Kenneth C. Davis, A Nation Rising: Untold Tales of Flawed Founders, Fallen Heroes, and Forgotten Fighters from America’s Hidden History. HarperCollins, 2010. ISBN: 978-0-06-111820-3.
Mr. Davis attempted to cover the first 50 years of the 19th century by following the narratives of 6 events: Burr's trial, Weatherford's War, the Madison Mutiny, Dade's promise, Morse's ...
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George Washington was a brewer, well, a distiller. Not just that, he was the largest distiller of his time producing more than 10k gallons of whiskey in 1799 alone.
As early as 1789 Washington wanted Americans drinking only home grown spirits, so he presented his “buy American” policy indicating he will only drink ...
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Please take a moment this weekend to think about (or talk with your children who are old enough to understand) what this country means and how it was established by the Founders as an Empire of Liberty; as they understood it. The Freedoms that they fought for established a Republican tradition that stands ...
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If you do a simple Google search for "
founding fathers not christian" you will find a slew of blogs, publications, and whatnot that offer their take on the issue of Christianity and the Founding. These opinion pieces, such as the one I am writing here, offer quotes from Founders such as: Thomas ...
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Historian
Ray Raphael has a very interesting article in the recent issue of
American History Magazine. He argues that the tea party is filled with "myths" that have carried on to our present day. I though it fit to post it here since we have a modern "tea party" movement. Furthermore, I ...
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Type in "Samuel Adams" and do a
google.com search and you are just as likely to come up with links and images referring to the Beer Company Samuel Adams.
As historian Ira Stoll notes, "History has not been kind to Samuel Adams," and indeed one might ask why?
As an APUS History teacher ...
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I came across this and thought I would share:
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Spent a lot of time today reviewing my copy of Thomas Jefferson's Notes on the state of Virginia as I prepare for a Graduate Class discussion and in particular his thoughts on religion. As we know, Jefferson was one of the main proponents of religious freedom and one of those who demanded that ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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, ...
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O.K., a simple google search and one can find that he was a Boston resident, a lawyer in fact, and with a little more searching he was a friend of John Adams. He also wrote a pamphlet, "The sentiments of a British American" in 1764 as a result of the Stamp Act. I also found a
bio sketch: "Oxenbridge Thacher, who was born in ...
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So I have been going through the A.P. textbook and other materials and I am becoming somewhat troubled by how the authors present several topics (which I will get into later.) However, most troubling are a couple POTENTIAL incorrect statements, for example on one review question:
The statement, "taxation without representation is tyranny" was first proclaimed by
A. Benjamin Franklin
B. John Hancock
C. Samuel Adams
D. John Dickinson
E. ...
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I know that I have been focusing on the Battle of Gettysburg the last few days, but my heart is with the Founding Fathers; and more so than ever it seems in light of recent political events. The founding of our wonderful nation and the promise of hope and liberty that it was founded on, should stir the hearts and minds of even the most ...
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I've been doing a lot of reading concerning early American history, specifically the Colonial and Revolutionary periods as I have already started the process of game planning my lessons and handouts, ect. for AP U.S. History. Here's the list of books I am reading:
Gordon S. Wood,
The Radicalism of the American Revolution...
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Perhaps those Tea Bag attendees were not a bunch of redneck racists, but actually were just concerned over what our government is becoming and that more government is maybe not the answer. A government that started to get fat under Bush and the Republicans, and is now getting obese under the Democrats. So this story below was just too much to pass up and not post, ...
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It's an interesting question and one I would never have considered until I read Thomas J. Fleming's 1964 article "
The Enigma of General Howe," in American Heritage magazine.
Fleming's argument, essentially, is that Sir William Howe was not incompetent, but instead intentionally held back at crucial moments -- more than once obviously -- and ...
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In honor of Washington becoming the first elected President on this day (1789).
The best strategy employed during the early stages of fighting was more akin to modern guerrilla style than the traditional European tactics of the day. The murderous sniper attacks of the Patriots on the British during their return from Concord were devastating. (Gen. Nathaniel Greene would use hit and run tactics ...
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Thomas Paine's place in American History is secure but that wasn't always the case. He died in relative obscurity after having made the mistake of taking on the Federalists, who viciously attacked Paine. Also, his mistaken commitment to the French Revolution also contributed to his downfall. Though always a friend to Thomas Jefferson, when Paine ...
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