Eighty years ago in September of 1940, Great Britain was in the midst of a life-and-death struggle with Nazi Germany.
Reflecting on the Great Depression
While millions of Americans are out of work and panic stricken as to how they are going to put food on the table, it is encouraging to remember how Americans responded to an even greater challenge three-quarters of a century ago.
Aztec, Maya, Inca and Olmec
The Olmec, Mayan, Incan and Aztec civilizations are some of the greatest ancient civilizations in history, yet we know very little about them compared to other parts of the world.
The Agrarian Revolt and the Farmer’s Alliance
During the late 1880s, as farmers experienced their hardest years financially, several political struggles unfolded that challenged Redeemer hegemony in southern states. Through the years, farmer and labor organizations—the Virginia Readjusters, the Greenback Party, the Knights of Labor—had tried to foment change but without lasting success. Beginning in the 1860s, farmers turned to fraternal organizations, one of which was the National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry, or the Grange.
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War was the North American conflict in a larger imperial war between Great Britain and France known as the Seven Years’ War. The French and Indian War began in 1754 and ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1763. The war provided Great Britain enormous territorial gains in North America, but disputes over subsequent frontier policy and paying the war’s expenses led to colonial discontent, and ultimately to the American Revolution.
The Spanish-American War and the Philippine War
In teaching the “unknown wars” that straddle the 19th and 20th centuries, one encounters numerous problems. First, many Americans nowadays have as much difficulty finding the Philippines on a map as they did in 1898. Especially people living in inland states have difficulty understanding the isolated island culture.
The Intolerable Acts and the First Continental Congress
In response to the Boston Tea Party, Parliament attempted to punish Boston and isolate the colonies. But response to the Intolerable Acts began to unify the colonies instead.
Jewel of the Missions: San Juan Capistrano
Gently nestled just a few miles inland from Southern California’s Gold Coast lays the tranquil community of San Juan Capistrano. Made famous by Leon Rene’s 1939 hit, “When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano,” this exquisite, pedestrian-friendly town offers a unique glimpse into California’s colorful and distant past.
The Great Depression
The Great Depression of the thirties remains the most important economic event in American history. It caused enormous hardship for tens of millions of people and the failure of a large fraction of the nation’s banks, businesses, and farms. It transformed national politics by vastly expanding government, which was increasingly expected to stabilize the economy and to prevent suffering.
History of the Political Party System in America
Our founding fathers were not comfortable with the formation of political parties, but they also acknowledged that they were inevitable, and it was within the rights of people, as free men, to gather and assemble political parties. With few exceptions, there have been two primary parties in control, divided over one or two major issues.