Author Archive

By David L. Wilson There are very few topics in American history on which historians have not explored, researched and written about at great length. When strolling through the History section of a local bookstore or library, one can find publication after publication proffering one opinion or another on the same topics (often it ... Full story

I spent some time this afternoon at Barnes and Noble book store (not virtually) as I love to browse their large selection of Bargain Books and in particular, of course, the history section. I made two nice purchases. Journals: 1952-2000 by Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. and Reading the Man: A Portrait ... Full story

This looks like a great event, and as most of you know. I am a student at American Public Univsersity and Dr. Woodworth is current one of my instructors. Well they have a great event coming up: Discovering the Civil War Online - Live Webcast. From their website: Have you ever ... Full story

I'm looking for history instructors or educators, graduate students or college professors who are interested in being a regular contributor here at blog4history.com. Potential revenue sharing once the advertising kicks in and it will. I am looking for 2-3 people interested in writing a weekly news or history piece. Nothing to serious every ... Full story

Not a political post, but a factual one. Ten days ago President Obama signed legislation to increase the federal government's borrowing authority by nearly $2 trillion. After President Obama signed a law last week authorizing the United States Treasury to borrow an additional $1.9 trillion.... They reveal startling facts, says Jeffrey: ... Full story

I've spent several weeks giving you what some historians thought of Franklin D. Roosevelt's economic policies as well as my own opinion. What I would like to do now is explain why I feel that FDR was indeed a great president. Now, some may react to this statement by asking, "How can he ... Full story

I don't know when or if I will get a chance to read and review Colin Grant's Negro with a Hat: The Rise and Fall of Marcus Garvey from Oxford University Press due to come out in March. 544 pp. $17.95. But I appreciate the folks at Oxford for sending me ... Full story

I received today my A.P. United States History catalog from SocialStudies.com which was filled with books, DVDs, and other resources and guides for purchase. First off, I wish I had a budget I would order a ton of materials from this resource. But I would be remiss if I did not mention that ... Full story

I have to admit that I have on occasion caught parts of the Glenn Beck show; you know that far Right-Wing fear and hate monger. Mainly I catch it on the weekends, if at all. Anyway, Beck for well over a year has been preaching about the coming economic apocalypse.  However frightening and ... Full story

Brigham Young University sent me the following results of a study that analyzed pension and medical records from a random sample of the 179,000 black soldiers enlisted in the Union Army during the Civil War and found some interesting, though not surprising results. The study was performed by Sven E. Wilson ... Full story

On February 4, 2010, Google.com announced that it had added an historical imagery feature to Google Earth. From their blog: The historical imagery feature gives people a unique perspective on the events of the past using today's latest mapping technology. We hope that this World War II imagery will ... Full story

(Please see Part I first if you have not done so already) Franklin Delano Roosevelt entered office on the heels of the 1932 collapse of the American Financial system. The floor fell out of the economy. At the time of the November election, unemployment stood at 31% and the GDP fell from $104 ... Full story

Indiana, 1818. Moonlight falls through the dense woods that surround a one-room cabin, where a nine-year-old Abraham Lincoln kneels at his suffering mother's bedside. She's been stricken with something the old-timers call "Milk Sickness." "My baby boy..." she whispers before dying. Only later will the grieving Abe learn that his mother's fatal affliction was actually ... Full story

Here's an interesting question: "If a piece of the presidential record remains stowed in a drawer, is it history or history waiting to happen?" The discovery of a previously unknown personal letter by Thomas Jefferson this past December, written sometime in 1808 towards the end of his presidency, was the impetuous for such ... Full story

A Time Capsule was unearthed that was buried about 1850, from the news piece: Athol (Massachusetts) Historical Society President Susannah Whipps-Lee said the time capsule — which has yet to be opened — was made from an old glass container that looked like a pickle jar with a rusted metal screw top. It ... Full story

One of the thrills of delving into any historical archives is holding a piece of history in your hands. I remember when I visited the Wisconsin State Archives while researching my book on the The 11th Wisconsin in the Civil War. When they brought me the daily reports of the regiment and ... Full story

To be sure, Americans have always been against large standing armies, yet we are the poster child for the Military Industrial Complex. For that matter, we have been ardent anti-tax; anti-big government; ect, ect. And what have we evolved into? Neither Republicans nor Democrats escape culpability. This brings me to an excellent book ... Full story

There were a slew of news stories last week that specifically mentioned that Stone worked with two unnamed historians for his up-coming documentary on Hitler and other mass murders in an attempt to give us "empathy" for them and "provide" us with historical context to their rise to power. According to hundreds ... Full story

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I mean this sincerely. I am saddened by the passing of Howard Zinn. From the Associated Press: Howard Zinn, the leftist academic whose alternative history of the United States became required reading for millions of ordinary people, as well as a following of celebrities, has died. He was 87. Zinn's death was confirmed by his website, ... Full story