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Category Archives: American History
The Sound of Freedom
My community allows unrestricted fireworks of any type on July 3 and 4 until 11:00 p.m. Many people complain but those who enjoy shooting them off and making noise late at night argue that it is the “sound of freedom,” … Continue reading
Posted in American History, General Essays
Tagged American Revolution, sound-of-freedom, War
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God’s Providence: What did Early American Religious Thinkers Believe about the Role of God in Human Affairs?
The eighteenth century in America was a time of awakening from the slumber of the past. Light was shed on the darkness of superstition, irrationality, autocracy, aristocratic privilege, and dogma. The individual, weighed down by the chains of time, institutions, … Continue reading
Posted in American History, Christianity, God's Providence
Tagged bible, Christianity, Early American Christians, god, history, Protestants, Providence, Religion, theology
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Review of The Sea Mark: Captain John Smith’s Voyage to New England
The Nautilus: A Maritime Journal of Literature, History, and Culture, (The Nautilus VII (Spring 2016): 115-118: nautilus.maritime.edu/) published a review of my book: The Sea Mark: Captain John Smith’s Voyage to New England (University of New England Press, 2015): the review, reproduced by permission, follows: … Continue reading
Dr. Seuss and Racism
In 2017, an elementary school librarian in Massachusetts criticized a gift of Dr. Seuss books from then First Lady Melania Trump as being “steeped in racist propaganda, caricatures, and harmful stereotypes.” A school district in Virginia claimed that “Research in … Continue reading
Liberalism
Liberalism refers to a system of thought that focuses on the good of the whole of society as opposed to its neglect in the service of the restricted few. Liberalism began at a time of rejection of traditional feudal … Continue reading
Posted in American History, European history, General Essays, Government
Tagged Government, history, philosophy
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Laissez Faire
Laissez-Faire, a French phrase that means literally “let do” meaning “let a person alone,” was applied to economics by English and French thinkers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The phrase generally applies to the same conditions in modern as … Continue reading
Posted in American History, General Essays, Government
Tagged Government, history, philosophy
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Conservatism
Conservatism is a system of thought that focuses upon upholding traditional values, social structure, government, and economic systems. Conservatives hold specific views about the role of government in the economy and the value of democracy. Conservatives have sometimes been suspicious … Continue reading
Posted in American History, Christianity, European history, General Essays, Government
Tagged Government, history, philosophy
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The Working Class of Pre-Industrial and Industrial New England: The Phillips and Camac, Brown and Perkins, Families of New Brunswick, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island
The United States is a land of immigrants. This is clearly seen when examining the Phillips, Camac, Brown, and Perkins families of Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Brunswick. These families were the ancestors of the current living Phillips descendants, including … Continue reading
Posted in American History, Biography, books
Tagged books, genealogy, history, History of New Engand, Perkins Family, Phillips Family, women's history
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The Lawsons of the American Southern Hill Country
The search for the self can take many paths. I especially like the path of the past. Past lives open up so many avenues for exploration of self. I love to engage in a dialogue with past individuals: the way … Continue reading
Randolph Lawson, Veteran of the American Revolution and Southern Appalachian Farmer
Like many early Americans, the story of Randolph Lawson’s full life is very unclear for the historian of today. It is not known precisely when and where he was born, precisely who his parents were, and precisely who his children … Continue reading
The American Plutarch 