Benjamin Franklin Quotes Every American Should Know

Benjamin Franklin was an extraordinary man. Historians have (rightly) dubbed him "the First American," for his early advocacy for colonial unity and the pivotal role he played in shaping the United States. He was a printer, author, editor, philosopher, postmaster, inventor, scientist, politician, businessman, philanthropist, and diplomat. And he had a way with words.

As one of the wisest and most colorful figures in early American history, Franklin dispensed a great amount of advice and coined many sayings -- some of which remain quite famous to this day.

Here are some Benjamin Franklin quotes every American should know:

"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest."

"Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning."

"In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes."

"Well done is better than well said."

"A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle."

"Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing."

"A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned"

"Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are."

"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail." 

"How many observe Christ's birthday! How few, His precepts!"

"Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead."

"We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid."

"Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man."

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

"Instead of cursing the darkness, light a candle."

If only more people today had the wisdom of Ben Franklin.

War of Rights on Steam Brings Battles of the American Civil War to Life

"War of Rights" gameplay screen image courtesy of Steam

Surfing YouTube the other night, I came across video footage of the Civil War PC game "War of Rights." I was hooked. To be honest, I remember seeing "War of Rights" available on Steam, but didn't pay it any attention. The reason being that I was used to Civil War period games being a bit underwhelming and disappointing. Some were okay, but none of them really captured the "feel" of the time period or the excitement of excellent Civil War movies like Glory or Gettysburg.

"War of Rights" is a game-changer. I've now watched quite a few videos of the PC game on YouTube, and I am indeed blown away. Not only are the graphics breathtakingly amazing, but the gameplay captures the look-and-feel of Civil War movies and reenactments.

"War of Rights" is a multiplayer game set during the American Civil War, primarily in the Maryland Campaign of September, 1862. It's produced by indie company Campfire Games and was (according to what I've read) entirely crowdfunded and powered by CRYENGINE.

I've not yet recorded any of my own gameplay. When I do, I'll probably stick a few videos up here. I know. I know. This is an American Revolution blog and not an American Civil War blog, but I hope you'll cut me a little grace on that. The American Civil War was, in any ways, the conclusion of the American Revolution. And frankly, history buffs are history buffs. Those who appreciate early American history can appreciate Civil War history as well.

For gameplay footage, check "Should you buy War of Rights?" from YouTuber "General Cody HD." The game is available on Steam.

I can't wait for a company like Campfire Games to do a similar game on the American Revolution.

Andrew Jackson Saves America: My Review of Andrew Jackson and the Miracle of New Orleans

On January 8, 1815, a formidable British force under the command of Major General Sir Edward Pakenham advanced against the city of New Orleans. The British army was larger, better equipped, better disciplined, and better trained than their American counterparts. Indeed, the motley band of American soldiers, militia, volunteers, free blacks, Choctaw warriors, and pirates defending New Orleans comprised one of the most diverse fighting forces ever fielded in battle -- and they were sorely outnumbered by the British advancing on their positions. But the American defenders had one distinct advantage: strong leadership.

And that advantage in leadership came down to one central figure...Major General Andrew Jackson.

Andrew Jackson and the Miracle of New Orleans: The Battle That Shaped America's Destiny recounts the events leading up to and surrounding this crucial battle and focuses the reader on the indispensable role played by General Jackson.

Authored by Fox News anchor Brian Kilmeade and journalist Don Yaeger, the book draws on an array of historical records, including multiple firsthand accounts (such as Jackson's own papers), to tell the tale of how Jackson saved New Orleans - and likely the United States as well. 

This is the third collaboration between Kilmeade and Yaeger. Their first was George Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution and their second was Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates: The Forgotten War That Changed American History. With this third book in the series, they turn their focus to "Old Hickory."

Historians love to note how the Battle of New Orleans took place after the Treaty of Ghent, thus implying that the battle was meaningless. While technically correct, Kilmeade and Yaeger do a great job pointing out that Britain's move against New Orleans was intentionally planned even as their negotiators were working with the Americans on a possible treaty. 

