Thanksgiving Day 2023
Abraham Lincoln on proclaiming a national day of thanksgiving: “It has seemed to me fit and proper that they [‘the gracious gifts of the Most High God’—the prosperity of the…
civil war
One Hundred Sixty Years of Patriotic Philanthropy at Gettysburg
Today, Gettysburg Battlefield is exceptionally well-preserved as Gettysburg National Military Park, managed by the federal National Park Service and freely accessible to all visitors. Key to this, almost from the…
Clara Barton: Founder of the American Red Cross
On the northern edge of Antietam Battlefield stands a monument to Clara Barton honoring her for bringing “supplies and nursing aid to the wounded” during the battle. Throughout the Civil…
Juneteenth 2022
One year and one day ago, President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, making June 19 a federal holiday marking the day the last slaves in the…
Independence Day 2021 (observed)
Many U.S. presidents have spoken on the occasion of Independence Day. Perhaps the most unique is an impromptu speech by Abraham Lincoln to a crowd, accompanied by a band, that…
Lost causes
[Continuing our series on deception in politics and public policy.] I was a child in Alabama at the height of the Civil Rights Movement. One day in 1961, a bus…