someone had asked me yesterday, I would have thought they were one and the same; but the answer is: No! So, for those like me who thought they were one and the same, I hope what follows clears things up.
Patriot Day
Patriot Day is a United States observance held every year on September 11 to honor the nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Established by a joint resolution of Congress and signed into law in 2002, the day commemorates the victims of the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and United Airlines Flight 93, as well as the first responders who risked and sacrificed their lives. Americans observe the day with moments of silence, memorial services, and the lowering of flags to half-staff as a tribute to national resilience and remembrance.
Shown to the left is a report from the Los Angeles Times, dated Sept. 11, 2001.
Patriot’s Day
Patriots’ Day is a U.S. holiday commemorating the battles of Lexington and Concord, the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War, fought on April 19, 1775. It originated in Massachusetts in the late 19th century to honor the bravery and sacrifice of colonial militiamen who resisted British forces. The holiday is observed annually on the third Monday in April, primarily in Massachusetts and Maine, with re-enactments, parades, and athletic events like the Boston Marathon. Patriots’ Day serves as a reminder of the American colonies’ fight for independence and the birth of the United States.
The following is a report from The New England Chronicle dated Sept. 7, 1775.
Lead-up to a Nation… as reported in the newspapers of the day (Intro)…
September 5, 2025 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Shown below are the first four installments.
The Necessity of Taking Up Arms – Lead-up to a Nation (E1)
The Olive Branch Petition – Lead-up to a Nation (E2)
The Speech of Edmund Burke – Lead-up to a Nation (E3)
England Declares War – Lead-up to a Nation (E4)
We hope you enjoy this year-long trek to the 250th anniversary of The United States through the eyes of those who were fully engaged, first hand. All accounts will be through what they read in the newspapers of the day. After all, as Tim Hughes proclaimed back in 1975: “History is never more fascinating than when read from the day it was first reported.”
Celebrating Our History – Washington’s Birthday…
February 17, 2025 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
On a chilling February day during the Revolutionary War, the battle stopped long enough for Martha Washington and General Washington’s men to serenade him on his birthday. Although he would not become president for many years to come, no one can argue this was a (ok, an) historic celebration of Washington’s birthday. [Note: From this point on varying states did celebrate Washington’s birthday to honor our 1st Commander and Chief, however, Congress didn’t solidify this as a national holiday until 1879, and it wasn’t until 1885 the observance was extended to provide a day off for Federal workers (i.e., when it became a Federal Holiday). Many decades later Washington’s Birthday was combined with Lincoln’s to create what we now observe as President’s Day.
On February 20, 1885, THE NEW YORK TIMES had an interesting article noting that local Assemblymen had requested 3 1/2 days off to fully recover from the festivities. Perhaps it was this mindset which later caused the Federal Government to permanently link some holidays to a weekend, therefore allowing for plenty of time for all citizens to recover from the revelry and other raucous activities which are commonplace with such celebrations.
Confession: To-date I have yet to wake-up the morning after President’s Day with bloodshot eyes. It appears I need to up my celebratory game.
Sometimes you just know what it means – The Spirit of ’76…
July 4, 2024 by Laura Heilenman · 2 Comments
Sometimes you hear a word or a phrase and even though you can’t clearly give a written definition, you just have a gut feeling of what it means. Earlier today, when I was looking at a Picture and Magazine section from a Chicago Sunday Tribune, July 4, 1926, I breezed by the caption of the front-page image… The Spirit of ’76. After a moment, I found my mind wasn’t so much thinking of what that phrase meant, but instead, I was struck by the emotions which had been stirred… pride (in a good way as my mother would say), determination & a deep sense of purpose. Wanting to see if the phrase, “The Spirit of ’76” had a clear definition, I went to Wikipedia and found the following…
“The Spirit of ’76 is a sentiment explored by Thomas Jefferson. According to the text published at Monticello, “The principles outlined in the Declaration of Independence promised to lead America—and other nations on the globe—into a new era of freedom. The revolution begun by Americans on July 4, 1776, would never end. It would inspire all peoples living under the burden of oppression and ignorance to open their eyes to the rights of mankind, to overturn the power of tyrants, and to declare the triumph of equality over inequality.”
