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Suffragettes protest for the right to vote

Prologued Podcast celebrating the 19th Amendment Centennial

… Welcome to Prologued ! Prologued is a serial podcast from … of color. That’s it. ( laughter ) ( music) Sarah Paxton ( credits) This season of Prologued was brought to you by … Oranjudio. Song and Band information can be found on our website and we encourage our listeners to visit episode …
First Lady Michelle Obama reading a Dr. Seuss book to children at the White House.

Celebrating the “Seussentennial”

… has proclaimed 2004 the “Seussentennial,” a year-long commemoration of Geisel’s work. Geisel’s books have expanded … It On Mulberry Street,” because it didn’t contain a moral message. But even as he tried to avoid writing morality … of the world around him by displaying trustworthiness, loyalty and patience amid difficult trials? Even as Horton …

How Public and Private Enterprise Have Built American Infrastructure

… ongoing capital campaign. Workers survey the damage after a commuter train crashed into a passenger car near Valhalla, … of the United States to stabilize and improve the nation’s credit ( left ). The 1993 unveiling of the road sign for the … and internal improvements fill a wagon being pulled in opposite directions with Henry Clay and Horace Greeley on one …

Dispatches from the Armenian Revolution

… role in the mobilization of the population. Indeed,  some commentators noted  that it had more in common with … a wider, more inclusive approach and steered clear of a messy and prolonged confrontation with Russia. Eschewing … as many as a million people (one third of the population) poured into the streets of Yerevan demanding unification …
This painting, which dates from 1859, reimagines the toppling of the equestrian statue of George III in New York City. Erected in 1770, the statue featured the regent garbed in Roman military regalia on horseback, in the fashion of Marcus Aurelius. It is doubtful that Native Americans, women and children were in attendance at this episode of iconoclasm by the Sons of Liberty.

Ten Memorable Monument Takedowns in History

… ground. They are fronts on political theaters of war: sites where vying factions negotiate history, a society’s … share the political visions inherent in such shrines sometimes engage in iconoclasm, altering or destroying monuments. … that of Nero’s by Vitellius. Damnatio memoriae was most common after regime change. Note however, that the names of …
The Alcoholics Anonymous logo at a church. (Image by Rachel K)

A Brief History of Alcoholics Anonymous

… Jung.  Jung suggested that alcoholism might only be overcome through a profound spiritual experience. Following … alcohol including Edwin “Ebby” Thatcher, a former drinking companion of Bill Wilson.  Thatcher achieved sobriety and … as a “word of mouth program,” with members carrying the message to those seeking recovery.  That early oral …
Senator Joe Lieberman

Accepting Joseph Lieberman: The Electorate Grows Up

… of the President 1960," they gathered "to question the loyalty of any Catholic candidate for the presidency and the … "more faithful" to Israel than the United States. But these comments have drawn a negative reaction from the most blacks … and they represent a minority opinion even within the black community. Another sign of how things have changed since …
We Are Our Mountains (Tatik u Papik) Monument, Stepanakert.

A Postcard from Nagorno-Karabakh

… historical monuments and churches.  Sadly, it has become the center of a major feud between Armenians and … Nearby is the ruined Yukhari Govhar Agha Mosque.  Other sites of interest include the 9th Century Dadivank … Nader Shah .  As part of the Shah’s strategy of cultivating loyalty among communities on Iran’s frontiers, he ensured …
A rendering of the Battle of Fort Pillow, also known as the Fort Pillow Massacre, which was fought on April 12, 1864 in Tennessee.  It ended with a massacre by Confederate soldiers of at least one hundred surrendered black troops serving the Union, exemplifying one of the Civil War's transgressions of the norms of warfare.

The American Civil War, Then and Now

Review of The War that Forged a Nation: Why the Civil War Still Matters, by James McPherson (New York: Oxford University Press, 2015)
Coming to terms with the American Civil War is no easy task. … was discovered in California, tens of thousands of people poured in by spring of 1849 and, to avoid the competition of … on the administration." Although McPherson gives much credit to their agency, he also points out that the primary …
The other side of The Shore, depicting the Maritime House, third from the left. The former headquarters of the National Seamen’s Union are now flats.

A Postcard from Leith, Scotland

… your right, you will encounter the upscale whiskey house, complete with nineteenth-century stone walls that feature … eyesore. With their place on Scotland’s list of historic sites, they now embody what Edinburgh wishes to remember … of years. The first evidence of maritime industry comes from the 12th century but it gained notoriety throughout …
Bird's-eye-view of the 1993 border blockade enacted by CBP Border Patrol agents in El Paso, Texas as part of Operation Hold the Line.

