Americanism Redux March 23, on the journey to the American Founding, 250 years ago today, in 1773 Overall, the mood was rather bright and upbeat. That's what he thought, at any rate. Everyone seemed relieved that the biggest crime threat of this young year was dealt with, the law-breakers caught, tried, and punished. Always a good thing when counterfeiters are taken off the street and … [Read more...]
Americanism Redux: March 23–on the journey to the American Founding, 250 years ago today–1773
March 23, 2023 by Leave a Comment
Americanism Redux: March 16, on the journey to the American Founding, 250 years ago today, in 1773
March 16, 2023 by Leave a Comment
Americanism Redux March 16, on the journey to the American Founding, 250 years ago today, in 1773 Beneath a blanket of snow, a grave recently dug holds the body of a deceased elderly woman. She is Margaret-Christine Otis Baker of Dover, New Hampshire, 85 years old at the time of her death back in late February. Today, 250 years ago, her three-week old death is so significant that the people … [Read more...]
Americanism Redux: March 9, Today, On the Journey To American Founding, 250 Years Ago, in 1773
March 9, 2023 by
Americanism Redux March 9, on the journey to the American Founding, 250 years ago today, in 1773 It's one of those days. Nothing special on the face of it. Life sprawls, today, 250 years ago. (Ordinary Day, sunrise) You see kindness. A Christian pastor travels from house to house in Westborough, Massachusetts. He's visiting members of his congregation who are sick. A young boy, … [Read more...]
Americanism Redux–6-Minute Video Overview of the Fourth Quarter–Today 250 Years Ago–in 1773
March 8, 2023 by
Below is my quarterly overview video. See and hear the highlights of the stories of October, November, and December 1772 on our journey to the American Founding in July 1776. https://youtu.be/GJl5M2zzZF4 Thanks for watching! … [Read more...]
Americanism Redux: March 2, Today, On The Journey To American Founding, 250 Years Ago, In 1773
March 2, 2023 by
Americanism Redux March 2, on the journey to the American Founding, 250 years ago today, in 1773 Walk down Newbury Street. Come to the intersection with Pond Street. There's the house, right over there, the big house with the fancy door. That's your destination. You're about to knock on the fancy door. When the servant opens it you'll ask for the owner. You need to see him. You have … [Read more...]
Americanism Redux: February 23, On The Path To American Founding, 250 Years Ago Today, 1773
February 23, 2023 by
Americanism Redux February 23, on the path to the American Founding, 250 years ago today, in 1773 The pursuit of freedom can take you to weird places with odd relationships. Today, 250 years ago, the pursuit of freedom leads to England, near London, where ship Captain Robert Calef sits in the home of a wealthy aristocratic woman named Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon. Calef has … [Read more...]
Americanism Redux: February 9–Life and the American Founding–Today 250 Years Ago: 1773
February 9, 2023 by
Americanism Redux February 9—Life and the American Founding—Today 250 Years Ago: 1773 The tiny seeds had gone in the ground a few weeks back, after Christmas. Planted in dirt finer than grains of sand, the seeds were now seedlings. Tender and green shoots of the new plants poked up from the ground, no taller than the length of your finger. The Virginia soil has given birth to this year's … [Read more...]
Americanism Redux: February 2 – Today 250 Years Ago – in 1773
February 2, 2023 by
Americanism Redux It's Today, February 2, 250 years ago—In 1773 Good lord, the air is cold. You inhale and your lungs feel like they're frozen together. Exhale and a whitish air rises and disappears. Again and again. Inner pangs of cold, outer clouds of frost. Up you go. (winter transportation) You're on the plank board that serves as a seat. Bundled with densely woven clothes, … [Read more...]
Americanism Redux – January 19 – 250 Years Ago Today – in 1773
January 19, 2023 by
Americanism Redux January 19, 250 years ago today, in 1773 Teaching and education. My life. I teach young people how to think. I teach adults how to worship. God made me to live this life. I've met a person, a parent, actually a step-father for whom I've developed great respect. The step-father respects me, too, I think. Yes, I'm certain he does. That's not bragging. It's a mutually … [Read more...]
