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Thomas Jefferson and the Idea of Revolution
Thomas Jefferson had a lifelong dream when he died on Independence Day, 1826. The epitaph that he composed to mark his passing highlighted the three great achievements of his life: creating the Declaration of Independence, penning the Statute of Religious … Continue reading
Posted in American History, Biography, Government
Tagged Independence, Revolution, Thomas Jefferson
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George Washington: The First (and Best?) President
In Philadelphia, the summer of 1787, the members of the Constitutional Convention, following the lead of James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, decided that the office of a single executive, with his power checked and balanced by the Congress and Courts, … Continue reading
Alexander Posey and the Vernacular of Nature
Alexander Posey was a poet. His poems about nature are some of the most beautiful ever published. Growing up on a farm in the Creek Nation, near Eufaula, Posey’s native language was Creek, but his “vernacular,” as he once wrote … Continue reading
Posted in Christianity
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War Story
Bob lived in an old two story tenement, thin, tall, and long with clapboard exterior badly in need of paint. Other tenements of similar age and quality lined the street, which was crowded with parked cars, some working but others … Continue reading
Posted in American History, Biography, European history
Tagged D-Day Invasion, World War II
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Reflections on “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”
First, I will admit that I have been teaching American history for almost 35 years and have never, until recently, read Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Why? For several reasons, I suppose. First, it was never assigned in any … Continue reading
Posted in American History, books, Christianity, God's Providence
Tagged Harriet Beecher Stowe, Slavery, Uncle Tom's Cabin
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Blessed are the Poor?
In the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, as recorded in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, Jesus taught his disciples as well as others what he considered to be the most important lessons by which to live. Matthew and Luke … Continue reading
Posted in Christianity, God's Providence, Reflections on the Psalms
Tagged Blessed are the Poor, god, Jesus, Love, Poor, Sermon on the Mount
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Images of Lincoln
When I was a teenager–not very thoughtful and focused mostly on baseball and basketball–my grandfather, a retired custodian whom I would have never thought would read such books, gave me a three-volume biography of Abraham Lincoln by Carl Sandburg. The … Continue reading
Posted in American History, Biography, books, Government
Tagged Abraham Lincoln, Carl Sanderg, Civil War, Slavery
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Moral Expediency and the Atomic Bomb
The Manhattan Project that resulted in the development of the Atomic Bomb was one of the most creative moments in world history. American scientists accomplished what only a few years before was considered unthinkable–exploiting the power of the atom in … Continue reading
Posted in American History, Government
Tagged Atomic Bomb, Harry Truman, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Manhattan Project, Morality
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Montaigne Revisited: Do I Play with My Dog, Or Does My Dog Play with Me?
Humans have long considered themselves the masters of creation. The Book of Genesis declares that humans are made in God’s image. The implication is that other forms of life do not reflect the image of God. Genesis declares further that … Continue reading
The Sanctity of Life
In my last post, I discussed Just War. To continue… The key to solving the issue, the plague, of war, just or unjust, is for humans to adapt a culture of life. We are raised from infancy in a culture … Continue reading
Posted in books, Christianity, Reflections on the Psalms
Tagged Christianity, god, Jesus, Life, psalms
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The American Plutarch 