England | NorfolkTowneAssembly

Here is where we publish articles about the social, political and military history of American society during the Colonial and Early Republic Eras. Where we feel it is needed, we also examine the origins of the subject. From time to time, we will also publish articles regarding Living History interpretative skills.

Please let us know in the comments if you enjoy our posts.

Let’s Bat that Around – The Game of Battledore and Shuttlecock

Jun 3
13 min

Societal/Cultural History

Let’s Bat that Around – The Game of Battledore and Shuttlecock

Most of us reading this article have played Badminton at one time or another. When I was growing up as a part of the Baby Boomer...

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Outdoor Entertainments – Quoits, The Sport of a Virginia Gentleman.

May 6
11 min

Societal/Cultural History

Outdoor Entertainments – Quoits, The Sport of a Virginia Gentleman.

As a child growing up in the Ohio River Valley, I remember being given a game of “quoits” to play with out in the yard. It consisted of...

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A Revolution in Travel – early steamboat travel in the James River and the Chesapeake Bay

Mar 11
12 min

Societal/Cultural History

A Revolution in Travel – early steamboat travel in the James River and the Chesapeake Bay

For the first 180 years of the English colonies in North America, most people traveled by foot, horse, canoe, or wagon/carriage. Along...

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Every Gentleman's Duty - Toasting in the 18th and Early 19th Century

Feb 11
13 min

Societal/Cultural History

Every Gentleman's Duty - Toasting in the 18th and Early 19th Century

“A Toast or Sentiment very frequently excites good humor, and revives languid conversation; often does it, when properly applied, cool...

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Christmas Carols in the Early 19th Century

Dec 17, 2021
11 min

Societal/Cultural History

Christmas Carols in the Early 19th Century

Due to our video-centered culture today, almost any adult, and many children, are familiar with the scene from Charles Dickens’ “A...

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An Evening Out: Etiquette for the Street, House Parties, and the Dining Room

Nov 19, 2021
13 min

Societal/Cultural History

An Evening Out: Etiquette for the Street, House Parties, and the Dining Room

As we pointed out when we began this series, Regency/Federal Era period etiquette is an extremely broad subject, and we cannot cover...

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Nov 5, 2021
9 min

Societal/Cultural History

The Formal Visit and the Calling Card

In our last posting, we talked about the Etiquette of the Ballroom in late-18th and early-19th century America and how it was both...

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Federal Era Ballroom Etiquette – It isn’t all that clear cut.

Oct 21, 2021
20 min

Societal/Cultural History

Federal Era Ballroom Etiquette – It isn’t all that clear cut.

Our friends at the Regency Society of Virginia are having their annual Trafalgar Victory Ball this coming Saturday October 23, 2021, and...

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The War of 1812 – Part 8 - Diplomacy and the Treaty of Ghent

Oct 8, 2021
21 min

Military History

The War of 1812 – Part 8 - Diplomacy and the Treaty of Ghent

Initial Attempts at Diplomacy Throughout the last five months, we have posted a series of articles looking at some of the causes leading...

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The War of 1812 – Part 7 - Naval War in the Pacific

Sep 24, 2021
14 min

Military History

The War of 1812 – Part 7 - Naval War in the Pacific

In Part 6, of this series we examined the Naval Campaign in the Atlantic, focusing on the US Navy’s smaller frigates, sloops, and brigs. ...

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The War of 1812 – Part 5 - The Attack on New Orleans

Aug 27, 2021
27 min

Military History

The War of 1812 – Part 5 - The Attack on New Orleans

In Part 1 of our series on the War of 1812, we looked at operations along the Canadian border. In Part 2 and Part 3, we looked at...

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The War of 1812 - Part 4 - The Southern Theater

Aug 13, 2021
18 min

Political History

The War of 1812 - Part 4 - The Southern Theater

In Part 1 of this series on the War of 1812, we looked at operations along the Canadian border. In Part 2, we looked at operations in the...

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The War of 1812 - Part 2: The Chesapeake Campaign - 1813

Jul 16, 2021
15 min

Military History

The War of 1812 - Part 2: The Chesapeake Campaign - 1813

In our last post we examined the action in the War of 1812 along the US/Canadian border and in the Old Northwest Territories. As we saw,...

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The War of 1812 - Part 1; The Northern and Western Theater

Jul 2, 2021
28 min

Military History

The War of 1812 - Part 1; The Northern and Western Theater

As we have discussed in previous posts, the real origins of the War of 1812 were in the conflict that raged in Europe for two decades...

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Provocation Toward War: The Chesapeake-Leopard Affair

Jun 18, 2021
14 min

Political History

Provocation Toward War: The Chesapeake-Leopard Affair

In recent posts, we have talked about both Indian trouble in the Northwest Territories and the Embargo Act, and its successors as some of...

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Jefferson’s Embargo Act and the Depression of 1807-11

Jun 4, 2021
19 min

Political History

Jefferson’s Embargo Act and the Depression of 1807-11

Intro For the past couple of posts, we have been discussing issues met by our nation as we tried to expand westward over the Appalachian...

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May 21, 2021
19 min

Political History

Tecumseh and His Indian Confederacy

In our last post we talked about the Northwest Territory, the American push to settle it, and the Northwest Indian War. However, the...

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Building the Republic: National Banking and Finance

Mar 26, 2021
19 min

Societal/Cultural History

Building the Republic: National Banking and Finance

Today, most of us give little thought to banks. If we want to deposit our paycheck, get cash, a mortgage loan, a consumer loan, or...

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Mar 13, 2021
13 min

Societal/Cultural History

Lotteries as Public Finance

These days, when we want to fund building a public project such as roads, bridges, schools, etc., governments usually to look to issuing...

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Dolley Madison: The Nation's "First" Lady.

Feb 27, 2021
20 min

Societal/Cultural History

Dolley Madison: The Nation's "First" Lady.

Monday marks the beginning of Women’s History Month 2021. The focus of this blog is always history, and so, we do not usually theme our...

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