A British capture of New Orleans would have, at the very least, given enormous leverage to Great Britain in the aftermath of the war and quite possibly have reopened treaty negotiations. At worst, Britain might have held New Orleans and thus secured a dominating position on the Mississippi River that could've crippled America's economy. As historian H.W. Brands writes: "The British plan was to capture New Orleans, drive up the Mississippi, and establish a cordon around the bumptious democracy." It would have been a devastating setback for the young nation. 

It is not much of an exaggeration to say that Andrew Jackson's decisive victory at New Orleans secured America's continued independence and provided the necessary momentum for the United States to become the dominant power of the hemisphere in the 19th century and the world's leading superpower in the next century. 

Kilmeade and Yaeger make this point beautifully and irrefutably. 

However...

Their book omits Jackson's record as a slave owner and it skims over many of his questionable and controversial decisions when he placed New Orleans under martial law. And if Kilmeade and Yaeger were so inclined, a worthy sequel to this book could be Andrew Jackson and the Trail of Tears: The Atrocity That Stained America's Honor. That would represent the other side of Andrew Jackson -- one that is just as valid as the noble hero portrayed in Andrew Jackson and the Miracle of New Orleans.

In spite of Jackson's heroism at New Orleans, the Trail of Tears justifies our removal of Jackson from the $20 bill. I remain supportive of replacing Jackson with abolitionist Harriet Tubman. 

Please don't misunderstand. I'm not one given to excessive political correctness or American self-flagellation. I'm no Howard Zinn. I believe the good in American history far outweighs the bad, and that includes early American history. As my blog readers know, I very much admire our Founding Fathers in spite of their sins and flaws. Nevertheless, I believe the bad must be acknowledged along with the good. Otherwise, we fail to learn from history. 

Andrew Jackson is one of the most flawed and controversial figures in American history. Capable of outstanding achievement and incredible bravery, he could also sink to petty violence (see his duels), cold-hearted calculation, and savage brutality. 

I'm grateful for Jackson's courage and for his inspiring leadership at New Orleans. He was there when the country needed him. But not all aspects of "the Age of Jackson" (what historians call the period of American history over which Jackson largely dominated) are positive. 

Nevertheless, at New Orleans, Andrew Jackson stood with the best of America --  both then and now. As Kilmeade and Yaeger write: "Despite the vast differences in language, ethnicity, national origin, race, social class, and countless other factors, the people who defended New Orleans recognized that what united them was stronger than what divided them."

It's a message that all Americans should read and heed today. 

An Open Letter to George Washington University Students

March 30, 2019

Dear George Washington University Student,

Is it okay if I address you as a George Washington University student?  I ask because I've just read the news that you've voted to remove and replace your mascot -- "George the Colonial." Apparently, being the 'woke' university students that you are, you find "George the Colonial," a mascot clearly inspired by your namesake, to be inappropriate and offensive in today's world. Clearly, you find George Washington to be offensive, and I certainly don't want to cause any of you any emotional distress by mentioning his name in association with your identity as a student. That would be a micro-aggression that I would absolutely feel terrible about.

I can only surmise that it's a matter of time when you will seek to rename your university. The road to social justice, however, is traveled at different speeds. So I understand why you haven't yet succeeded in making that change. I'm sure you won't let me down.

I commend you on your "wokeness." George Washington, along with "George the Colonial" is so yesterday - I mean, so 1700s. In our enlightened age, no "woke" university should have a namesake associated in any way with the sins of our past. We are, after all, above sin today. We've progressed beyond sin. Or at least "woke" university students like yourselves have. Some of us middle-aged, middle-class, everyday Americans haven't yet caught up to your progress yet. But with students like you signaling your virtues to the rest of us, we will have the needed light to follow.

Some backward-thinking, retrograde Americans will of course say things like "George the Colonial" does not represent colonialism or imperialism. They'll say things like the citizens of colonial America rebelled against imperialism - revolting against the British Empire. Don't you, for a moment, let such facts dissuade you. We know that words matter. And the word "colonial" is offensive. That is all that matters today.

