Category: The Historical Muse

In the midst of the current economic jitters, I have heard more than one commentator assert that when economic times are rough, voters tend to gravitate toward the Democrats. Why on earth would that be? I want to provide a little history lesson on how Democrats have handled the economy over the past 70-plus years. Let’s start with Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Great Depression hit America in 1929. Voters turned out the Republicans and looked to FDR to reverse the… Read more »

This past week marked the 221st anniversary of the writing of the Constitution. From May to September 1787, delegates from all states except Rhode Island labored over the intricacies of what makes government work. They did this in a room with the windows closed even on the hottest days to ensure that their deliberations did not leak to the public. They took a vow of silence, so to speak, in order that they might be able to discuss freely without… Read more »

My road to becoming a historian was a strange one. I think I always liked history; it was the history classes I didn’t like. Frankly, my early education was rather drab when it came to history. I have no memory of ever being inspired by what I was taught. I barely have a memory that I was taught at all. American history, in high school, was a dull affair. The teacher, who was also the basketball coach (this was in… Read more »