Reading about our history is fascinating. In How to Read a Book by Adler and Van Doren, the authors write that “if you want to discover the truth of the past, you had better read several books about it rather than one.” The more you read, the more you fill in the gaps. After all, … Continue reading Book Review: These Truths – A History of the United States
Tag: American History
The Lessons We Keep Forgetting
“Benjamin Franklin was eighty-one years old, hunched and crooked, when he signed the Constitution in 1787, with his gnarled and speckled hand. In 1731, when he was twenty-five, straight as a sapling, he’d written an essay called 'Observations on Reading History,' on a 'little paper, accidentally preserv’d.' And he’d kept reading history, and talking notes, … Continue reading The Lessons We Keep Forgetting
Book Review: The Creation of the American Republic 1776-1787
“By ‘reading and reasoning’ on politics they had learned ‘how to define the rights of nature, – how to search into, to distinguish, and to comprehend, the principles of physical, moral, religious, and civil liberty,’ how, in short, to discover and resist the forces of tyranny before they could be applied.” (p. 4) They – … Continue reading Book Review: The Creation of the American Republic 1776-1787
Book Review: The Federalist
The Federalist, edited by J.R. Pole, was a great read, but I'm glad the American Heart Association says it's fine to drink up to five cups of coffee a day because I needed a few of those—especially while reading Alexander Hamilton's essays. Still, the book was absolutely worth it. For those who may not know, … Continue reading Book Review: The Federalist
Our Route 66 Adventure Through Illinois
Back in March, we visited the state capital of Illinois, Springfield, and one of our stops was the Illinois State Fairgrounds, where one of the Route 66 markers is located. After taking pictures and reading the information about this historic highway, along with the map highlighting the Illinois portion of the route, we thought it … Continue reading Our Route 66 Adventure Through Illinois