Some will argue we owe a debt of gratitude to George Washington. They'll say that, in spite of Washington's sins, he nevertheless did many great things for the country -- things that we should honor him for. Don't you believe it. Don't you listen to it. Those voices can be ignored or silenced. They represent nothing more than verbal violence from a racist, sexist, homophobic patriarchy. You know better.

Others will say that George Washington grew as a person, that he ultimately came to realize slavery was wrong. This is of course true. Even many African Americans of Washington's day recognized this and hailed him as a hero for all the good he did for America. But none of that matters. George Washington didn't progress far enough or fast enough. His conscience just wasn't up to the standards of today's social justice activists -- people like you. And thank God - oh, sorry, thank Heaven - oh, I mean, thank whatever Higher Power or Entity or Belief System which doesn't offend you - that you are here today to make sure we don't make the mistake of honoring any historical figure that we shouldn't. We have you and your generation to let us know which men and women are worthy of grace, forgiveness, honor and/or gratitude - and George Washington clearly doesn't merit any of those considerations.

I look forward to your continued leadership as we march - can I use that word? It's kind of martial, maybe a little hierarchical - forward on the road to Social Justice.

Sincerely,

Brian Tubbs

p.s. Actually.... I'm not that "woke." If you voted against George Washington, do the rest of us a favor. Leave the United States of America. We're better off without you. Thanks be to God for truly courageous American heroes like George Washington - a man none of you are worthy to even mention! God bless America!

Fox & Friends Has Interesting Segment on The American Revolution

Thanks to "Fox & Friends" for running this interesting segment on the American Revolution from The Museum of the American Revolution.  (One complaint: It's not "Presidents Day." It's George Washington's Birthday, Observed). Check it out at the link below...

https://video.foxnews.com/v/6003400106001/

Happy George Washington Day!

Move Presidents Day to January 20: Let George Washington Have His Own Holiday (Again)

Here we are at the most worthless, meaningless holiday of the year: Presidents Day.  That's the official name of the holiday in some states, but still not with the federal government. Nevertheless, the general public has fully embraced "Presidents Day." And, in so doing, we undermine the man who made all our other Presidents, indeed our very country, possible.

The United States officially and explicitly honors just two people with their own exclusive holiday. (Three if you count Jesus of Nazareth for "Christmas," but that's for another discussion). Those two are Christopher Columbus (Columbus Day) and Martin Luther King, Jr (Martin Luther King Day). Whether we should celebrate Columbus Day is a debate worthy of its own attention, and it's one I've already weighed in on. As for Dr. King, I fully support a holiday in his honor.

Dr. King led America toward fulfilling the promise in its Declaration of Independence, namely that "all men are created equal." As Dr. King himself so eloquently declared at the Lincoln Memorial in his famous "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963, the Founding Fathers issued a "promissory note" to future generations. King's words still resonate today:

"...we’ve come here today to dramatize a shameful condition. In a sense we’ve come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was the promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Martin Luther King, Jr. deserves his own holiday, but he is not the only American citizen that should get his own day. There are others. And I would submit that the father of the United States would be such a man.

Some will of course protest that Abraham Lincoln, our sixteenth President, deserves a national holiday. I agree. Let Lincoln have his own holiday. It's questionable whether our politicians will ever go for this, given the proximity that Lincoln and Washington have on the calendar - both their birthdays are in February. But I completely agree with the argument that Abraham Lincoln deserves holiday recognition. But I do not agree that honoring Lincoln means Washington should have to surrender his day.

For those who say we should have a holiday honoring all our Presidents or for those who don't want to have to stop saying "Presidents Day," I have a solution: Make January 20 (which is Inauguration Day every four years) an annual holiday celebrating the office of the presidency. It doesn't have to be an actual day off work, except for when there is an actual inauguration, but January 20 can be known every year as "Presidents Day." And that way, Washington can have back his holiday.

There was a time when most Americans would agree that George Washington is worthy of singular, exclusive celebration. Today, it seems most Americans don't even care. And this is sad, given the fact that we wouldn't even have a country today were it not for George Washington.

