Tagged With: America
Basket of deplorables
Voltaire is credited with saying “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” From what I know of our Founding Fathers, many of them could have been and probably were influenced by Voltaire and certainly were influenced by other gentlemen of noble ideas. The rebel … Continue reading
Mount Vernon Day Four
When I first began this journey towards being a history geek four years ago, I knew very little about George Washington. In the first book I read about him and his role in the French and Indian War, I was not impressed. At first glance, he seemed arrogant and aloof, and I didn’t get what … Continue reading
Mount Vernon Day 3
First off, If you’ve read my Day 1 post, I need to correct a mistake – those were not hawks, they were river hawks, also knows as ospreys. They are actually really interesting birds – they are the only bird of prey to live solely on fish! If you ever come to Mount Vernon, you … Continue reading
Mount Vernon Day Two
This has been a long, wonderful day. I got up at 5 am so that I could watch the sunrise over the Potomac from the piazza of the mansion. It wasn’t a spectacular sunrise, but it was enough. This afternoon we took a tour of the farming part of the estate. Washington was an innovator … Continue reading
Day Ten – one last thing before we go home
Our last day – we fly out this afternoon. We couldn’t waste the morning, though, so we trekked off to explore and discover Ford’s Theater and the Peterson House and Museum across the street. Since Lincoln has always been a hero to me, it was a super morning, though sad and speculative. I wonder how … Continue reading
Day Ten: Harper’s Ferry and Antietam
The little town of Harper’s Ferry sits on a sharp point of land which witnesses the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. It is a beautiful site. The hills all around are tall and lush so that the town is nestled in snuggling and safely. Historically, Harper’s Ferry is rich. George Washington decided to … Continue reading
Day Eight – Jamestown
Guess what? Jamestown really is a town! Today we spent our time at two Jamestown sites. The first is the actual site of Jamestown Colony: England sent 118 men to create the first English permanent settlement in the New World in 1607. At first the site looked like a perfect place. It was … Continue reading
Day six Chancellorsville and Spotsylvania
If you read my blog yesterday you know that I explained Appomattox Court House is a town. Today I am going to tell you that Chancellorsville is not a town, it is a house! Go figure. The battle of Chancellorsville is really interesting. The Union was defeated, mostly by itself, and had about 17,000 … Continue reading
Day five – Appomattox Court House
First off, I’d like to explain that Appomattox Court house is not a courthouse. It is a town that is the county seat of Appomattox County. This is important because if Grant would have asked Lee to meet him at the courthouse, Lee would have assumed he was going to be arrested and tried … Continue reading
Day Four –Confederate Relic Museum and Greensboro, North Carolina
In 1896 members of the Daughters of the Confederacy founded a museum in Columbia, South Carolina. The point of the museum was to do two things. First, to keep and protect the history of the Confederacy and second, to help the history of the Confederacy to become a part of the whole history of the … Continue reading
