Today, we celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776. The news of that event reached Annapolis a day or two later, where it was received by the thousand or so soldiers who were preparing to fight in defense of that declaration. Some of those soldiers, the men this project focuses on, marched north to defend New York less than a week later. Two of them, Alexander Ferguson and George Claypoole, wrote out their wills just before departing; click on their names to learn more.

As we celebrate the Fourth of July and take time to remember the American Revolution, stories about the Revolutionary War often appear in the news. Recently, we were able to contribute to this piece, about an enslaved African American Revolutionary War soldier from Maryland:

Twice Denied the Freedom He’d Fought For, Black Revolutionary War Hero From Maryland to be Honored at Last [Baltimore Sun]

You can read other Revolutionary War news stories from the past here:

• The Maryland 400 in the News.

You can also read some of our earlier posts about the weeks leading up to the Declaration of Independence here:

• The Summer of Independence Begins
• Maryland Declares Independence

Have a happy Fourth!

–Owen