Without Washington leading the Continental Army, the American Revolution would've been lost. Without Washington holding his army together and keeping them from revolting during the dangerous interval between the victory at Yorktown (1781) and the Treaty of Paris (1783), the American Revolution would've collapsed into a military coup and major civil unrest. Without Washington presiding over the Constitutional Convention and then supporting the new Constitution, the United States would've sputtered into oblivion and ultimately disintegrated under the ineffectual Articles of Confederation. Without Washington keeping the country together as its first President and putting in place the practical foundation of our civil government, the United States never would've gotten off the ground.

I could go on and on. Washington flatly refused offers to become king or dictator. He resigned his commission at war's end when he could've continued as Commander-in-Chief and exerted monumental leverage (if not outright control) in the affairs of government. After the new Constitution was ratified and he was elected (unanimously) as President, he served two terms and then refused to remain President in perpetuity. He voluntarily relinquished authority not once, but twice. He is alone among leaders in world history in this regard. And Washington renounced, as the Rev. Richard Allen said, "the only stain with which man could reproach him" by freeing his slaves in his will. (See Allen's eulogy here). He was the only slave-holding President to do so, and in essence made his last public statement a denunciation of slavery. Like I said, I could go on and on.

George Washington was, in every respect, the indispensable man of American history. And he more than deserves every monument erected to him and every school or street or building named after him. He deserves Washington State as well as the nation's capital being named in his honor. He deserves to be on our dollar bill and our quarter. And, yes, he deserves a holiday named exclusively in his honor.

Yes, I'm aware that the legal name of the federal holiday designated for the third Monday in February is George Washington's Birthday Observed, but that is no longer the name that is recognized by the general public.

And it's a travesty. We have betrayed the man who made our country possible.

I can't put it any better than the sixteenth President of the United States. In 1842, a young Abraham Lincoln was invited to speak at the Washington Temperance Society on February 22 (the date of Washington's birthday under the Gregorian calendar). Here is what Lincoln said:

"This is the one hundred and tenth anniversary of the birth-day of Washington. We are met to celebrate this day. Washington is the mightiest name of earth — long since mightiest in the cause of civil liberty; still mightiest in moral reformation. On that name, an eulogy is expected. It cannot be. To add brightness to the sun, or glory to the name of Washington, is alike impossible. Let none attempt it. In solemn awe pronounce the name, and in its naked deathless splendor, leave it shining on."

Indeed.

Happy George Washington Day!

Celebrate Independence Week 2018 by Reading (or Re-reading) John Adams

In 2001, David McCullough released what is probably the best biography ever written on our second President and one of our most under-rated Founding Fathers. If you haven't read McCullough's John Adams, you should rectify that this Independence Day week.

For my review of John Adams, check out my article over at Medium.

Liberty's Kids Episode on Independence

Christ Church in Alexandria Removing Plaque to Washington

Christ Church Episcopal in Alexandria, Virginia is removing two plaques from their sanctuary and apparently relocating them to another location that is to be determined. Leaders at Christ Church defended their “unanimous decision” by explaining that the plaques “make some in our presence feel unsafe or unwelcome.” This decision by one of the most historic churches in the Washington, DC area comes in the context of a nationwide furor over statues and memorials to dead white Americans, primarily Confederate generals or leaders. But the acrimonious debate, as predicted by President Donald Trump, has now encompassed Founding Fathers and even Revolutionary War soldiers. It isn’t just Robert E. Lee who is having his plaque removed; it’s George Washington too.

To continue reading... check out "George Washington's Home Church Caves to Political Correctness"

Is Western Culture Superior? Dinesh D'Souza and PragerU Say Yes

In this age of Political Correctness, it seems almost blasphemous to suggest that one culture might be superior to another. This is especially so if one asserts that it's the western culture which is superior. Yet that is precisely what PragerU does with this controversial, but thought-provoking, video.

According to Dinesh D'Souza, western culture (which of course forms the backdrop and context of the British Empire and the United States of America) is indeed superior to the other cultures of the world.

What do you think? Sound off in the comments.