Thomas Jewett wrote that at the time of the American Revolution, there was “an intangible something that is known as the ‘Spirit of ’76.’ This spirit was personified by the beliefs and actions of that almost mythical group known as the Founding Fathers and is perhaps best exemplified by Thomas Jefferson.”
Jefferson and the Second Continental Congress believed the Spirit of ’76 “included the ‘self-evident’ truths of being ‘created equal’ and being ‘endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights’ including ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.'” ~ Wiki
Hmmmm… “an intangible something”. I would agree this spirit is hard to completely capture with words, but it can certainly be understood with a feeling, a picture, or a flag, and it is certainly a “spirit” we need in abundance today.
Reflecting back on December, 1773… The Boston Tea Party…
December 19, 2022 by LauraH · Leave a Comment
As we come to the end of 2022 and consider both the good and the bad… the peaceful and the tumultuous… the triumphant and the tragic, we may be harboring some of the same thoughts and sentiments as many of our fellow “Americans” from 1773.
As they gathered around their fireplaces at the close of the year, and read an article in the CONNECTICUT JOURNAL & NEW HAVEN POST-BOY for the day datelined December 23rd, there is no doubt their reflections took them back to the dark and cold night of December 16, 1773, while snow lay round about, of the match which ignited a powder keg lighting up the entire world – what we now refer to as the Boston Tea Party. Tumultuous may be an understatement for their year-end ponderings.
Perhaps not the same thoughts, but “felt” oppression from those in position of power are rarely long endured.
Best Christmas gifts ever – 1776 edition…
December 24, 2021 by LauraH · Leave a Comment
I’m sure we have all received Christmas gifts we will never forget. For Mary and Joseph, many can guess what theirs would have been. I know, Christ didn’t really come on Christmas (that is, on December 25th), however, for many of us, since that sacred night, we do think of Him as the best Christmas gift of all. Ironically my only son was born on Christmas day, and coincidently (or perhaps not), although his name (Joshua) was chosen months before his birth, his name is the Hebrew version of Jesus. What an amazing Christmas gift he was (and continues to be) for those who know him.
Today, as I was scanning through Christmas-themed newspapers, an event caught my eye which I would also classify as one of the top 5 Christmas gifts of all time – at least for those residing in America. On March 27, 1777, THE LONDON CHRONICLE printed a report of Washington’s crossing of the Delaware on Christmas Day, 1776, and the ensuing surprise attack upon the British & Hessian garrison on the banks of Trenton, New Jersey. Washington took almost 1000 prisoners while suffering only 6 casualties. This victory was a major morale booster for the revolutionary cause and began a string of American successes against the British which would culminate with the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown and the signing of a treaty of peace shortly thereafter. Truth, Justice and the American Way… Merry Christmas to all!!!
Recalling Paul Revere’s ‘midnight ride’…
March 4, 2021 by TimHughes · 2 Comments
As newspaper collectors we relish the opportunity to find newspaper accounts of the intriguing moments in American–if not world–history.
But many events simply did not make it to print.
An account of the pealing of the Liberty Bell in 1776, a detailed account of Washington’s crossing of the Delaware, Nathan Hale’s boast ‘I only regret I have but one life to lose for my country’, and Patrick Henry’s bold pronouncement ‘Give me liberty or give me death!’ are but a few.
Accounts of Paul Revere’s midnight ride rank among them. In our 45 years in the hobby we can recall only two newspapers having but a very brief reference to the ride. It was not until Longfellow’s poem ‘Paul Revere’s Ride’, written in 1860, did the world become familiar with the daring and patriotic mission.
We recently discovered a fascinating nugget on Revere’s ride.
A 1795 issue of the Boston newspaper Columbian Centinel (December 5, 1795) has a supportive letter from when Paul Revere was running for the vacated post of Town Treasurer. The writer makes rather derailed reference to the event in 1775, far more detailed than any account previously found despite being 20 years after it happened. See the photo for the full report.
Such little gems, typically buried inconspicuously among the political reports, advertisements, and varied notices of the day, are what thrill those in the search of notable events in history.
