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George Washington and Providence
Jeremy Belknap, a patriot, scientist, historian, and minister in the late eighteenth century, wrote during the War for Independence to his friend Ebenezer Hazard, praising General George Washington: “A man is never more truly noble than when he is sensible … Continue reading
Posted in American History, Biography, Christianity, God's Providence
Tagged Biography, George Washington, god, history, Providence
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Leadership? If Only Washington was President
If George Washington was President of the United States today, in 2016, would we have problems with anarchy in the streets, and the lack of leadership in domestic conflicts? In 1782/1783, the American Revolution was drawing to a close, and … Continue reading
Posted in American History, Biography, Government
Tagged Biography, George Washington, history, Leadership, Presidency
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In Praise of Every[hu]man
Pre-eminent American historian Carl Becker in 1931 sounded a theme for the 1930s when he pronounced, “Everyman His Own Historian.” The great American composer Aaron Copland in 1942 composed “Fanfare for the Common Man,” a wonderful piece for horns and … Continue reading
Posted in American History, Biography, books
Tagged Biography, books, Jean Louis Berlandier, Narrative history, Passaconaway's Realm
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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
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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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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Montaigne and Repentance
Michel de Montaigne, the French writer of Essays, was a thinker. Alone in a library, his library, pondering. Alone, as he was in conception, as he will be in death. Alone, facing his maker, facing the universe, facing himself. No … Continue reading
Posted in Biography, books, Christianity, Michel de Montaigne
Tagged Essays, Montaigne, Repentance
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The Sea Mark and Missionaries
] Available for purchase at https://ash-hill-publishing.square.site/product/the-seamark-captain-john-smith-s-voyage-to-new-england/3JRKUU7G76G7HYTWCBP7U7TF?cp=true&sa=true&sbp=false&q=false I was a Fulbright Visiting Research Chair at Brock University in Ontario in 2010, during which time I taught a class on the History of the First Nations of Canada and researched Anglican missionaries … Continue reading
Posted in Biography, books
Tagged books, Fulbright Scholar, John Smith, Missionaries, Sea Mark
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The American Plutarch 