Robert Carter – A US Founding Father?

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” The immortal words of Thomas Jefferson, penned in the preamble to the Declaration of Independence, still resonate today. Yet Jefferson, and […]

Real Pirates of the Caribbean

The Battle of New Orleans, fought in January 1815, remains an important conflict in American history. Interestingly, however, the importance is not in its military consequences, considering that the battle itself occurred about three weeks after the War of 1812 was over. (The peace treaty was signed in Europe, and in 1815, news traveled only […]

The Spartans at Thermopylae

Today, a friend mentioned he was a big fan of the Spartans and the movie “300” and asked me what I knew about it. A little bit, as it turns out, considering I just gave my Western Civilization class this lesson a few days ago. What interests me most, however, was the irony that the […]