Farewell Heath Ledger

Last night, as I was surfing the Internet, I was stunned to read of Heath Ledger's untimely passing. A young life cut short. Truly a tragedy.

In memory of Heath Ledger and in keeping with the spirit of this site, I thought I'd post the following picture from Columbia Pictures. Who can forget Heath Ledger from the 2000 film The Patriot? Ledger did a great job portraying Benjamin Martin's (Mel Gibson) restless, pro-revolutionary son, Gabriel.

Farewell Heath Ledger!

p.s. For those inclined, follow this link for an interesting op-ed on Heath Ledger's sudden passing (and its potential message to our culture).

John Adams Coming to HBO in March 2008

A look at the upcoming HBO miniseries, starring Paul Giamatti and based on bestselling author David McCullough's John Adams.

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PBS Documentary: The War That Made America

This is a clip from the PBS series The War That Made America, a solid documentary on the French and Indian War.

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Weapons of the American Revolution: The Brown Bess

The above video features a British reenactor firing a Brown Bess musket three times under a minute.

For more on this important weapon of the American Revolution, follow this link.

This is the first in an occasional series of posts featuring links to articles or videos on various weapons of the American Revolution.

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Lewis & Clark - Part One

You can find Part Two at this link.

Crime & Punishment in Colonial America

Chess -- Revolutionary War Style

If you like the American Revolution period AND you enjoy a good game of chess, then this might interest you...

Gun Control and the 2nd Amendment on Hannity & Colmes

Sean Hannity and Alan Combs tackle the issue of gun control in response to some of Rosie O'Donnell's anti-gun comments (also shown on this video).

What do you think? To what extent should Americans have the right to "keep and bear arms"?

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For a critically acclaimed look at the Founders and the Second Amendment...

A Look at Monticello

George Washington, the Cherry Tree, and Kermit the Frog

The story of George Washington and the cherry tree -- from the perspective of Kermit the Frog and the historians at Sesame Street.

Now, you know how it all really happened.

War of 1812 Reenactment Footage

I enjoy surfing YouTube and other video sites, looking for reenactment and other living history footage. I will occasionally post some of them on this site.

David McCullough Promotes His Book 1776

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American History Museum Still in Renovation

The Smithsonian National Museum of American History is undergoing intense, architectural renovations and will reopen its doors to the public by summer 2008.

As many of you probably know, the American History Museum closed its doors in September 2006. I was fortunate enough to get a visit in that year, before it closed for the major renovation.

According to the Smithsonian website, the "transformation focuses on...architectural enhancements to the Museum’s interior, constructing a state-of-the-art gallery for the Star-Spangled Banner, and updating the 42-year-old building’s infrastructure."

The bad news (in MY opinion at least)....the pendulum won't be coming back.

From 1964 to 1998, a version of Foucault’s pendulum was displayed in the museum atrium. As a kid, I remember being awestruck at how it swung from one side to the other - its swing affected by the rotation of the earth. But, there's no room for the pendulum in the new design. Tis a shame.

SAR to Honor Black Revolutionary War Veterans

The National Society Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) will dedicate a monument on January 27 to "Patriots of Color" from Charles City County, Virginia.

Says Bruce Wilcox, president of SAR: "It is not generally appreciated in scholarly circles, let alone by the general public, that perhaps 20,000 Black Americans served during the Revolution, and helped our Nation achieve its Independence and Liberty. The SAR takes seriously its role to preserve the memory of all Revolutionary War Patriots, and we are glad to honor these Patriots of Color from Charles City County."

For more on this story, follow this link.

Roger Wilkins on the Founders and Slavery

Roger Wilkins, a professor at George Mason University, wrote an excellent book (several years ago) on the relationship of America's principal Founding Fathers with slavery. I read his book, Jefferson's Pillow, several years ago - and was deeply impressed with it.

Wilkins, a Pulitzer-winning author and past civil rights (and anti-apartheid) activist, is qualified to address this sensitive subject, and does so in much more mature and reasoned tone than the likes of Howard Zinn.

Wilkins doesn't let the Founders off the hook, but (with the exception of Jefferson) doesn't slam them either. (He does have some strong things to say against Jefferson, while also acknowledging the Virginian's contributions).

Publisher's Weekly sums up Wilkins' approach as follows:

Where others routinely excuse past figures or judge them by present standards, Wilkins exemplifies a subtler, sounder approach. Reaching back to England and Virginia in the 1600s, he briskly illuminates the historical, ideological and socioeconomic contexts that made a burning concern for freedom not just compatible with slavery, but materially and psychologically dependent on it.

