Archive for the ‘American Exceptionalism’ Category

How do I connect the title of the post... Henry A. Kissinger was sworn in on September 22, 1973, as the 56th Secretary of State, and since that moment was one of those politicians whom people have loved to hate. Just do a Google search and there are all kinds of interesting websites; one even shows ... Full story

Elvis would have been 75 today, happy birthday to the King of Rock and Roll! My mother was a huge Elvis fan and I have to admit I own a couple of his songs on my iPod. Anyway, to another shining example of American Exceptionalism (and tragedy), Elvis Presley. That he borrowed indiscriminately - ... Full story

I was called out in an email by a reader (this is not an attack as I respect this reader and hence why I am not revealing their identity) who asked me about my belief in American Exceptionalism and my respect for Gordon S. Wood. The reason being, Dr. Wood's in his most recent - ... Full story

“I always wanted to become a citizen of the United States and when I became a citizen it was one of the happiest days in my life. I think about the United States and I am a lucky person to live here. When I came to America, it was the first time I was free. It ... Full story

I took the week off to get some things accomplished that I needed to, so my apologies for a lack of posting, but I have been taking daily assessments of the blogosphere and noted a few things which I will comment on now. There has been some controversy over the History Channel’s upcoming Sunday evening program, ... Full story

It looks like Mr. Dreyfuss had a nice day recently at Gettysburg as he continued his crusade championing American civics and history instruction. Last Friday thousands showed up for the keynote Dedication Day speaker and Oscar-winning actor Richard Dreyfuss. After giving what appears to have been a well received speech on American ideals and virtue, ... Full story

Some historians and wanna be historians love to do the "I told you so" in regards to American history. They love to point out how Lincoln was not the Great Emancipator, Washington did tell lies, and that Jefferson not only owned a bunch of slaves, he fathered children by one of those slaves. Indeed, all of ... Full story

A week or so ago the Pew Global Attitudes Project released a study titled "The Pulse of Europe 2009: 20 Years After the Fall of the Berlin Wall" that centered on the attitudes in Eastern Europe and Russia about the collapse of Communism. The results are fascinating and led me to consider something after reading ... Full story

Recently Clint Eastwood, famed Hollywood actor and now director / producer, was interviewed for a cover story by GQ Magazine. When asked about America today, he had some rather "pointed" comments. I have enjoyed his recent films: Flags of our Fathers; Letters from Iwo Jima, Million Dollar Baby, ect. I don't know what his political ... Full story

Whether you appreciate Reagan or not. Whether you think he had much to do with the Berlin Wall coming down or not, his "Tear Down This Wall" speech is historic and prophetic. In honor of the anniversary of the "fall" of the Berlin Wall and the flourishing of freedom in Eastern Germany:... Full story

I got a chance to look through my recently arrived copy of John Keegan's book and I am already enjoying it. Some interesting comments just in his introduction alone he writes, "Had the battle gone the other way, as it might so easily have done, the war might have been concluded more quickly and ... Full story

Founders: The People Who Brought You a Nation, by Ray Raphael came out earlier this year by The New Press and I am finally getting to read it and I must say I am thoroughly enjoying it. Raphael emerged in 2001 as a top notch social historian for his acclaimed People’s History of the American Revolution, ... Full story

The period after the War of 1812 is a challenging time as an educator; at least it is for me. The excitement of the late 18th Century creates a lull that is hard to get out of and even the anticipation of the upcoming Civil War does not always help to generate ... Full story

Levin, uh, well, thanks for that (I guess I am McCarthy, interesting) and whatever I can do to help you out man! I have no idea why you would put my name in that post? But whatever. Anyway, do please give me a specific link where I call you a "radical"? Just because I do not agree with you does not mean that I think you ... Full story

Since the mid-1960s young historians tabbed "New Left Historians" entered the scene with an eye toward reshaping history. They saw all around them serious issues within the teaching of history. They favored an interpretation of the past that placed its emphasis in such a way as to, in the words of Warren Susman, "remake the present and the future." What is also clear, is that ... Full story

Levin writes : I don’t mind admitting that I am an enemy of the notion of ‘American Exceptionalism.’ It’s not simply that I fail to see how it applies to American history, but that it has nothing to do with my role as an instructor of history. I’ve said before that I do not consider it my responsibility to influence students in how they ... Full story

The latest issue of the Gilder Lehrman Institute's online magazine History Now centers on the studying and teaching of the American Revolution. Here's a list of those articles: Teaching the Revolution, by Carol Berkin Inventing American Diplomacy, by R.B. Bernstein Lockean Liberalism and the American Revolution, by Isaac Kramnick Unruly Americans in the Revolution, by Woody Holton The Righteous Revolution of Mercy Otis ... Full story