I was going to add this to today’s Evangelical Roundup, but I thought I would include it in a separate post. Now if we can get this kind of tweeting on Easter or Pentecost Sunday. David French offers a lesson […]
July 4th
Song of the Day
Happy 4th of July:
Six things you may not know about the Declaration of Independence
Historian Woody Holton explains at The Conversation: Ordinary Americans played a big role. American independence is due in part to African Americans. The complaints weren’t actually about the King. The Declaration of Independence does not actually denounce monarch. The Declaration […]
Descendants read Frederick Douglass’s speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”
I have linked to this in a couple of posts over the course of the last week, but I just realized I never devoted a stand-alone post to it. Watch: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBe5qbnkqoM&w=560&h=315]
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 […]
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 […]
Friday night court evangelical roundup
What have Trump’s evangelicals been saying since our last update? Jentezen is worried about the radical left controlling churches: California’s Governor just banned singing/chanting at church. Catholics can’t recite mass; Evangelicals can’t worship out loud. The very definition of discrimination is to allow thousands […]
Thursday night court evangelical roundup
What have Trump’s evangelicals been saying since our last update? Court evangelical Tony Perkins joins several other evangelical Trump supporters to talk about the 2020 election: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnEOG1basWI&w=560&h=315] A few quick comments: 15:58ff: Perkins says that Christians “have a responsibility” to vote along “biblical […]
The World Socialist Web Site Gathers Historians to Discuss the American Revolution and the Civil War
The historians participating include Victoria Bynum, Clayborne Carson, Richard Cawardine, James Oakes, Gordon Wood, and Tom Mackaman. The conversation, moderated by Mackaman and World Socialist Web Site’s David North, will live-stream at 1:30pm EDT. Here is the press release: The […]
Wednesday night court evangelical roundup
What have Trump’s evangelicals been saying since our last update? It looks likes COVID-19 was present at Robert Jeffress’s Sunday morning political rally at First Baptist-Dallas. Newt Gingrich is on the Eric Metaxas Show today talking about his new book Trump and the American […]
How African Americans in the early republic celebrated July 4th
Many of us are familiar with Frederick Douglass’s speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July.” If you are serious about understanding the plight of African Americans in this country, Douglass’s speech is a good place to start. […]
Trump’s Teleprompter Malfunction
So now Trump claims that his gaffe about the Continental Army taking over airports was due to a teleprompter malfunction. OK. But I can’t help think about this Saturday Night Live skit: [vimeo 77241624 w=640 h=400]
Naval War College Professor Describes Trump’s 4th of July Speech as a “Strange, Somewhat Soviet…Spectacle”
This morning the New York Daily News published one of the best pieces I have seen so far on Trump’s “Salute to America” speech. It comes from Tom Nichols, a professor at the Naval War College, a former Republican Senate aide, and […]
Donald Trump’s 4th of July Speech Has Forced Me to Revise the Syllabus for My “Age of Hamilton” Course
It was this part of the speech that forced me to rethink my entire understanding of the American Revolution: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pTirPV4Onw&w=560&h=315] Here is what I wrote on Facebook earlier today: Students in my “Age of Hamilton” course this Fall will […]
Breen: “George Washington Would Hate Trump’s July 4 Parade”
T.H. Breen brings the thunder: President Trump has invited the American people to what he claims will be the biggest and best Fourth of July celebration in the nation’s history. Influenced by the huge nationalist displays he witnessed in Europe, […]
Are You Blasting Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” Today?
Here is Slate writer Ruth Graham: Blasting “Born in the USA” but announcing “this song is actually really dark” every 45 seconds as required — Ruth Graham (@publicroad) July 4, 2019 Graham is correct. The song is really dark. Here […]
Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey Jr. Responds to Trump’s Use of Park Service Funds for His July 4th Event
I am proud of my United States senator. Bob Casey joins U.S. representative Dwight Evans in this statement. Get some context here. PHILADELPHIA (July 3, 2019) – U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans (D-PA-03) and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) said Independence National […]
What Presidents Are Saying Today
Barack Obama: Happy Fourth of July, everybody! This is always a great day in the Obama family: a chance to celebrate America—and Malia’s birthday, too. Hope all of you are able to get some time with friends, family, and fireworks. […]
When Weapons of War Become Idols: How Christians Should Respond to Donald Trump’s Military Parade
This guest post comes from my friend Byron Borger, proprietor of Hearts & Minds Bookstore in Dallastown, PA. If you like Byron’s post (or even if you don’t) head over to the Hearts & Minds website and buy a few […]