Fortifying the U.S.-Mexico Boundary: The 1993 “Hold the Line” Experiment

… also proposed deploying advanced drug detection machines to combat the influx of fentanyl, which he claimed was … they both characterized the  U.S.-Mexico boundary as a site of  crisis.  They both suggested bolstering border … garnered national attention, with letters of solidarity pouring in from prominent organizations such as the …
Here, a bus broadcasts the anti-apartheid message to Londoners in 1989.

Inequality After Apartheid

Review of Apartheid Guns and Money: A Tale of Profit, by Hennie van Vuuren (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019)
… it has too easily relegated the structural and systemic crimes to the past. Hennie van Vuuren’s new book, Apartheid … politicians, arms dealers, and bureaucrats, among others, committed heretofore underappreciated crimes in the waning … proposal dressed up as public diplomacy” in 1985 and who visited the country the following year. When approached in …
In 2011, thousands of ultra-nationalist demonstrators took to the streets of Moscow, armed with tsarist insignia and shouting the anti-immigrant chant "Let's give Russia back to the Russians!"

Russia’s Lost Empire

Review of Lost Kingdom: The Quest for Empire and the Making of the Russian Nation, From 1470 to the Present, by Serhii Plokhy (New York: Basic Books, 2017)
… influence over the now-independent Ukraine’s foreign and domestic affairs. Russian President Vladimir Putin poses for the cameras as he tours historical sites in newly-annexed Crimea. Putin asserted that … and truly non-Russian populations dwelled . Readers might come away with the impression that the Russian Empire and …
US Capitol, meeting place of Congress.

After Past Scandals, Real Reforms

… getting Congress to rein in lobbyists? Can any good really come out of congressional efforts to thwart corruption? The … bribery and corruption. One of the first was the 1872 Credit Mobilier scandal. Politicians had accepted gifts of … Age outrages mounted quickly as well. On the heels of Credit Mobilier was the scandal of the Whiskey Ring, which …
First edition dust jacket cover of gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson's 1973 book Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72. The book conveys Thompson's experience covering the 1972 US presidential election, particularly the (ultimately unsuccessful) campaign of Democratic nominee George McGovern.

Democrats Must Beware the Curse of 1972

… the party. In July, when the 186 members of the platform committee meet, they’ll have to write a plank on the war in … a strong antiwar position — “bring ‘em all home now” — is compelling. But it could well be politically fatal. The … back to 1972, when he was still suffering in a North Vietnamese prison. He hopes that image will send a clear message: …
Dian Fossey with mountain gorilla.

Dian Fossey: Conservationist in the Mist

… Jane Goodall and Birute Galdikas – three women who would become affectionately known as the “trimates.” Fossey’s … local communities. Boabeng-Fiema Monkey Sanctuary, Ghana: Site of the author's research and a growing ecotourism … work popularizing his life—that led to an international outpouring of grief, the creation of the Digit Fund to protect …
William Howard Taft, 27th President of the United States.

Zealous Moderates: Barack Obama and William Howard Taft

… season brings a new round of presidential analogies and comparisons. Two years into his presidency, Barack Obama has … larger-than-life predecessor, Theodore Roosevelt, and his messianic successor, Woodrow Wilson. Both men were later … gets blamed by partisans on both sides, but he gets little credit among the middle-of-the-road constituencies—the …

Treaties and Sovereign Performances, from Westphalia to Standing Rock

… Bakken oil-shale region in western North Dakota to a tank complex in Illinois. Its route crosses the Missouri River … objections from conservationists, white farmers, and the Meskwaki (Fox) Nation of Iowa. Theirs has nonetheless become … The thousands of protesters encamped near the DAPL site use sweat lodges and burning sage to purify themselves …
The Statue of Liberty during the June 10, 2021 solar eclipse.

Solar Eclipses in American History

… have heralded eclipses as portentous, ominous events. Sites aligned to solstices and equinoxes—England’s … total solar eclipse . Dating to 1223 BCE in Syria, it was accompanied by the appearance of  Mars in the sky and … was to come, Tenskwatawa not only predicted but also took credit for this apparent miracle. Whatever the latest …
Grover Cleveland-Benjamin Harrison presidential (1888) campaign poster about the trade policy of the two candidates

Reform: The Long-Term Winner in Close Elections

… or the opening of world markets to facilitate competition across national boundaries. Record campaign … In 1888 and 2000, third parties won few votes but their message that major parties had made government unresponsive … racism, and urging workers and farmers to recognize their common interest in fighting business consolidation. Because …
Immigrants on ocean steamer passing the Statue of Liberty, New York City, 1887.

Strangers in the Land: An Old Theme Replayed

… allegiance would always be called to question by their loyalty to the Pope. Nativists used ancient English … United States, built on its Anglo-Saxon heritage, could accommodate large numbers of Slavs and Italians whose … be too much of a stretch to say that were it not for the discredited precedent of that internment, a similar fate might …