Cynthia Hatch Author

Cynthia Hatch Author I'm Dr. Cynthia Hatch, Ph.D. Please follow my page to learn the histories you didn't learn in school... unless you had me for a history teacher! Huzzah!

Dr. Cynthia Hatch | Historian of Revolutionary America | Author of Enablers of Rebellion: The Colonial Court and the Road to the American Revolution (Savas Beatie, 2027) I specialize in pre-Revolutionary War history with particular emphasis on the colonial legal system in New England. If you're interested in stories of treason, trechery, and high society you've come to the right place!

🏛️ Colonial Williamsburg’s Capitol isn’t just a building, it’s where ideas that shaped a nation took root.Inside those c...
04/25/2026

🏛️ Colonial Williamsburg’s Capitol isn’t just a building, it’s where ideas that shaped a nation took root.

Inside those chambers, voices like Edmund Pendleton, George Wythe, and George Mason helped lay the groundwork for American independence and law. Pendleton, often overshadowed, was a steady leader and legal mind who presided over Virginia’s revolutionary conventions. Wythe, a mentor to Thomas Jefferson, was one of the first professors of law in America and a quiet architect of liberty. Mason, sometimes called the “Father of the Bill of Rights,” pushed fiercely for individual freedoms that still define us today. 🇺🇸

But beyond these names are countless lesser-known delegates, clerks, and citizens whose debates, disagreements, and determination brought ideas to life. The Capitol stands as a reminder that history isn’t just made by the famous, it’s built by many voices willing to stand up and be heard.

🏴‍☠️ Behind the thick walls of the Public Gaol in Colonial Williamsburg lies a lesser-known chapter of pirate history, o...
04/23/2026

🏴‍☠️ Behind the thick walls of the Public Gaol in Colonial Williamsburg lies a lesser-known chapter of pirate history, one rooted not in legend, but in law ⚖️

After the spectacular death of Blackbeard in 1718, surviving members of his crew were captured and brought into the British colonial legal system. Some were held in gaols like this one while awaiting trial under the expanding reach of anti-piracy laws. The early 18th century marked a turning point, as piracy shifted from a loosely policed crime to one aggressively prosecuted by imperial courts. Virginia’s Gov. Spotswood saw piracy as a threat to trade and safety of his colony, making him particularly keen on capturing Blackbeard.

Inside spaces like the gaol, accused pirates faced formal charges, witness testimony, and the very real possibility of ex*****on. These trials weren’t just about punishing individuals; they were about sending a message: the era of pirate autonomy was ending, and the rule of law would reach even the farthest seas.

The Public Gaol stands as a reminder that the story of piracy isn’t just high seas adventure, it’s also courtrooms, crackdowns, and the rise of legal authority in the Atlantic world.

Thank you wayne_fiddle_fingers for a lovely treat of taking in a concert at the Governors Palace tonight! It was beautif...
04/22/2026

Thank you wayne_fiddle_fingers for a lovely treat of taking in a concert at the Governors Palace tonight! It was beautifully performed by such talented musicians, I couldn’t have asked for more. 🎼

Then, before I left CW for this trip, I decided I must stop by my favorite ice cream shop! 🍦😉


📸 photos by me

As though I need another reason to explore Virginia history?! 😆🇺🇸
04/19/2026

As though I need another reason to explore Virginia history?! 😆🇺🇸

04/18/2026

I had a wonderful day presenting on the Sandy Creek Baptist Association and the War of Regulation in 1771 at Liberty University’s 250th Conference today! Wonderful people (though this angle makes it look scarce!😆) and so many topics on religious liberty.

Liberty University Department of History

It was a pleasure meeting fellow Savas Beatie author and Dean of Liberty University’s Helms School of Government, Maj. G...
04/18/2026

It was a pleasure meeting fellow Savas Beatie author and Dean of Liberty University’s Helms School of Government, Maj. Gen. Jason Q. Bohm, tonight at the 250th Conference.

Maj. Gen. Bohm (Ret.) is the author of Washington’s Marines: The Origins of the Corps and the American Revolution, 1775–1777. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing his perspective on the creation of the Marine Corps and the leaders who helped shape it. A great evening of history and insight courtesy of Liberty University’s Department of History.

Moments like these make me even more excited for the upcoming release of my own book this summer! Stay tuned for more about Enablers of Rebellion: The Colonial Court System and the Road to the American Revolution!

Big thanks to Mrs. Phillips for inviting me to speak with your classes today! I loved sharing a bit of my journey, my ca...
04/17/2026

Big thanks to Mrs. Phillips for inviting me to speak with your classes today! I loved sharing a bit of my journey, my career path, my upcoming book, and the unexpected twists that shape our lives in the best ways.

Your students blew me away, curious, engaged, and genuinely top-notch. Conversations like these are why I love what I do. Grateful for the opportunity and the energy in your classroom!

