Kieran O’Keefe

About Kieran O’Keefe

Kieran J. O'Keefe earned his Ph.D. in History from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He is currently working on his book manuscript, tentatively titled Suffering for the Crown: The Hudson Valley Loyalists, Violence, and Forced Migration in Revolutionary North America. This study explores how violence and forced migration to Canada shaped Loyalist communities during and after the Revolutionary War. During the 2021-22 academic year, Kieran will be the postdoctoral fellow in Revolutionary Era studies at Siena College’s McCormick Center for the Study of the American Revolution.

Did George Washington Turn Down the Crown at Newburgh?

May 19, 2021 by Kieran O’Keefe 1 Comment

Many Americans believe that at the end of the Revolutionary War, while headquartered in Newburgh, George Washington received an offer to become king of the United States.

According to this legend, Washington rejected the overture and said that “I did not defeat King George III to become King George I.”

But did this really happen? Did George Washington turn down the crown? Although there is a grain of truth to the story, it has largely been exaggerated. [Read more…] about Did George Washington Turn Down the Crown at Newburgh?

When Did New York Stop Speaking Dutch?

December 18, 2019 by Kieran O’Keefe 52 Comments

In the late summer of 1664, four English frigates arrived off shore New Amsterdam. Rather than resisting, the Director-General of New Netherland, Peter Stuyvesant, surrendered the city and colony to the English.

Although the Dutch briefly regained control of the colony in 1673, it was restored to English rule in the Treaty of Westminster the following year, marking the end of Dutch New York.

Despite the English conquest, the Dutch language continued to thrive in New York and northern New Jersey for generations, persisting into the twentieth century in certain areas. [Read more…] about When Did New York Stop Speaking Dutch?