Saturday, April 26, 2008

Ulysses S. Grant Born... and Born Again...

On April 27 1822, famed Civil War General and 18th President of the United States Ulysses S. Grant was born.


Grant, better known for his prowess on the battlefield as opposed to his leadership in office is a neat character. He quickly rose his way to the top of the Union Army after having sat "fallow" for some time before the war.

Fallow -- land, plowed and left unseeded for a season or more; uncultivated; not in use.

After some action in the Mexican-American(1846-1848) War and preceding the Civil War (1861), Grant sat "fallow" for several years while trying his hand at farming. He failed. In fact, he tried many different occupations and wasn't good at any of them.

This is what makes his quick rise in to leadership with the Union Army so interesting. With very little military leadership training, Grant simply won battle after battle. His secret was simple. Other leaders spent much of their time trying to outsmart their counterpart, worrying what the other would do. Not Grant. Grant didn't worry about his opposition and simply did what he thought was best. He didn't care what his opponent was doing. It seemed to work.
After serving as President, Grant died a poor man. His last years were spent writing his memoirs, of which he never saw a penny. Though his surviving wife was able to profit from his writings.

Ulysses S. Grant on the new colored $50 fifty dollar billIn 2004, US Grant was born again. April 26, 2004 the United States introduced the new colored $50 bill. The new design was put in place to deter counterfeiters. It was the first design change for the fifty since 1997.
Fun Facts:
In 2005, US Representative John Kline introduced legislation to replace Grant's image on the $50 bill with an image of President Ronald Reagan.
Grant had owned one slave whom he set free in 1859.

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Thursday, April 17, 2008

Who is the Best President since 1950?

I was in New Orleans for a few days on business. Learned a bit about the history of NOLA, did some work with Habitat for Humanity, putting on siding for Charles (the home owner) in the Upper 9th Ward (one of the most devestaded areas), spent some time at a conference, strolled Bourbon Street and bought a book about the Battle of New Orleans from a bookshop where William Faulkner used to live. A good week for site seeing, but a bad week for posts.


That said, I've added a new USHistorySite Survey...

The question is: Who is the Best President since 1950?

Harry Truman
Dwight D. Eisenhower
John F. Kennedy
Ronald Reagan
Bill Clinton

You can find it in the margin on the right. I'll leave it up until I get 50 votes or more...

Let me know your comments after you vote? Why did you choose JFK? Tell me why you think Carter should have made the list. Is Bill Clinton deserving? The forum is now open...

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Thursday, April 10, 2008

Survey Results: You Have a Time Machine. Who would you like to meet?

Teddy Roosevelt wins the first USHistorySite surveyThe results are in from the first USHistorySite Survey... after 50 votes, Teddy Roosevelt is our winner taking 44% of the vote.


You Have a Time Machine: Who Would You Like to Meet?
John Adams - 10% (5 votes)
Teddy Roosevelt - 44% (22 votes)
Abraham Lincoln15 - 30% (15 votes)
George Washington8 - 16% (8 votes)

It's not a surprise. Teddy Roosevelt is like able. He's a guy's guy. Of the 4 listed, he's probably the one I'd most like to have a beer with. Not that I wouldn't want to meet all of them, it's just that Teddy seems to be rowdy ol' chap, who could probably spin a good yarn, and put 'em down with the best of 'em.

Lincoln, and his self-deprecating stories, and his sense of humor, is something I'd enjoy too. But Lincoln, to me, is more of a guy who would have you over his house for dinner and then tell stories after retiring to the living room. That would be fun too.

Washington is still kind of enigma to me. I know that he liked to associate in high circles, and then he'd rarely if ever hang out with someone of a lower cloth. He was an American aristocrat. I wish I knew more about Washington. He'll probably be my next focus of study, as I've always felt that he wasn't much of a personality, but one who lead with his presence. I silent, thoughtful leader.

Adams is a hard worker. His Boston brethren, to this day, still follow him and his 'blue collar' work ethic. If you're on his good side, he's a great friend. He stands up for what he believes, but is a little awkward in social situations. He's known for being 'obnoxious and disliked'.

Congratulations to Teddy Roosevelt for being the first winner in the USHistorySite Survey. Thank you to all that participated.

The lines are now open for suggestions for the next survey.

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Sunday, April 06, 2008

Meeting David Wilson: Slave Owning Family Meets Enslaved Counterpart

Though they've never met... they share the same name. Their ancestors knew each other. They lived on the same property... One was a slave... the other, the slave owner.

Coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the MLK's death, MSNBC will present "Meeting David Wilson". The documentary premieres April 11th.

One David Wilson is an African-American who grew up in the tough streets of Newark, New Jersey and now works as a television news producer in New York City. The other, a 62-year-old white man, living in rural North Carolina, runs a chain of BBQ restaurants, not too far from where his ancestors farmed tobacco.

