American history - Page 3

In Defense of Iconoclasm

On July 9, 1776, patriots in Manhattan, having heard the Declaration of Independence read aloud for the first time, marched down Broadway and tore from its perch the two-ton lead statue of King George III.

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HBO to Launch Andrew Jackson Miniseries Starring Sean Penn

Few Americans are more worthy of the big and small screen than Andrew Jackson—a poor, orphaned child of immigrants who fought in the American Revolution, moved to the frontier, and rose to become president of the United States. HBO is producing a six-hour miniseries based on Jon Meacham’s Pulitzer Prize winning book, American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

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Why Is the Cato Institute Getting into Bed with the Hard Left to Smear US History, Keep Our Borders Open, and Diminish American Power?

The libertarian Cato Institute gets right down to it, in a New York Post op-ed titled, “Woodrow Wilson’s racism isn’t the only reason for Princeton to shun his name.” Yes, Cato went there. The libertarian outfit, which mostly seeks to identify with Republicans and conservatives on tax and spending issues, actually threw in with left-wing radical #BlackLivesMatter-type protesters on another important matter—defending the traditional understanding of US history. But as we shall see, the traditional understanding of US history means nothing to Cato.

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The Left Purges Woodrow Wilson, But Not His Progressivism

The American Left has finally caught on that one of the leading lights of the early Progressive movement was a racist, segregationist, and generally unseemly fellow. Princeton’s Black Justice League protestors have urged that early-twentieth century President Woodrow Wilson’s “racist legacy” be acknowledged, and any mention of his existence purged from campus.

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Learning What It Means to be American

Peter Schramm, the late Professor of Political Science at Ashland University, used to tell a moving story about his immigration to the United States. As a child fleeing communist-occupied Hungary, he asked his father where the family would go. “We are going to America,” his father replied. “Why America?” Peter asked. “Because, son,” his father answered, “we were born Americans, but in the wrong place.”

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Killing Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin?

A lot has been written through the years about the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln, of John F. Kennedy, and of many others, and about the numerous conspiracy theories that lurk in the shadows of the official narratives.

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GOP Presidential Field Fails the Founders

At least two Republican presidential candidates will stand with Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. During Wednesday’s CNN’s Republican presidential debate, candidates were asked about the proposed changes to the $10 bill and the woman with whom they would prefer to replace the country’s first treasury secretary.

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Actress Julianne Moore: Anti-Palin, Anti-Gun, Anti-History

Julianne Moore’s life off-screen is quickly becoming a tale of everything the actress abhors. From Sarah Palin, to guns, to Civil War history relating to the Confederacy, Moore can’t keep from stating her opposition to certain people, places, and things.

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14th Amendment Anniversary: Historian Richard Brookhiser Explains Lincoln in ‘Founder’s Son’

On this day, in 1866, the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution was finally certified by Secretary of State William H. Seward. The amendment guarantees that no state “shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.”

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GOP is Becoming the Party of Andrew Jackson—Why That’s a Good Thing

The principles of Andrew Jackson and the Jacksonians are becoming the heart of the Republican Party and reflect its future in American politics. Though rarely regarded as part of the pantheon of conservative heroes, Jackson was the figurehead of a unique set of ideas that can and should be embraced by the Grand Old Party.

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Confederate Flag First, Fleur-De-Lis Next?

Now that the Confederate flag has been used as an excuse to eviscerate the history of the South, others are looking to destroy more symbols that are part of the region’s history, including Louisiana’s fleur-de-lis.

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4th of July: Seven Big Ideas and Moments that Have Defined America

Though the very phrase “American Exceptionalism” is often mocked as simple-minded flag waving, there are concrete reasons that the American civilization is unique. The United States has a special place in world history. Despite the bumps, bruises, and outright contradictions that the country has muddled through in its very short existence, Americans can take pride in its numerous accomplishments, actions, and principles throughout the last two centuries.

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The Confederate Flag and a Proxy War on History

On June 17, reports emerged that Dylann Roof shot and killed nine people at Charleston’s Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. Roof obtained his gun “legally,” so calls for gun control have largely fallen on deaf ears. But a photo of Roof posing with a Confederate battle flag has managed to become the impetus for a cause célèbre to banish the Confederate battle flag from public view.

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