The Road to the American Revolution

On May 4, 1776, wasn’t Rhode Island’s declaration of independence, but the moment the State took the King’s place. See @Keith_Whitaker_ 's latest.

On April 6, 1776, Congress opened American ports to the world, but closed them to Britain. They rejected a “middle way.” We must reject a middle way now.

If you’re interested in the American Revolution, @NASorg has a substack dedicated to tracking all of the events leading up to the Declaration of Independence. Today’s essay is by MTC editor @J_Gould_ See more @AmRevolution250

Today in history: On March 3, 1776, colonial forces launched a naval assault on the British port of Nassau. @AmRevolution250

American graduates need not apply. They’re on campus… but not in the hiring pool. The article lays it out bluntly: Even when companies recruit at U.S. universities, they’re not hiring Americans. They’re hiring foreign students on F-1 visas, who can legally work for up to 3 years via OPT without ever touching the H-1B cap. One exec says the quiet part out loud: “Half the people we hire are from another country… that’s our pool.” Why? Universities load campuses with full-tuition international students, and employers follow the least regulated hiring path …OPT. So the pipeline looks like this: US campus → foreign student → OPT → maybe H-1B American grads never enter the conversation. mindingthecampus.org/2025/12/29/ame…

Who takes power in Iran remains to be seen. But judging by higher education’s past activism against the Shah—and its sympathy for Tehran today—a new pro-Western government would be no less hated than the old one.

𝐑𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐚 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞 Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Leslie led more than 250 soldiers of the British 64th Regiment onto transport vessels in Boston Harbor, acting on orders from General Thomas Gage. Loyalist informants had tipped Gage to artillery that colonial militias were secretly stockpiling near the North River in Salem, and he sent Leslie to find it—sailing from Castle Island to Marblehead, then marching inland to seize it. The mission was timed for a Sunday, when the British expected the townspeople to be at church and the roads to be clear. Leslie anticipated no resistance. He anticipated wrong. mindingthecampus.org/2026/02/26/374…

𝐌𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐦 𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐦 𝐂𝐨𝐬𝐭 It was a small military victory for the Americans, but it had outsized results. For the next four years, North Carolina was safe from both the Loyalists and the British. The Loyalists found it impossible to recruit new troops in significant numbers.

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭-𝐀𝐲𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐡 𝐈𝐫𝐚𝐧? Like today, college campuses in the 1970s became battlegrounds over Iran’s future. Predictably, the pro-American and modernizing Shah was villainized by students and tepidly supported by college administrators.

Some tactics don’t age well.

I just published the latest installment of our American Revolution series. “Today’s resisters will draw the wrong lesson from this episode in history, concluding that all resistance to government authority is noble.” @AmRevolution250

Today’s resisters will draw the wrong the lessons from Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Leslie’s retreat from Salem in 1775, concluding that all resistance to government authority is noble. @AmRevolution250

@J_Gould_ substack.com/home/post/p-18…

The American Revolution almost started on February 26, 1775.

On February 26, 1775, the American Revolution nearly began in Salem. British troops sent to seize hidden artillery were stopped at a raised drawbridge by calm, organized resistance. No shots were fired—but the colonists refused to yield. Read the full article on our Substack.

.@DavidRandallNAS drops a new piece tomorrow in @NASorg’s American Revolution series. “Justice Is Not Enough.” Live on our Substack at 5 a.m.