Americanism Redux – January 12 – Today 250 Years Ago – 1773
January 12, 2023 by
Americanism Redux January 12, 250 years ago today, in 1773 "All in favor say 'aye'." The hands raised up. "One", "two", "three", and on it went. The count was finished but the outcome was never in doubt. The group wanted to do it. Excited. Motivated. Resolved. Today, in the British colonial capital of South Carolina, the Charleston Library Society approves the plan to "to establish a … [Read more...]
Americanism Redux – Today – January 4 – 250 Years Ago in 1773
January 4, 2023 by
Americanism Redux January 4, 250 years ago today in 1773 (Colony House, Newport, Rhode Island) Clean out the room where the hearing will be held. Do the work. Sweep the floors. Wipe down the seats and the rails. Stack firewood. Candles at the ready. Make sure nothing from the first floor works it way up the stairs to the second floor. First floor: the marketplace, scene of money … [Read more...]
Americanism Redux – 250 Years Ago Today – December 28, 1772
December 28, 2022 by
Americanism Redux December 28, 250 years ago today, in 1772 Flowing out. Spreading. Ceaseless and unrelenting. Waters broken through the mill dam and covering the cold, dry ground. How to stop it? How to hold it back? That's the reality of today 250 years ago. Towns in Massachusetts are beginning to hold meetings to consider the Statement of Rights produced by the Boston town council … [Read more...]
Americanism Redux-Today – December 21 – 250 Years Ago-1772
December 21, 2022 by
Americanism Redux December 21, 250 years ago today (1772) On a ship, today, 250 years ago, he looks at the Florida coast. But a lifetime ago he was somewhere else, looking at a moment that would begin to define his life. ******************************************************************************************************* He feels the cave's walls on his body. He clutches a small … [Read more...]
Americanism Redux-250 Years Ago Today-December 14, 1772
December 14, 2022 by
Americanism Redux December 14, 250 years ago today The baby, a day old, sleeps. Tiny eyelids, soft skin, the wispiest of wispy hair. Fingers are curled. Invisible breaths in and out, the chest rising and falling less than a sixteenth of an inch. Perhaps now is the perfect time for mother to catch a quick nap. She's not really sure. It's her first baby. Phebe, the mother, is 19 years old. … [Read more...]
Americanism Redux–250 Years Ago Today–December 7 1772
December 7, 2022 by
Americanism Redux December 7, 250 years ago today Yes-To-Tom. Yes(terday) – To(day) – Tom(orrow) Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow. Time in sequence as you live it and know it/as it comes, stays, and goes/as you were, is, and will be. Yes-To-Tom. Yesterday, a ship captain named Prince made himself at home as best he can along the docks of New York City. He collected his thoughts in … [Read more...]
Americanism Redux–250 Years Ago Today–November 30 1772
November 30, 2022 by
Americanism Redux November 30, 250 years ago today Some strings are invisible. They exist out of sight until you're reminded that they're there. Serving as ties to home, family, place, beliefs, dreams, and dozens of other things, these strings bind your life together. You may lose track of them in the bustle of daily life, but they won't lose their connection to you. Making them takes time. … [Read more...]
Americanism Redux–250 Years Ago Today–November 23
November 23, 2022 by
Americanism Redux November 23, 250 years ago today Today, 250 years ago, the announcement comes forth in a document read aloud to the people of New Hampshire: "to be religiously observed and kept as a day of public thanksgiving", a day next week will be set aside to express the people's gratitude and gratefulness for their British Monarch, King George III. New Hampshire's royal governor John … [Read more...]
Americanism Redux: 250 Years Ago Today, November 15
November 15, 2022 by
Americanism Redux November 15, 250 years ago today So. This is what the boss wants. Wants me to give my thoughts as to how we can make things better around here, make things work right, make things the way they ought to be. Oh really? Well, it's about time. Happy to oblige. Buckle up. Here we go. The do's and the don'ts. I've got clear answers. Do...stop expanding. No more. … [Read more...]
Americanism Redux: 250 Years Ago Today, November 9
November 9, 2022 by
Americanism Redux November 9, 1772, 250 years ago today The youth and their futures as the skies of today turn gray and cold. 21-year old James Madison writes from his family's Virginia plantation home to a friend he'd known in college. Madison thanks him for his friendship and for staying in close contact via letters. He congratulates his friend on a decision to continue … [Read more...]