Jefferson's Pillow is a great book - definitely worth your checking out.

New Jersey Crossroads Recognized

The Star-Ledger is reporting that the US government has awarded $150,000 in aid to the American Revolution National Heritage Area, a crossroads tying together several key Revolutionary War sites that "highlight the pivotal role New Jersey played in the Revolution."

For the rest of the story, click here.

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And for more information on the New Jersey campaign of 1776-77, check out David McCullough's bestselling 1776.

Slave Trade Banned 200 Years Ago on January 1

The New York Times has run an article that expresses a sobering and important point: In spite of our nation's fascination with anniversaries, "one significant milestone has gone strangely unnoticed: the 200th anniversary of Jan. 1, 1808, when the importation of slaves into the United States was prohibited."

During the Constitutional Convention, a tragic (but "necessary," some say) compromise was reached that allowed the slave states of the newly formed United States of America to continue dealing in the international slave trade.

The slave trade represented the worst of the slave system. Even some slaveowners recognized this, which led them to argue vociferously against it. Southern slave owners from James Madison to George Mason expressed disgust for the slave trade, which profited from the exploitation of African victims snatched away from their families due to war, misfortune, and/or outright kidnappings. These victims would then be shipped in dreadful conditions into the very bowels of the international slave industry. It was a reprehensible practice.

And yet...the slave states of the Deep South, particularly Georgia and South Carolina, depended on slavery - and, by extension, the slave trade.

The Upper South (slave-holding, but uncomfortable with the slave trade and the expansion of slavery) and the North (increasingly opposed to slavery) compromised with their Deep South counterparts on both the slave trade and also on representation in Congress (the North allowed the slave states to count 3/5 of their slaves for the purposes of congressional representation). The slave trade compromise left the slave trade in the hands of the individual states until 1808.

By 1807, all of the states, except South Carolina, had stopped dealing in the slave trade. Congress stepped in and (using its new constitutional authority) banned the trade -- a ban that would take effect New Year's Day, 1808.

The ban on the slave trade was the first major step taken by the United States government against the institution of slavery. And for that reason, it is an anniversary worth remembering.

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A great film that depicts the horrors of the African slave trade is Steven Spielberg's masterpiece Amistad. If you haven't seen it, check it out!

Rare Copy of Declaration of Independence Found

According to an article from Law.com, a rare copy of the Declaration of Independence, America's founding document, has been discovered in a side hallway of the US Supreme Court building.

This rare copy was one of only 200 early copies made of the original 1776 document, principally authored by Thomas Jefferson and then "mutilated" (Jefferson's word to describe the modifications done to it) by the Second Continental Congress.

The copy, dated to 1824, was found in 2003 and has been made available for viewing since 2006. It's quite a story. Follow this link to read all about it.

Battles of Trenton and Princeton

As I write this blog entry, it's December 27, 2007. Two hundred and thirty-one years ago this week, George Washington and the Continental Army had just defeated the Hessians at Trenton, New Jersey -- a worthy Christmas present for the infant United States.

And Washington was now struggling to keep his army from disintegrating due to expired enlistments as well as inadequate pay and provisions.

General Washington was working to keep his army together, while eluding a determined counterattack by British General Lord Cornwallis. Washington would survive Cornwallis' pursuit and score another upset victory at Princeton.

The battles of Trenton and Princeton (and the maneuverings of December 1776 and January 1777) would prove to be the most important campaign of the American Revolution (barring perhaps Yorktown).

Anyone who doubts this should consult David Hackett Fisher's masterful Washington's Crossing...



...and for those wanting to know just how tenuous the War for Independence was going into the New Jersey campaign, pick up a copy of David McCullough's bestselling 1776.

Was George Washington a Christian?

Whether people say George Washington was a Deist, Christian, or somewhere in between has a LOT to do with the individual's political persuasion. Often, it has little to do with the facts.

Well, Peter Lillback decided that there are enough OPINIONS about George Washington's religious faith. Lillback decided to stick to the FACTS. And in his book, George Washington's Sacred Fire, there are LOTS of facts - hundreds of pages of facts.

I've read through this book - and, believe, me, that's saying something. Reading Lillback's George Washington's Sacred Fire is like wading through a small library!

I hesitate to cut to the bottom line of Lillback's conclusion, because doing so will likely cause some would-be readers to dismiss Lillback. This would be a serious mistake.

Get yourself a copy of Peter Lillback's George Washington's Sacred Fire - and learn the TRUTH about George Washington's religious faith.