Killing England Debuts

Killing England, the newest edition of the Killing series by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard, has just been released. And I've downloaded it onto my Audible account. I'll be listening to it as I commute. When I'm done (no promises as to exact timetable), I'll post a review.

The title is jarringly inaccurate. The American revolutionaries of course didn't "kill" England. The British Empire didn't die or collapse during or after the Revolutionary War. The title is contrived to work the American War for Independence into the Killing series.

The Killing series is written as creative nonfiction with a widespread (read: non-academic) audience in mind. If you're looking for heavy scholarship, the Killing series is not for you. But they are enjoyable nonetheless and have inspired a greater interest in history for many people.

Were the Founders Racist and Pro-Slavery?

The momentum to take down (or vandalize) statues to Confederate leaders has now extended to statues and memorials to America's Founding Fathers. The premise driving this is, of course, that the Founders were (by consensus) racist and pro-slavery. Most mainstream academic texts either affirm this premise or ignore it. But David Barton, a controversial speaker and author, counters this narrative. 

What follows is the first part of a video presentation titled "American History in Black & White." This first part deals with the founding era. 

As always...civil comments are welcome. 

Robert E. Lee and George Washington Are Not The Same

Robert E Lee's statue in Charlottesville, Va.

In a combative August 15 press conference, President Donald Trump expressed dismay at the removal of the statue to Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville, Virginia (that planned removal being the flashpoint of the violent protests which erupted this past weekend) and in doing so, seemed to compare General Lee to George Washington.

"So, this week it's Robert E. Lee," said the President. "I noticed that Stonewall Jackson is coming down. I wonder is it George Washington next week and is it Thomas Jefferson the week after?"

Let's agree that there are many in this country who would make little to no distinction between Confederate generals and slave-owning Founding Fathers. These activists would like to see statues and memorials to any and all slave owners (Confederate or loyal American) removed, and they would like to see any schools, towns, cities, or states likewise renamed. This includes Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, George Mason, and so on. President Trump is correct on this point, but...

I believe it's wrong to encourage such linking or association. It's unnecessary to suggest an all-or-nothing approach to statues and memorials.

There are indeed some similarities between George Washington and Robert E. Lee. Both professed to be Christians. Both were Virginians. Both were generals. Both led (depending on one's point of view) revolutionary or insurrectionist armies. And, yes, both owned and managed slaves. But... there are also several very meaningful differences.

Robert E. Lee emphasized loyalty to state over nation. By contrast, George Washington called for national allegiance. In his Farewell Address, President Washington declared: "Citizens, by birth or choice, of a common country, that country has a right to concentrate your affections. The name of American, which belongs to you in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of patriotism more than any appellation derived from local discriminations." Despite post-Civil War "Lost Cause" mythology and propaganda, the southern states in 1860-61 (particularly in the Deep South), clearly centered their grievances around the issue of slavery. This was made clear in their speeches, editorials, proclamations, formal deliberations, and official resolutions. Their desire to protect the institution of slavery (as well as its expansion and the capture of slaves who escaped to the North) was what drove them to secession. (See Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens' Cornerstone Speech). Lee took up his sword to defend this cause.

In contrast, the Second Continental Congress listed out their grievances (17 of them) against the British in the Declaration of Independence. Not one of those grievances was the desire to guard or expand slavery. (In fact, despite popular misconception today, most of the Founders didn't own slaves and even many who did had deep reservations with the institution). Both Lee and Washington expressed moral disapproval of slavery, and yet one of them (Lee) took up arms to effectively defend (and, had he been successful, to advance) slavery. The other capped off his long career by freeing his slaves in his will and (in so doing) publicly adding his name to the cause of manumission.

