History
For those of you with an interest in what historians blog about, I’m hosting History Carnival 62 over at my side project, Spinning Clio. Please keep in mind that the purpose of the Carnival is to present those items both submitted by others and discovered by the host (me this time around). Generally speaking, if…
One of the little things that Christmas reminds me of is the first time I saw Washington Crossing the Delaware at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art when I was in college back in the early 1990’s. (Why? Well, Washington crossed into Trenton on Christmas Eve). Now, I’d seen pictures of it, sure. But…
The Corner provides excerpts from Mitt Romney’s speech today, which suggest it will focus on the broader strategic question of what role religion should play in the American public square instead of the granularity of Mormon theology: There are some who may feel that religion is not a matter to be seriously considered in the…
I’ve finally started to watch Ken Burns’ “The War” and just completed the first episode, “A Necessary War.” It’s an interesting social history to be sure and, not surprisingly, inspires comparisons between how war was perceived then and now, especially on the homefront. The centerpiece of the first episode was the battle for Guadalcanal and…
September 17, 1862 remains the bloodiest day in American history. On that day near Sharpsburg, Maryland, the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac suffered combined casualties of nearly 26,000, including nearly 5500 dead. Although tactically a draw, the fact that Robert E. Lee had been turned back after a…
Providence firefighter (and Rescuing Providence blogger) Michael Morse spoke to the assembled crowd at today’s 9/11 memorial service at Providence Police and Fire headquarters… Michael Morse: It is vitally important that we come together on this date to honor those who lost their lives on September 11th, 2001. It’s hard to believe, but six years…
The opening of President George W. Bush’s address to the nation, delivered about a week after the September 11 attack on America, remains the best assessment of how the nation responded six-years ago today…Mr. Speaker, Mr. President Pro Tempore, members of Congress, and fellow Americans: In the normal course of events, Presidents come to this…
Mac puts Gen. Petraeus in his historical military context in today’s Walll Street Journal: Events have vindicated the claims of those who argued that President Bush’s “surge” strategy in Iraq could work. Security, the sine qua non for ultimate success, has improved. This is especially true in Anbar and other Sunni-dominated provinces where the Sunni…