Vacation Planning for Lovers of History

The summer has arrived, which means history lovers can start thinking about vacation planning. There are many wonderful places to visit that have plenty of appeal for those of us who enjoy early American history. These places include Colonial Williamsburg, Yorktown, Jamestown, Historic Mount Vernon, Boston, Philadelphia, and so much more. For those of you planning a summer vacation with history in mind, I offer the following article for your enjoyment...

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How To Enjoy A Unique Vacation That Is Filled With History
By Jack Bulker

Looking for a different idea for your vacation this year? Trying to figure out where a good place would be to go and you feel like you are running out of fun and different ideas? Then why not consider taking your holidays to a place of historical value? Even if you have children vacations to where there are historical sites to visit can be a lot fun and filled with a lot more action than one might imagine.

On top of that they are also very educational. Believe it or not, if you have children they will truly enjoy trying to imagine the scene of a battle or watching an actual reenactment of a battle or some other historical moment in history. Going somewhere that has a lot of history brings history to life and it's far better than reading about it in history books.

When you start planning for this, sit down with your family members and figure out what time in history, within limits, that you and your family might be interested in experiencing. Do they prefer the Civil War era over the Revolutionary era. Do they prefer all of American history over World history. Would they prefer the times of World War II or the wild west? All of this is important so take note. It will make deciding on a location a lot easier.

After you have done this try and choose one or even two of the different eras that they showed the most interest in and then do some research on different places to go that have things that are associated with these time periods. For instance if the Revolutionary War is of great interest then consider a place like Philadelphia. For those that love the Civil War consider Wilmington Delaware or Gettysburg or Washington DC that has tons of historical museums that should please everyone.

Find out when there will be different events in the locations you are interested in visiting so that you all can experience living history through reenactments, festivals or other types of demonstrations that have historical basis.

Get in touch with different historical societies to find out more about the area and how you can enjoy the history and get involved with it. Make sure to ask when are the months that have less tourists but they still offer the same historical events. This way, you will be able to ask more of your own questions of any guides there might be on tours you mike take. With less people you will be able to receive more personal attention.

Make sure that whatever you plan to see that you find your lodging close to where the historical sites are. You might even want to see if they have campgrounds near the area so that you can get a better feel for what it was like living in the area back in the day.

Another good thing to do is to book yourselves a room at a historical bed and breakfast at your destination. These will not only great places to stay with great service but generally will be decorated in the style of the period and who knows, maybe the room you book will be one that good old George Washington slept in on one of his many journeys.

For more free Travel Information download Jack's Free Travel & Holiday Information Pack at http://www.free-travel-info.com and join thousands of other people planning and booking their next holiday!

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Article Source: How To Enjoy A Unique Vacation That Is Filled With History

Sarah Palin on Paul Revere: Did Paul Revere Warn the British?

Americans love a good laugh. And picking on public figures is often a source of great laughs. Not surprisingly, when a public figure serves up a delicious gaffe, we are all too eager to pounce on it. Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin provided such an opportunity for amusement when she said recently that Paul Revere "warned the British" and implied that he rang some bells as part of his warning. Here is a video excerpt of Palin's gaffe...

First, let's all agree that Palin's off-the-cuff remarks demonstrated she had only a vague understanding of the events surrounding Boston in April of 1775. She had only a very shallow understanding of Paul Revere and what he did. Then again, this could be said of the vast majority of Americans today. It can also be said of the vast majority of American politicians today. I shudder to think how many of our elected officials (be they at the national or state level) would pass a basic American history test.

With that in mind, let's get some perspective on this. All politicians say dumb things from time to time. Unfortunately, certain public figures have been branded in the media and, as a result, the public consciousness as especially dim-witted and their misstatements tend to get the most press. Sarah Palin is in this category. As is former Vice-President Dan Quayle and, to some extent, former President George W. Bush. (That all three of these individuals are Republicans should give the reader a hint as to the bias of the mainstream news media. Obviously, Fox News stands as a huge exception to that bias). In reality, virtually all public figures (Republicans and Democrats) have verbally blundered in the course of their time in the limelight. Here are three examples from Barack Obama....

• "The reforms we seek would bring greater competition, choice, savings and inefficiencies to our health care system." –President Obama at a Health Care Roundtable, Washington, D.C., July 20, 2009
• "I've now been in 57 states — I think one left to go." -Then Senator Barack Obama on the 2008 presidential campaign trail
• "On this Memorial Day, as our nation honors its unbroken line of fallen heroes -- and I see many of them in the audience here today -- our sense of patriotism is particularly strong." -Then Senator Obama at a Memorial Day campaign stop in 2008

I don't share that list to pick on Obama. My point is that Obama has largely escaped public ridicule for these gaffes. It's hard to imagine the media being nearly as generous with Palin, had she made statements along these lines. So, let's agree on two things...1) All public figures make gaffes, and 2) Certain public figures, such as Palin, get unfairly disproportionate news coverage for their gaffes.

That being said, Palin's comments on Revere were indeed a blunder. And she has only compounded the mistake by trying to defend it...

Joel Miller, author of The Revolutionary Paul Revere, probably sums up this entire episode best by saying Palin "should have been humble and admitted she got the story wrong." She truly has only herself to blame for the ridicule she is now receiving. Yet Miller's assessment also holds the mirror up to our own culture. That we invest so much time and pleasure in the mistakes of others is not something for which we should be proud. According to Miller, it's "unattractive" and "prideful" that we engage in such typical "high-vaulting and jumping down [the] throats" of those who make mistakes. Yet such is the culture we have become. And we have only ourselves to blame. And there aren't many Paul Reveres out there today to warn us of the consequences coming down the road.