On the issue of slavery, it should be noted that Lee may not have been the "benevolent" slave master that his defenders would have us believe. Wesley Norris was a slave owned by the family and estate of George Washington Parke Custis, grandson of Martha Washington. It was, as Norris said, the "general impression" of the slaves that when Mr. Custis passed, they would be freed. This understanding was no doubt inspired by the spirit of George Washington's will. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. When Custis died, Norris was informed he would have to remain a slave, under the authority of (at the time) Colonel Lee according to the "conditions of the will." Seventeen months into their 5-year extension, Norris and two or three other slaves escaped to Maryland where they were captured and returned to Lee. Norris' account of what happened next is damning. Though Lee privately denied these allegations, there is some compelling evidence to back up Norris' claims. But even if Lee is technically innocent of some of the specifics of what Norris says, the nature of the controversy speaks to the relations Lee had with the slaves on his and his wife's plantation. It also makes clear that the Custis family and Lee broke with George Washington's trajectory against slavery.

Elizabeth Brown Pryor, author of Reading The Man: A Portrait of Robert E. Lee Through His Private Letters, explains how Lee should be seen on the issue of slavery in contrast to George Washington. She writes:

The tragedy for Lee is that he never made the transformational leap that would recognize the fundamental human nature of the slaves. George Washington wrestled with it; Abraham Lincoln did as well. Neither of these men ever considered African-Americans their equal. Ultimately, however, they both grasped the fact that what was wrong with slavery was not an absence of sufficient laws, or a need for more humane treatment within an exploitative system. What was wrong with slavery was that it failed to recognize the brotherhood of the human condition. The entangled lives of the slaves and their masters, the emotional, historical, sexual, and communal connections, could mean only one thing: that these beings were equal as part of mankind; equal in their human instincts, passions, desires, and inclinations, including the desire for self-determination. Equal, as Lincoln said, in the "right to eat the bread without the leave of anybody else, which his own hand earns. . . ." Capable, as George Washington finally realized, "of a destiny different from that in which they were born." Robert E. Lee would never cross this threshold. He could embrace the need for justice, but it was a justice defined by unjust principles. His racism and his limited imagination meant that he never admitted the humanity of the slaves with whom he lived. In avoiding that truth, he bound himself to slavery's inhumanity.

Finally, though Lee verbally objected to secession (calling it "anarchy"), he ultimately took up arms against the national government when his home state seceded. Washington, on the other hand, responded to rebellion against the national government with a swift and overwhelming display of military force (even leading troops in the field himself while President). See the Whiskey Rebellion. He also reportedly told an English friend, after the American Revolution, that if the southern states (including Virginia) were to secede over the issue of slavery, he would move north and side with the Union.

Bottom line: George Washington and Robert E. Lee are not the same.

There are similarities, but there are also some very important differences -- differences that we should not miss today.

The President is right that some will seek to remove Washington's hero status (by tearing down statues in his honor and removing his name from schools and parks). Some are already doing this (and have been for a few years). Tearing down or removing Confederate statues is undoubtedly fueling momentum for downgrading the hero status of anyone associated with slavery - and that certainly includes men like Washington. But...

It's fallacious to say that we should keep up statues to undeserving historical figures so that we don't lose our statues to deserving ones.

We should not honor the Confederacy as a noble cause. Anyone who reads Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens' infamous "Cornerstone Speech" should agree. For this reason, I understand - and will not oppose - the removal of statues to Confederate leaders from public grounds. Confederate flags and statues belong on cemeteries and museums - not in public squares. Not in 2017.

But we should honor our nation's Founding Fathers. And I will oppose (vigorously so) any attempt to dishonor our nation's Founders.

This is how, I hope, most Americans today feel.

Bill O'Reilly Primed to Tackle The American Revolution

Bill O'Reilly turns the attention of his mega-bestselling Killing series to the American Revolution. In September 2017, Killing England will go live. According to its preview Amazon listing: "Told through the eyes of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Great Britain’s King George III, Killing England chronicles the path to independence in gripping detail, taking the reader from the battlefields of America to the royal courts of Europe."

Of course, the title isn't accurate. The Founding Fathers weren't trying to kill England. Indeed, they didn't even want to separate from England initially. They simply wanted the British Empire to live up to the principles of its own constitutional heritage and to honor the promises of its colonial charters. Even when war came, and the Declaration of Independence was later signed, they still didn't want to destroy the British Empire. They only wanted to be left alone. Many of them, including Alexander Hamilton and John Adams, were actually rather fond of the British and pushed for closer British ties after the war.

