September 17:Constitution Day The two Presidents that I portray, John Adams and Theodore Roosevelt, were not involved in the drafting of the United States Constitution. But that didn’t stop either of them from having a lot to say on the subject. To celebrate this day that the United States’ governing document was approved, the following video shows […]
Keep on reading...
September 11-13: Courage and LossSeptember 11-13: Courage and Loss ” Everything is going on most satisfactorily with the President. I feel assured not only that he will recover, but that his recovery will be so speedy that in a very short time he will be able to resume his duties.TR to Fletcher D. Proctor, September […]
Keep on reading...September 3 (&4)- Treaty of Paris: Liberty & Fish John Adamsto Elbridge Gerry, September 3, 1783 The third of September, will be more remarkable or the Signature of the definitive Treaties than for the Battle of Naseby or Worcester or the Death of Oliver Cromwell. The Treaty of Paris was a major date in John […]
Keep on reading...August 29 – The Colonel makes peace ” We wish peace, but we wish the peace of justice, the peace of righteousness. We wish it because we think it is right and not because we are afraid.President Theodore Roosevelt spoke the above words during his inaugural address in 1905. And it was quite a year to […]
Keep on reading...August 21:- John Adams and the Law ”I compleated a contract with Mr. Putnam, to study Law…” (Diary)When John Adams graduated in July of 1755, he had an Artium Baccalaureus (Bachelor of Arts), and not much else. Not even a diploma – Harvard would not start handing those out until 1813.Adams’ father wanted him to enter […]
Keep on reading...August 14 – John Adams Vs. the Stamp Act ”1765 was the Epocha of the Stamp Act.” (Diary)Have you ever gone to a bad dinner – and then gotten stuck paying the bill?Such was the Stamp Act: America is presented with a bill for a war that they didn’t ask for, and one that was […]
Keep on reading...August 7 – TR takes on the establishmentAugust 7 – TR takes on the establishment What do you do when your choices are bad – or worse?In the election of 1912, Theodore Roosevelt had a number of difficult choices to make. His friend and Presidential successor William Howard Taft had been disappointing the more Progressive […]
Keep on reading...
Greetings, history lover! I’ve shared some stories of some of my favorite icons of history – now I’d like to share one of my own.I love history. That’s probably no surprise to you – but it was a surprise to me. History and I had a pretty average relationship: social studies classes, family trip to colonial Williamsburg, […]
Keep on reading...
The “Bull Moose,” as he was known – the man who took a bullet in the chest and immediately gave a near-ninety minute speech – started out (in his words) as a “sickly, delicate boy, suffered much from asthma, and frequently had to be taken away on trips to find a place where I could […]
Keep on reading...
John Adams got called a lot of names during and beyond his lifetime. Old Oak. The Colossus of Independence. His Rotundity. Some were flattering. Some were – not.One of my favorites could be seen as both. And it speaks to why Adams, at a historic and a human level, is so inspiring. “Old Sink or Swim.” It might not […]
Keep on reading...