Archive for the ‘American History’ Category

Tomorrow "The Pacific" will debut on HBO, as 10-part miniseries based on Robert Leckie's book titled "Helmet for My Pillow" and Eugene B. Sledge's book titled, "With the Old Breed." I am familiar with Sledge's book and knowing that the same people behind this new WWII series also were behind "Band of ... Full story

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

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 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

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

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

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

My A.P. United States history class is fast approaching the 1930s; well now that we have switched from a 90 minute block to a 45 "skinny" we are creeping along since the year started. We will hit the 1980s/90s just in time for the early May exam. Also, during this semester we will ... Full story

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

I guess I am implying that some see him as not a "Disaster" and I think that to be the case, he has defenders does he not? I am in the middle of a course on American Civil War Command and Leadership, and specifically the Joseph T. Glatthaar book Partners In Command. ... Full story

Oliver Stone is no stranger to conspiracy theories and to gross historical inaccuracies (see JFK for starters, Oswald was the lone shooter), and it looks like he is taking on yet more "misunderstood" events and people (thank God for Oilver Stone or we would all be , as he says "ignorant."); only this time his focus ... Full story