O'Reilly and Martin Dugard have, of course, received a great deal of criticism for errors and sensationalism for their Killing series. But I think it's unfair to hold the Killing books to the same level of scrutiny one reserves for true historical texts like the mammoth John Adams biography by David McCullough or the classic The Radicalism of the American Revolution by Gordon Wood. The O'Reilly-Dugard books aren't works of scholarship. They are best understood as being in the genre of "creative nonfiction." If you want deep scholarly analysis, they are not for you. But if you want an enjoyable read that transports you into the era they each profile, they accomplish their task. Some of the Killing books are better than others, but I've nevertheless enjoyed reading most of them.

As a Revolutionary War buff, I can't wait for this new book!

What Part of 'No Religious Test' Does Senator Bernie Sanders Not Understand?

The U.S. Constitution explicitly forbids any "religious test" when it comes to people holding public office or public trust in the United States. Somehow, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) forgot that part of the Constitution or chose to ignore it when questioning President Trump's nominee to be the Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Sanders vociferously objected to the nominee's views on salvation.

Here's an article I wrote over at the American Creation blog on the subject...

Senator Bernie Sanders Disregards US Constitution

A Reminder from Mount Vernon on Star Wars Day

The fine folks at Mount Vernon have posted this brilliant meme inspired by Star Wars Day. If you don't "get it," you need to watch the original Star Wars trilogy and pay close attention to the end of The Empire Strikes Back. :-)

YORKTOWN, Va. — Artillery salutes and flag-raising ceremonies. Fifes and drums and military dragoons. Brass bands and color guards. Historians, military veterans, re-enactors, entertainers and enthusiasts reveling in the Revolution will come together March 23 to April 4 to present 13 days of festivities showcasing the new American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.

The Grand Opening Celebration of the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown will feature a patriotic salute to America’s 13 original states, a dedication ceremony on April 1, tours of expansive gallery exhibits, and military music and 18th-century interpretive experiences in the newly expanded Continental Army encampment and Revolution-era farm.

The Grand Opening culminates the museum’s 10-year transformation from the Yorktown Victory Center. Through immersive indoor gallery exhibits with nearly 500 period artifacts, experiential films and interpretive living-history experiences, the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown presents a renewed national perspective on the meaning and impact of the Revolution.

Ceremonies honoring the legacy of the first 13 states in the United States of America will take place each day in the order that they ratified the Constitution – Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina and Rhode Island. A dedication April 1 will officially launch the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.

Daily programs recognizing each state will begin midday with ceremonial welcoming remarks and presentation of the state flag, followed by an Honor Guard procession along the Grand Corridor to the outdoor re-created Continental Army encampment’s artillery amphitheater for a flag-raising ceremony and artillery salute. Visitors will be able to learn more about each state’s Revolutionary War history through a variety of educational programs, new exhibition galleries, and interpretive programs in the newly expanded Continental Army encampment and Revolution-era farm. Children’s games and family friendly activities will round out the festivities.

For more information, visit http://www.historyisfun.org/grandopening/

Was America Founded on Socialism?

This video from Prager University (aka PragerU) explains the socialist - yes, socialist - origins of colonial America...

Why the Electoral College?

The Electoral College remains in place over two centuries after the framers of the Constitution empowered it to select presidents. Though occasionally maligned, this system of electing a chief executive has been incredibly successful for the American people.

To continue reading this piece from Jarrett Stepman, click on the following link...

"Why We Use Electoral College, Not Popular Vote" (Daily Signal)

Constitutional Convention Completes its Great Work

Two hundred and twenty-nine years ago today (September 17, 1787), delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania put the finishing touches on a document that would replace the ineffectual Articles of Confederation to become the new Constitution of the United States of America. They had gathered to "revise" the Articles, but thankfully decided to replace them altogether. Following ratification by the states, the Constitution of the United States became the longest-serving document of its kind in world history. And it's served as the legal foundation of what has thus far been the freest and most prosperous nation in world history. May God continue to bless the United States of America.