Manny Marotta is the “curator” of the X thread 1776 Live — “[l]ive-posting as a reporter embedded in history.” The X thread has been of particular interest over the past few days and should continue in this vein for the foreseeable future.
Thomas Paine publishes an open letter in the Pennsylvania Evening Post, under the name “Republicus,” which advocates for the name “United States of America” for the new nation now emerging.
This is the first time such a term has been used. pic.twitter.com/pi8AM1VcIU
— 1776 Live (@250YearsAgoLive) June 29, 2026
I can’t vouch for its historical accuracy. Trust but verify. The Thomas Paine Historical Association weighs in for Paine on this claim. However, the first known publication of the phrase “United States of America” is attributed to an anonymous essay in The Virginia Gazette newspaper in Williamsburg, Virginia, on April 6, 1776. But was the “u” in the Gazette capitalized? I don’t know.
Here are a two from posts from recent days that are suggestive of the drama implicit in the anniversary we are celebrating on this glorious July 4.
To break a deadlock in the Continental Congress’s vote for independence, Delaware delegate Caesar Rodney rides through a thunderstorm all night and arrives in Philadelphia in muddy clothing just as voting begins.
Unfortunately, the first vote does not pass, which was… pic.twitter.com/vHF9BvrPi7
— 1776 Live (@250YearsAgoLive) July 1, 2026
The New York Provincial Congress evacuates New York City as British forces approach.
Yesterday, General Washington learned of 45 Royal Navy ships bearing down on New York from Sandy Hook. The situation looks dire. pic.twitter.com/gSX22qUmfJ
— 1776 Live (@250YearsAgoLive) June 30, 2026
Today should be a big day for 1776 Live. On July 2, 1776, the SEcond Continental Congress voted to approve the Lee Resolution, legally declaring the 13 American colonies independent from Great Britain. We will have to check back. Until Marotta gets around to it, see “July 2, 1776 – The Real Independence Day” — the inaugural post on Elise Stefanik’s Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness Substack, as she says it is to be titled.
