In the winter of 1777-1778 the Continental Army faced one of its lowest points in the Revolutionary War. British troops under the direction of General William Howe were in control of Philadelphia. George Washington’s soldiers were coming off major defeats […]
George Washington
San Francisco school board will not rename schools
Some of you may remember our posts earlier this year about the San Francisco school board’s decision to rename forty-four schools that honor historical figures such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It now appears the board […]
Preserving the Great Dismal Swamp
The Great Dismal Swamp is a massive swamp located along the border of Virginia and North Carolina. George Washington was a shareholder in the Dismal Swamp Company, a venture in land speculation that tried to drain the swamp and turn […]
South Carolina will consider a bill that would require schools to use Trump’s 1776 Commission Report.
Here is Rob Way and Jared Kofsky of WCSC TV: South Carolina lawmakers are considering a bill that would require “instruction in United States foundational history” for all public middle and high school students in a way that is consistent […]
The Author’s Corner with Steven Elliott
Steven Elliott is Part-time Lecturer of History at Rutgers University-Newark. This interview is based on his new book, Surviving the Winters: Housing Washington’s Army during the American Revolution (University of Oklahoma Press, 2021). JF: What led you to write Surviving […]
The Author’s Corner with Dennis Rasmussen
Dennis Rasmussen is Professor of Political Science at Syracuse University. This interview is based on his new book, Fears of a Setting Sun: The Disillusionment of America’s Founders (Princeton University Press, 2021). JF: What led you to write Fears of […]
Here is your Thursday morning court evangelical update
More and more Republicans are implying that it is time to move on from this election and admit defeat. I wish more would step up and proclaim Biden president-elect so that the country can move forward, but most of them […]
George Washington to his land agent: “All of this can be carried on by silent management and can be carried out by you under the guise of hunting game…”
We are reading this letter today in my Pennsylvania history class. It is a 1767 letter from George Washington to his personal land agent William Crawford. Here is a taste: . . . I can never look upon the Proclamation […]
Message to Trump: COVID-19 is part of your presidency and it will be part of your legacy
Here is a taste of his interview with conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt: I don’t know if you’ve seen, the polls have been going up like a rocket ship. Hey, I was, George Washington would have had a hard […]
A George Whitefield statue is coming down at the University of Pennsylvania
George Whitefield was arguably the most popular man in colonial America. His preaching was the catalyst for the colonial-wide evangelical revival that historians call the “First Great Awakening.” Recently, the University of Pennsylvania decided to remove a Whitefield statue on […]
Tuesday night court evangelical roundup
What have Trump’s evangelicals been saying since our last update? Court evangelicals are getting massive checks from the federal government. The money comes from the Payback Protection Program, a program to help small business during the pandemic. Peter Montgomery reports. Elana Schor is also […]
Thinking historically about Trump’s Mount Rushmore speech
A lot of conservatives liked Trump’s speech on Friday night. I am told that The Wall Street Journal gave it a positive review. I commented on the speech here, but I thought I would say a few more things about Trump’s […]
Thoughts on Trump’s Proposed “National Garden of American Heroes”
At his July 3, 2020 speech at Mount Rushmore, Donald Trump said: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alEE-5Pk5DQ&w=560&h=315] More here. And here is the text of the executive order: By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws […]
R2-D2, Jesus, and the Founding Fathers. Happy Independence Day weekend!
I stole this from historian John Craig Hammond’s Facebook page. Welcome to the United States of America!
Thoughts on Trump’s Mount Rushmore speech
In case you missed it, Trump gave a speech at Mount Rushmore, South Dakota on the night of July 3, 2020. Read the text here. Watch the entire event here: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z61WalX3m_k&w=560&h=315] Thoughts: 1. Mary Hart 2. South Dakota governor […]
Gordon-Reed: “There are far more dangerous threats to history” than the removal of monuments
What should we do with Confederate monuments? Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Annette Gordon-Reed offers her thoughts at The Harvard Gazette: Gordon-Reed on whether the removal of Confederate statues dishonors the memory of those who died fighting for the Confederacy: I would […]
Presidential historian: when Trump attacks, Biden should stay quiet
Today, The Washington Post published another interesting piece from Jeffrey Engel, director of Southern Methodist University’s Center for Presidential History. (Some of you will recall that we talked with Engel about Trump’s impeachment in Episode 61 of The Way of Improvement Leads […]
Robert Jeffress: “I imagine George Washington had his share of critics who accused him of a photo-op when he knelt down in prayer at Valley Forge”
The court evangelicals continue to weigh-in. We covered them yesterday. Here is some more from Robert Jeffress: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVfHK5uIAkA&w=560&h=315] This is awful: I want to hear Jeffress talk about systemic racism–the racism that is deeply embedded into American economic, political, […]
Episode 68: The History of the Presidential Cabinet
The members of Donald Trump’s controversial cabinet are regular features of the 24-hour news cycle. He has fired members of his cabinet who challenge his thinking on a host of foreign and domestic issues. Just ask Rex Tillerson, James Mattis, […]
The Author’s Corner with Robert Watson
Robert Watson is Distinguished Professor of American History at Lynn University. This interview is based on his new book, George Washington’s Final Battle: The Epic Struggle to Build a Capital City and a Nation (Georgetown University Press, 2020). JF: What led […]