History

An Albatross of a Memorial to Slavery

By Justin Katz | March 18, 2009 |

People wonder why race remains an issue, why the United States seems to move forward so slowly. Well, does this memorial of guilt strike anybody else as bizarre? More than 240 years ago, John and Moses Brown financed a slave ship bound for Africa. They also poured money into Brown University in Providence. Slaves worked…

Life on the Plantation

By Marc Comtois | March 13, 2009 |

Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was established by Royal Charter in 1663: Because titles to these lands rested only on Indian deeds, neighboring colonies began to covet them. To meet this threat, Roger Williams journeyed to England and secured a parliamentary patent in March 1643-44 uniting the four towns into a single colony and confirming…

Up Against the Pirates Who Never Left

By Justin Katz | December 27, 2008 |

I understand that part of historian Doug Burgess’s argument is that piracy was once a somewhat respectable occupation among American colonies, but I can’t help but take this as an indication of the historical nature of conservative reformers’ current task: Newport became a Colonial capital for pirating. “The Colony [of Rhode Island] now began to…

Happy Thanksgiving

By Marc Comtois | November 27, 2008 |

Tocqueville and Thanksgiving….two of my favorite things. The foundation of New England was a novel spectacle, and all the circumstances attending it were singular and original. Nearly all colonies have been first inhabited either by men without education and without resources, driven by their poverty and their misconduct from the land which gave them birth,…

Future History is Written

By Marc Comtois | November 10, 2008 |

It took historians a full term of George W. Bush’s presidency before they declared he was “the worst president ever.” Now, only days after the election, at least one prominent historian is declaring that the presidency of Barack Obama will be “unforgettable” (h/t). Like Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D.Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John F.Kennedy, and…

Levelling

By Marc Comtois | September 19, 2008 |

Sen. Joseph Biden, September 18, 2008: “We want to take money and put it back in the pocket of middle class people. Anyone making over $250,000….Is going to pay more. You got it. It’s time to be patriotic, Kate. It’s time to jump in, it’s time to be part of the deal, it’s time to…

Identify that Historic Figure

By Monique Chartier | July 17, 2008 |

A snippet from his life and writings. – Hundreds were reportedly executed on his watch, and that doesn’t include the deaths incurred in the wars he was constantly trying to start. – When describing the differences in the strife between “Europeans” and “the black,” … [he] wrote, “their different attitudes of life separate them completely:…

Cleaning the Attic

By Marc Comtois | July 15, 2008 |

Time to clean out the “To do” link “attic” I keep handy. So, before they vanish into the ether, here are some that may be interesting to others. Part I: Politics and Economy Obama, Shaman by Michael Knox Beran: Obama-mania is bound in the end to disappoint. Not only does it teach us to despise…

Happy Independence Day!!!

By Marc Comtois | July 4, 2008 |

The Best John Adams Quote Ever

By Carroll Andrew Morse | July 3, 2008 |

In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress.