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ambition

William Moraley: “Coming to America”

John Fea   |  November 24, 2009 Leave a Comment

Who is William Moraley and why is he coming to America? As the editors of Moraley’s memoir, Susan Klepp and Billy Smith write: “William Moraley ventured from England to the colonies in 1729 as an indentured servant, worked in various […]

Dr. Seuss and Modern America

John Fea   |  November 9, 2009

I was lecturing in my U.S. survey class today on the social consequences of economic nationalism in the early American republic. I wanted the students to see that the United States’ attempt at developing a sense of nationalism in the...

In Defense of the Great Books

John Fea   |  October 6, 2009

It was a summer morning sometime between sixth and seventh grade. I woke up and heard an adult voice in the kitchen. It was not my Dad. The voice was familiar, but I could not place it. I threw on...

The Rural Enlightenment Today

John Fea   |  May 24, 2009

It was about ten years ago when I first talked publicly about what I have called the “rural Enlightenment.” I was presenting a paper on the subject at the McNeil Center for Early American Studies at Penn when a graduate...

The Spirit of Commercial Optimism Will Always Prevail

John Fea   |  March 18, 2009

David Brooks has identified the true American religion: the pursuit of wealth. I like Brooks because he is one of the more historically informed columnists writing today. In yesterday’s column alone, Brooks referenced Ben Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Horatio Alger, Norman...

Teaching Ben Franklin and Philip Vickers Fithian

John Fea   |  February 27, 2009

Russell Menard, in his review of The Way of Improvement Leads Home, makes a point worth repeating for those of you thinking about reading assignments for your early American history courses. If the press brings out a moderately priced paperback...

Aaron Burr vs. Philip Vickers Fithian

John Fea   |  October 7, 2008

Both men were members of the College of New Jersey at Princeton class of 1772, but after that their careers went in very different directions. Fithian felt called to a ministerial vocation while Burr, the son of a noted Presbyterian...

Ambition: Past and Present

John Fea   |  August 19, 2008

John McCain’s recent campaign strategy has been to accuse Barack Obama of being “ambitious.” Inherent within this accusation is that Obama is only concerned about his own self-interest and fame, while McCain’s pursuit of the presidency is rooted in a...

Sunday at Ocean City Presbyterian Church

John Fea   |  August 3, 2008

This morning I spoke at the morning service at the Ocean City (NJ) Presbyterian Church. It was unlike any other “book talk” I have given for The Way of Improvement Leads Home so far. Actually, it was not a book...

The Poverty of Ambition

John Fea   |  June 30, 2008 2 Comments

The June 23 New York Times has a great article entitled “Big Paycheck of Service.” (HT: Scot McKnight at Jesus Creed). It describes elite schools like Harvard that are sponsoring “reflection seminars” to “push undergraduates to think more deeply about […]

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