I’m New Here: Week Thirty-Nine…
November 27, 2019 by Stephanie Williams · Leave a Comment
Sometimes rabbit trails lead to revised destinations – particularly those that meander through the annals of history. This week is a big deal on the US calendar because of colonists and survival and a heritage of gratitude…and I am a person full of thanks this year, as I have been much of my life.
I obtained permission from Guy to be a bit personal in my post, which he graciously granted, but a communication with a favorite collector in NYC derailed my reflection. Ms. P told me about Evacuation Day, which commemorated the rousting of the British troops from their occupation of New York City following this nation’s fight for independence from England. I had never heard of the liberation of NYC, let alone the celebrations that occurred annually until Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation co-opted the seasonal celebrations. To be honest, I had never considered the duration of conflict following the 1776 declaration. Anyway, this information came to light in a peripheral way, and the collector who brought it to our attention, attended this year’s anniversary hoopla in the city that was liberated.
It’s a privilege to learn from the staff here, as well as those who are ordering papers. The collecting community is made up of a broad spectrum of interest and study, and I get to glean from the riches that move through the Rare and Early Newspapers archives.
I am thankful for the people who envisioned the United States of America — this great experiment. I am thankful for those who kept their convictions through a long, wearying stretch of conflict, and I am thankful for families and communities who continued to manage the stuff of life through the political upheaval.
If you have some time over the upcoming holiday, our catalog is much more fascinating than any Black Friday special. Whether you find the perfect gift for yourself or another, the time spent perusing the pages is a treat all by itself.
Cheers!
I’m New Here: Weeks Twenty & Twenty-One…
July 4, 2019 by Stephanie Williams · Leave a Comment
It’s hard to put into words all I learned last week, other than conclude (again) I work in an amazing place. Distinct events blurred together as we completed the regular tasks of a pre-catalog release week, simultaneous with the receipt of eleven pallets of a new title.
As I know the least, I am the least helpful in this bulk intake process. Everyone else has done it before – making space where none seems apparent. So I stayed out of the way, fielding phone, email and web orders to the best of my ability.
This week, however, marks the Fourth of the July, and I took the opportunity to look at some surrounding details of 1776 through the real time lens of reported news.
The Sons of Liberty met under the Liberty Tree. It’s not an American fable; I read the notice calling for attendance and providing an alternate location in case of overflowing turnout. People staked fortune and life to sign the Declaration of Independence, and Philadelphia papers published their names alongside that document. Paul Revere was a working man who bought advertisements in The Massachusetts Centinel to draw more customers into his silver shop. Somehow, the risk of this bid for colonial freedom becomes more meaningful as I consider the sacrificial participation required from everyday people who had plenty to occupy them in their own private lives. Regular folks became significant because they stepped up when there was every reason to keep their heads down.
Today I am thinking about the farmers and shopkeepers, the printers and the writers who looked beyond immediate concerns to take a stand for the implications on centuries to come. Surely these are some for whom the words resounded, “When in the course of human events it becomes necessary…” I won’t pontificate aloud, but there are so many contrasts to the perspective I readily adopt within my plush and easy American life.
Fresh perspective on the human story feeds the impulse: the more I find out, the more I want to know. But the disconcerting truth is that the more I search, the more versions I find. The best course of action just might be to head back into the annals and read it for myself…
A political cartoon from 1776 themed on the Revolutionary War…
February 23, 2017 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
Political cartoons are ever-present in our world today. It would be difficult to find a daily or weekly publication today without at least one. And they have been around for a long time–perhaps longer than you might think.
There was the occasional political cartoon in 18th century magazines, only a few of which are American-themed, and fewer still can be found as most have been removed years ago. Although we have had a few in years past, we recently purchased not only a very nice one, but one from a title difficult to find in today’s world of collecting.
The November, 1776 issue of “The London Magazine: Or, Gentleman’s Monthly Intelligencer”, not to be confused with the more common “Gentleman’s Magazine”. A full page plate in the issue has a very political cartoon themed on the Revolutionary War, captioned: “News From America, or the Patriots in the Dumps.” and shows Lord North standing on a platform holding a letter announcing successful campaigns by the British troops in America. A distraught woman, ‘America’, holding a liberty cap, sits at the base of the platform. Others present react to the news. There are several websites concerning this political cartoon, one of which can be seen here.