Lord Balfour delivered this speech in London in 1917
On July 4, 1917, Arthur Balfour, the 1st Earl of Balfour and former prime minister of Great Britain, stood to give a speech in London. I personally was somewhat surprised at his speech. It fascinated me.
I was looking through an old book on my shelf entitled The World’s Great Speeches, published in 1942, and I came across this speech. I was quite inthralled at what was expressed.
Let’s get to know Lord Balfour a little bit. Arthur James Balfour was born in 1848 in Scotland at the family mansion, Whittingehame House. His father was a Scottish MP, or Member…
Lucius Lamar eulogizes Charles Sumner in the House of Representatives
Representative Lucius Lamar of Mississippi stood on his feet in the US House of Representatives one cool morning in March of 1874.
His reason for standing to speak was not an ordinary reason. He stood to deliver the eulogy for a man who was a former enemy and who was hated by most people in the South. His eulogy would be printed in newspapers throughout the nation. Before we learn about this fascinating speech, we need to learn a little bit about Lucius Lamar.
Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar II was born in 1825 at the family home in Putnam County…
What is it & where can I find it?
Joe Versus the Volcano
Remember that movie with Tom Hanks Joe Versus the Volcano? I love that movie.
The protagonist, Joe, is a former firefighter known for his heroism. After quitting the fire department for health reasons, he devolves into a depressed hypochondriac. A strange series of events finds him on a sailboat headed for the South Pacific with a beautiful woman, Patricia, played by Meg Ryan. One evening the two are lounging on the deck of the boat chatting and getting to know each other.
Unarmed, he stood before the mob
Owen Lovejoy stood on the floor of the United States House of Representatives and looked in the eyes of the Southern Democrats who were standing before him, yelling and waving their canes at him.
He was not afraid. He replied,
“I will stand where I please. Nobody can intimidate me.”
Owen Lovejoy was born in Massachusetts in 1811, one of five brothers. His father was a Congregational minister. The younger Lovejoy attended Bowdoin College from 1830 to 1833. He studied law but never practiced law as an occupation.
In the mid-1830s, Lovejoy’s older brother, Elijah, an outspoken abolitionist and Presbyterian…
A revealing private journal kept hidden for many years
William Maclay called Alexander Hamilton “a damnable villain”; Robert Morris “the greatest blackguard”; and James Madison “His Littleness.” He called John Adams “silly,” and when he looked at Adams in his seat as President of the Senate, said, “I cannot help thinking of a monkey just put into breeches.”
The Journal of William Maclay is entertaining and educational. Serving in the Senate from 1789 to 1791, he kept a detailed record of the first years of the new federal government. …
God — Country — Family — Rights —But whose?
I am a citizen of the United States, raised to believe that the Constitution is an inspired document. I am a Conservative. I am a practicing Christian, reared, schooled, and living Judeo-Christian tenets. I am an employee. I am a husband, son, father, and friend. Does that tell you a bit of who I am?
But I am so much more. I am a patriot. I love the Constitution and the United States. I love my freedom. I love the laws that govern and protect. I have family, ancestors, and friends who have fought in every war since the Revolutionary…
What does it promise and is it actually provided?
In this post, I am defending the Constitution as a document and form of government that is as close to perfect as any ever written.
The Preamble of the Constitution acts as an introduction to the Constitution of the United States, the highest law of the land. In the Preamble, the Founding Fathers outlined the purposes for the Constitution. It is one long sentence, no more — fifty-two words. But much is there, although it does not include any statement of any laws, powers, or rights. It does declare who the Constitution is for, who is adopting it, and why.
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Franklin appeals to those who voted against the Constitution
September 1787
The Constitutional Convention was coming to a close. The Convention had been meeting five or six days a week for months and the Constitution was finally completed.
The delegates were preparing to vote on whether to approve the completed document. Most of the men at the Convention supported ratification.
But there were others who remained adamantly against ratification. They became known as Anti-Federalists. The Anti-Federalists included Patrick Henry, Virginia Governor Edmund Randolph, George Mason, future US president James Monroe, New York Governor George Clinton, and others.
Six fictional accounts of the brutal reality of the war
The Antebellum South, the horrible years of the Civil War, and the ugliness of Reconstruction are long in our past but still have an impact on us. These six novels portray these years with startling accuracy. As I reread this post I realized how often I use the words brutal, horrifying, and ugly. I am sorry about this. Maybe I need to learn some new words but these are so appropriate, I did not change them.
Over the years I have read extensively about the Civil War and the years preceding and immediately following it, both fictional and historical accounts…
True tales of danger and death, but rarely success
“There is a popular story telling how one day in 1852, the Bengali chief computer of the Survey of India rushed into the office of his superior, Sir Andrew Waugh, shouting, ‘Sir! Sir! I’ve discovered the highest mountain in the world!’”
The elevation of the summit had been triangulated from different points and averaged at a height of 29,002 feet. The elevation has been repeatedly adjusted over the years and is now calculated at 29,032 feet (8,849 meters).
Up until this point the peak had been known as Peak XV, but after identifying it as the highest point on Earth…