The two men will meet face-to-face in the strangest of "family reunions". I think this idea is very creative. I'm looking forward to seeing how this turns out. Though the previews are making it seem as if there might be some drama between the two men and their storied pasts, I for one don't think there will be much.

There will definitely be some story swapping and some interesting dialogue, but I'm not expecting fireworks. I'm hoping they reveal enough background on the families to show how they've developed to where they are today. I'm curious to see the different paths of two families. One, living off the riches from tobacco. The other, making their way north, eventually to New Jersey, to build on what little foundation they had in the antebellum South.

NBC News president Steve Capus believes that the documentary will "open the dialogue, encourage better understanding of the issues, and, hopefully, shine new light on the current state of race relations in our country today."

The video below, from the David Wilson MySpace page, is a pretty good indication of what Capus is referencing above. There needs to be a dialogue. There needs to be communication. We, both black and white, still have our prejudices against the other. We both have our issues with the current race situation, and I don't think we truly realize what the other is experiencing. I'm one to believe that we are still in the "reconstruction" from the effects of the Civil War, and all that was involved with it.

Sure, there are opportunities for all races at all socio-economic status levels, but the opportunities are tougher to come by for some.





Go to MSNBC for the full story.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23760280/

Official David Wilson Web site:
http://meetingdavidwilson.com/

Attention Teachers: I'm a bit disappointed that MeetingDavidWilson.com does not have lesson plans readily available to use with this documentary. I'm surprised because we all know, many of you out there will be recoding this and showing it in class the next day. The documentary enough, is probably enough to just have a class discussion, wrapped around the question posed by Davide Wilsson himself... "What's wrong with black people? And why we had to ask."

But if you do use this in class, please share your ideas, and post them here so that we can continue this dialogue.

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Wednesday, April 02, 2008

One Man: The Death of Martin Luther King - April 4, 1968

Early morning, April 4
Shot rings out in the Memphis sky
Free at last, they took your life
They could not take your pride

- Pride, U2

April 4, 1968, will be a day that will forever be a day of mourning. A day when one of the bravest men to ever walk the face of the earth, was taken years before his time.

The night before King made his "I've been to the mountain top" speech where his prophetic words came true all too soon...

"I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. "

Six years later on the same day, Hank Aaron helped to reach that promised land. April 4, 1974, on Major League Baseball's opening day, Hank Aaron hit homerun number 714, tying him with Babe Ruth for the all time record.

Hank Aaron was now at the top of the mountain. Hank Aaron now saw the promised land. Like King, he persevered through racism, name calling, eating on the bus as opposed to in the restaurants with the rest of the team. Sleeping in separate hotels. He overcame death threats and threats of harming his family. Hank Aaron overcame and was on top of that mountain. Aaron would eventually reach that promised land. Hank Aaron would go on to hit 41 more homeruns. His 755 homeruns were the most in major league history. His record stood for 34 years, until Barry Bonds broke the record in 2007.

Here is a timeline of Hank Aaron's tumultuous homerun chase: http://www.sportingnews.com/archives/aaron/timeline.html

Martin Luther King would have been proud of Hank Aaron. And Martin Luther King is the epitome of PRIDE.

I present to you a tribute to Dr. King, using U2's "Pride". I encourage you to watch the video and listen to the lyrics. I've included them in their entirety below.

In Memoriam: Dr. Martin Luther King
January 15, 1929 - April 4, 1968



U2 - Pride (In the Name of Love) -

One man come in the name of love
One man come and go
One come he to justify
One man to overthrow

In the name of love
What more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love

One man caught on a barbed wire fence
One man he resist
One man washed on an empty beach.
One man betrayed with a kiss

In the name of love
What more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love

(nobody like you...)

Early morning, April 4
Shot rings out in the Memphis sky
Free at last, they took your life
They could not take your pride

In the name of love
What more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love

In the name of love
What more in the name of love...

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One Man: Martin Luther King's 'Mountain Top' Speech

One man come in the name of love
One man come and go
One man come, he to justify
One man to overthrow

- Pride, U2

It was on this day, April 3, 1968 - when Martin Luther King made his famous Mountain Top speech. It was a speech about determination, perserverence and bravery. It was a speech where King, imagines that he is granted the ability to live in any era in history. He imagines himself with Moses in Eqypt parting the Red Sea and with Roman leaders. He dreams of being in the midst of the reneissance or with Abraham Lincoln at the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. But finally, he concludes, he'd ask "the Almighty" for the ability "to live just a few years in the second half of the twentieth century". If he's given this, he'd be happy.

King goes on to the conclude his speech with the following prophetic lines:


Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. So I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.
Little did he know, these words would be his last. King was shot and killed the next morning.




Here's a link to the entire transcription of Martin Luther King's "I've Been to the Mountain Top" Speech - http://www.afscme.org/about/1549.cfm

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