Category: The Historical Muse

Thoughts on history and the historical profession. Clio is the muse of history–this category title is a play on that concept.

American Character: Samuel Adams

  

If Patrick Henry was the voice of American resistance to the policies of Great Britain, Samuel Adams was the organizer. His contributions to American independence are immense. Far ahead of his contemporaries, he believed that independence was inevitable. When others thought everything between the colonies and the Mother Country had been ironed out, Adams understood that the truces were essentially temporary peace arrangements. The problem, he knew, was that both operated from differing principles. To keep his fellow citizens informed… Read more »

American Character: Patrick Henry

  

Nearly everyone knows the name Patrick Henry. But we are a nation of people only barely acquainted with our Founders. There is little depth to that knowledge. Henry was a man who was motivated by his Christian faith, something some historians try to deny. As a young boy, he was taken to the revival meetings of the First Great Awakening by his mother. It was at these meetings that he learned his method of public speaking, an approach that made… Read more »

American Character: Noah Webster

  

The name “Webster” sounds familiar to most people. They think for a minute and then say, “Oh, yeah, he’s the dictionary guy, right?” Right. But he’s more than that. Noah Webster is a prime example of someone who exhibits the character trait of diligence. A native of Connecticut  and descendant of Pilgrim governor William Bradford, Webster was raised in the Congregational church, graduated from Yale, and even was awarded a master’s degree—unusual for the time. In 1783, he got the nation’s… Read more »

Tell Me Again Why the Cold War Ended?

  

On Tuesday, President Obama spoke to some students in Moscow. He was talking about the end of the Cold War. Here’s his analysis of how it came to an end: Within a few short years, the world as it was ceased to be. Now, make no mistake: This change did not come from any one nation. The Cold War reached a conclusion because of the actions of many nations over many years, and because the people of Russia and Eastern… Read more »

American Character: George Whitefield

  

George Whitefield Preaching He was a sensation. He was not even strictly an American, but a traveling evangelist from Britain. Yet America was on his heart. When George Whitefield arrived in America in 1740, he started in Georgia and traveled up the coast, preaching in all the colonies. The result was the climax of what we call the First Great Awakening. Whitefield’s voice boomed, and he dramatized his sermons. Thousands traced their conversion to his messages. Ben Franklin became his… Read more »

American Character: Thomas Hooker

  

Thomas Hooker: Founder of CT I like pointing out certain figures in Amerian history that few people can recall. It’s important to revive our collective memory. One of those individuals is Thomas Hooker. Hooker was a Cambridge-educated Puritan who quickly developed into a very talented preacher. He took a pastorate in a town in England that was notorious for its many taverns and boisterous citizens. He is credited with restoring order to that town by his words and his presence…. Read more »

The Reagan Solution

  

New Reagan Statue in the Capitol Rotunda Nancy Reagan came to Washington, DC, last week to participate in the unveiling of a statue of President Reagan, which will stand in the Capitol Rotunda. I am pleased that Reagan is getting this type of recognition. It’s a little discordant, though, to see Nancy Pelosi beaming at Mrs. Reagan’s side. If it were up to the Speaker of the House, I’m sure there would have been no statue. Pelosi disagrees with everything… Read more »