Americanism Redux: 250 Years Ago Today, November 2
November 2, 2022 by
Americanism Redux November 2, 250 years ago today Dozens of candles and lanterns glowed against the walls and columns painted in white. The flickering light revealed each delicate wave and curving line in the glass of the window panes. People talked, loudly and in urgent tones. A vote was called for. Hands raised up. All in favor. Yes. Passed. Gavel smacks down. Murmurs rippled around … [Read more...]
Americanism Redux–250 Years Ago Today–Video Summary & A Few Thoughts–3rd Quarter 1772
October 27, 2022 by
Here you go. A short look at where we've been in July, August, and September 1772. https://youtu.be/KI0nzPABCRA For a few more thoughts on the points... A little more beyond the video on the four main points in summary from Q3 1772. Oh, and be sure to read my ending sections here after the four points. 1st— Diversity... In the nineteen (19) stories I shared with you from Q3 1772 you … [Read more...]
Americanism Redux: Today, October 18, 250 Years Ago
October 18, 2022 by
Americanism Redux October 18, 250 years ago today He shook his head. So disappointing. To be within sight of the place we've dreamed of, our destination and the life we want. It's just right out there, the beautiful shoreline. But we can't go. The officials here won't allow it. The brutes just told him that, in tones and manner he'd seen far too often back in a corner of Ireland, the … [Read more...]
Americanism Redux: October 13, Today, 250 Years Ago
October 13, 2022 by
Americanism Redux October 13, 250 years ago today Golden leaves in the day and chilled air at night. October 13. My college diploma still feels fresh, barely a year old. I miss that life that ended last year. We had classes, professors, weekly assignments, reading and writing. We socialized, attended dinners, danced, made friends for life and friends for the night, drank too … [Read more...]
Americanism Redux–Today–October 5–250 Years Ago
October 5, 2022 by
Americanism Redux October 5, 250 years ago today A chance to watch a sporting event? hang out with friends? sip an adult beverage? in one of my favorite towns? Count me in. But hold up, give me a minute. I've got to get my best powdered wig and false teeth. OK, got 'em. I'm ready. Let's get going. (Sound familiar? Well, maybe not all of it. Still, most of it seems like last … [Read more...]
Americanism Redux: September 28, 250 Years Ago
September 28, 2022 by
Americanism Redux September 28, 250 years ago today The parents looked down at the crib. Their baby, their first, is two days old. A beautiful daughter. Maybe something is not quite right, a little too pale and a little too fussy and a little too congested. Well, who knows. Maybe everything will be fine. Mom is Martha, nicknamed Patty by her husband, who is Tom. Patty and Tom were … [Read more...]
September 20–Today–250 Years Ago
September 20, 2022 by
Americanism Redux September 20, 250 years ago today For now, their lives are apart. Separate and unjoined. They don't know it but Down River—in the future—they will collide in the roaring waters. That day awaits, a lamp moving over a black surface. A 50-year old man writes a letter. Living in Virginia, he encloses a copy of family documents important to the woman who is waiting … [Read more...]
September 14–Today–250 Years Ago
September 14, 2022 by
Americanism Redux September 14, 250 years ago today She lay in bed with him next to her. Nine years in love. Nine years making a home. Besides their life together they'd made life further at least twice, their two daughters. They call her Mama, which she is. They call him Papa, which he is. But Mama and Papa are not husband and wife. Maybe someday, maybe sometime, but not now. Same bed, … [Read more...]
September 7–Today–250 Years Ago
September 7, 2022 by
Americanism Redux September 7, 250 years ago today The signboard of The Dog and Pot hangs over the front door of the same-named tavern in Boston. Sign of The Dog and Pot tavern in Boston Inside, candles flicker in lanterns fixed to the walls. Scattered across heavy tables are tankards of ale, a tin plate or two, a carved wooden bowl, and half-filled bottles. The air smells of old … [Read more...]
August 31–Today–250 Years Ago
August 31, 2022 by
Americanism Redux August 31, 250 years ago today The eye stares down. The eye sees all. Under the gaze of the eye stands a little church where, yesterday, a small group of people had gathered to worship, to sing, to pray, to hear a sermon. They didn't know the eye would soon move over them. In its gaze. Midnight nears. Horror looks different in the dark. During the four hours … [Read more...]