⚓ Don’t you love it when a small research find suddenly brings an entire moment in history to life?On April 15, 1776, Wi...
04/15/2026

⚓ Don’t you love it when a small research find suddenly brings an entire moment in history to life?

On April 15, 1776, William Whipple wrote from Philadelphia to John Langdon, and what survives is more than just a letter. It’s a snapshot of a revolution in motion.
By this point, Langdon had taken on a critical role as a Marine agent, overseeing the construction of ships for the newly formed Continental Navy. Just months earlier, in October 1775, that navy had just come into existence.

Now?
They were building it from scratch.

In his letter, Whipple notes that William Henderson was entrusted with $10,000, a massive sum at the time, for the construction of a ship under the Marine Committee. Money was moving. Deals were being made. The machinery of independence was turning. 💰

And then there’s the handwriting…
Urgent. Slightly rushed. Almost uneven. Especially when Whipple refers to “our Tory Friends," a phrase he underlined with unmistakable emphasis.

You can feel it in the ink: tension, urgency, and a clear sense of purpose. 📜

This is what the Revolution looked like behind the scenes, not just battles and declarations, but shipbuilding, financing, and quiet coordination.

⚓ Building ships
💰 Moving money
📜 Writing a nation into existence

Sources: Richard Henry Lee, “Committee of Correspondence to John Langdon, 4 January 1777,” Stratford Hall Historic Preserve, Accessed on April 12, 2026.
Vincent S. Dowdell Jr., “The Birth of the American Navy,” Proceedings of the United States Naval Institute 81/11/633 (November 1955).
William Whipple letter to John Langdon, April 15, 1776, Langdon Papers, Portsmouth Athenaeum, Portsmouth, NH.
📸Personal Collection, Portsmouth Athenaeum, Portsmouth, NH, 2023.

Court Transcripts 📜⚖️What happens when colonists are accused of stealing from the King… and decide to fight back? ⚔🔥On A...
04/14/2026

Court Transcripts 📜⚖️
What happens when colonists are accused of stealing from the King… and decide to fight back? ⚔🔥

On April 14, 1772, in Weare, New Hampshire, tensions over prized timber exploded. The Crown reserved the largest trees for the Royal Navy, but not everyone agreed.

Ebenezer Mudgett and a group of men took matters into their own hands. After being served a warrant, they gathered at a local tavern and carried out an audacious act of defiance, breaking into the lodging rooms of the sheriff and deputy and assaulting them… one strike for every disputed tree 🌲They were bloodied and beaten by the time they escaped.

The charge?
“Unlawfully assembling… to disturb the Peace of the King.”

The punishment?
💰 Twenty shillings… plus court costs.

A small fine for what may have been one of the earliest acts of resistance over property rights and government authority. This event is known as the Pine Tree Riot! Is twenty shillings too light? What say you?

History is full of moments like this; quiet, messy, and powerful.


📸 all from my personal collection... the owner of the tavern was one of my Revolutionary ancestors, Maj. Aaron Quimby! HUZZAH!

Revolutionary Spotlight 🇺🇸John Stark played an early and critical role in one of the first acts of rebellion before the ...
04/13/2026

Revolutionary Spotlight 🇺🇸

John Stark played an early and critical role in one of the first acts of rebellion before the Revolution officially began.

In December 1774, he helped lead local patriots in the raid on Fort William and Mary, seizing barrels of gunpowder and military supplies from the British.
That powder didn’t just sit in storage; it was later used by colonial forces in the opening battles of the war.

Before Lexington and Concord, before independence was declared, Stark and his fellow New Hampshire patriots were already taking decisive action.

After the fighting ended, John Stark returned to New Hampshire not as a soldier, but as a respected elder of the new nation. His influence remained strong, he was widely honored as a hero of the Revolution and a symbol of independence.

In 1809, unable to attend a reunion of his fellow veterans, Stark sent a toast that would become legendary:
“Live free or die: Death is not the worst of evils.” ⚔

His words, and his legacy, endured long after the war, helping define the spirit of New Hampshire and the young United States. HUZZAH!

For more about the seizure of Fort William and Mary and Stark's role in it, check out "Enablers of Rebellion: The Colonial Court System and Road to the American Revolution," out Summer 2026 (Savas Beatie).

📸 Personal Collection, Capitol Building, Washington, D.C., 2026.
📸 Personal Collection, New Hampshire Capitol, Concord, NH, 2023.

Love it when someone says, “hey, I saw you on the historycampofficial website!” This was from my talk on Fort William an...
03/25/2026

Love it when someone says, “hey, I saw you on the historycampofficial website!” This was from my talk on Fort William and Mary last summer. I had the best time and the following day Mary Adams and I led a group out to the fort in Portsmouth, NH.

I think I look rather intense there… 😆

If you haven’t been, check out History Camp Boston for all a day filled with great talks and wonderful people!

Huzzah! 🙌

Address

Williamsburg, VA

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Cynthia Hatch Author posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category