‘King Hancock: The Radical Influence of a Moderate Founding Father’

Independent scholar Brooke Barbier has a doctorate in American history from Boston College. The author of Boston in the American Revolution: A Town versus an Empire, she founded and operates Ye Olde Tavern Tours, a popular guided outing along Boston's renowned Freedom Trail. In a new biography of John Hancock, she sums up the influence …

Master Legislator Profile: Ted Kennedy

A good biography is inevitably not just the story of one person but of the times in which he or she lived, and the cultural, economic, and political forces as well as the family dynamics that shape every life. With nearly a half-century in the US Senate, leading a consequential life both tragic and triumphant, …

Birth of The American Nation As Observed in Biographies of the Founders

The United States was founded on an idea, that "all (humans) are created equal." But it was also founded by individuals, great but by no means perfect or plaster saints. The story of America can be told through the biographies of the larger-than-life founders: Benjamin Franklin, "the first American." His Life and Times, by H.W. …

Life and Times of the One and Only Frederick Douglass

Crash Course Black American History #17: "Clint Smith teaches you about one of the most famous writers, orators, and advocates of the 19th century, Frederick Douglass (1818-1895). Douglass was born in slavery, escaped to the North, and became one of the most influential people of his time. Douglass wrote about the experience of slavery in …

US Presidents Who Served in the Military, and Those Who Didn’t

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeZQa69C88I&t=44s "Of the 44 people who became US Presidents (Grover Cleveland served non consecutive terms, so he is considered both 22nd and 24th president), 31 of them did serve in the military prior to becoming the President. Out of all the 21st century presidents, only George W. Bush served, but his service had lots of …

Generational Approach to Studying American History Offers Insights

Instead of defining American presidents by their political parties or supposed ideologies, historian H.W. Brands of the University of Texas thinks the times in which a leader lives -- generational influences -- are far more important in shaping their lives. Joe Biden, Donald Trump, George W. Bush, Bill and Hillary Clinton are all in the …

Banker Turns Hobby of Reading Presidential Biographies Into Expertise and Creates An Online Community

Stephen Floyd, an investment banker, private pilot and avid fan of American history, has since January 2013 been on a journey or "great adventure" through "the best presidential biographies," which he has reviewed on a blog, bestpresidentialbios.com. In July, he announced that he has completed more than 250 biographies amounting to 125,000 pages read, posted …

Coming to Terms with Military History: Civil War, WW1, WW2, Vietnam, Iraq

I have not posted much on this blog about the powerful military leaders, strategies and battles in history, when in fact there are whole courses, schools and museums devoted to military history. For some students, especially those who go on to serve in the military, that IS what history is mostly about, war games. For others, …

Who Was Most Important Person of 20th Century? Gavrilo Princip??

When pondering who was the most important person of the 20th century -- a great question for an essay in world history, btw -- Adolph Hitler, Winston Churchill, Josef Stalin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Mao Tse Tung come initially to mind.  Most definitely NOT Gavrilo Princip. Who? You may ask. But if not for him, …

Similarities and Differences Between Journalists and Historians

Journalists, particularly American reporters, love to make and break celebrities, and subscribe almost exclusively to the implicit theory that great or bad men and women shape history, almost to the exclusion of all other theories. Historians are skeptical of this theory, and take a much broader view. Journalists like to think of their work as …