August 26–Today–250 Years Ago
August 26, 2022 by
Americanism Redux August 26, 250 years ago today I'm turning this thing around...today! No more tricks, no more games, no more local-yokel garbage that delays and delays and delays until everyone just forgets and the thing disappears. No more. Today is when it starts and it starts with me and my pronouncement. The damn people burned my boat...uh...our boat...uh...our vessel...uh...our … [Read more...]
August 19-Today-250 Years Ago
August 19, 2022 by
Americanism Redux August 19, 250 years ago today A dress hangs painfully on her arms and back. It's hard to get comfortable with the fabric rubbing against the scars and bruises. 70-year old Margaret remembers the latest beating. Her second husband, named Savage, hit her with a leather strap. He does it a lot. For today, 250 years ago, she heals. And she'll use today in seeking another … [Read more...]
August 12-Today-250 Years Ago
August 12, 2022 by
Americanism Redux August 12, 250 years ago today God Almighty, it's hot. Never seen anything like it. Her slender, delicate fingers reach to dot the beads of sweat on her forehead. She tucks a few strands of her light-colored hair back under her cloth bonnet. 20-year old Elizabeth may look calm and composed on the outside. Inside, she's nervous and unsettled. She never thought about … [Read more...]
August 5-Today-250 Years Ago
August 5, 2022 by
Americanism Redux August 5, 250 years ago today Lay the paper flat on the table. Hold the edges down. Write the terms of agreement. Sign your name. Change our world. Today, in Vienna, Joseph II, co-emperor of Austria with his mother, Maria Theresa, announces his written agreement to a plan that divides up the eastern portion of the fledgling nation of Poland. Frederick II, king of … [Read more...]
July 29-Today-250 Years Ago
July 29, 2022 by
Americanism Redux July 29, 250 years ago today It's a river called "Mad", flowing into a river called "Big Waters", or Miami as it's known in the language of one native people, flowing into a river so appealing that another native people used their rival language to find the word for "Beautiful"... The Ohio. In these watered lands a four-year old boy lives with a large family. His … [Read more...]
July 23 – Today – 250 Years Ago
July 23, 2022 by
Americanism Redux July 23, 250 years ago today He is, literally, a hot head on this summer day. It's hard not to be when you've got sweat on your head. The sweat of his scalp spreads out from the roots of his hair. The woven fibers laying over them are soaking up the perspiration. His nose detects the faintest scent of olive oil, a sign that his servant has cleaned the fibers while … [Read more...]
July 16
July 16, 2022 by
Americanism Redux July 16, 250 years ago today July 16, 250 years ago today My best friend. Does she think I don't care anymore? Holding a letter signed and sealed and sent from Newport, Rhode Island, the 19-year old girl reads the lines and realizes her best friend didn't receive the last letter she'd written a while ago. The thick paper shook slightly in her thin, almost frail … [Read more...]
July 9
July 9, 2022 by
Americanism Redux July 9 If you could see his hands, you'd know what he did. Black stains fill the lines and wrinkles on his hand, fill the tiny crevices around his fingernails. 250 years ago today. He is a printer, one of the most influential and successful owner-operators of a media company in colonial Philadelphia. 58-year old David Hall watches as today's edition of the four-page … [Read more...]
July 4
July 4, 2022 by
He decides. Today, 250 years ago in 1772. Freedom for me. I'm breaking away from the doctor. Sure, he bought me. Sure, a signed document sealed the deal. Sure, my freedom is gone in exchange for being here in a strange land. None of it matters, he tells himself. Now is the time. He makes his own personal declaration of independence in the shadow of the Pennsylvania State House on Walnut Street … [Read more...]
July 1
July 1, 2022 by
For him, it was a long day on a business trip. Hoping to find new clients, maybe yes, maybe no. Now, moon rising, he's lonely being away from his family. He's 36 years old, stuck for tonight in a small, isolated coastal town. In a guest room strange to him with a candle glowing next to the bed, he reaches for a paper-bound book in his travel bag. The book is a stage play, banned from public … [Read more...]
