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Tag: History

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HBO to Launch Andrew Jackson Miniseries Starring Sean Penn

Few Americans are more worthy of the big and small screen than Andrew Jackson—a poor, orphaned child of immigrants who fought in the American Revolution, moved to the frontier, and rose to become president of the United States. HBO is producing a six-hour miniseries based on Jon Meacham’s Pulitzer Prize winning book, American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

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The Left Purges Woodrow Wilson, But Not His Progressivism

The American Left has finally caught on that one of the leading lights of the early Progressive movement was a racist, segregationist, and generally unseemly fellow. Princeton’s Black Justice League protestors have urged that early-twentieth century President Woodrow Wilson’s “racist legacy” be acknowledged, and any mention of his existence purged from campus.

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14th Amendment Anniversary: Historian Richard Brookhiser Explains Lincoln in ‘Founder’s Son’

On this day, in 1866, the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution was finally certified by Secretary of State William H. Seward. The amendment guarantees that no state “shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.”

Hamilton Cleaning (Reuters)

Bernanke on Hamilton: Say it Ain’t so, Jack

I must admit I was appalled to hear of Treasury Secretary Jack Lew’s decision last week to demote Alexander Hamilton from his featured position on the ten dollar bill. My reaction has been widely shared, see for example here, here, here, here, and here.

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The Eagle Must Show its Talons: China’s ‘Closed Sea’ Openly Challenges American Free Trade

The famous 1972 “Nixon to China” moment, in which President Richard Nixon opened up relations with the Chinese Communists to peel them away from the Soviet Union’s orbit, is often considered a major turning point in the Cold War. Since that time, those who guide U.S. foreign policy have mostly seen China as a long-term partner in a future, global system with America as the first among equals. The American eagle and Chinese dragon would rise together with “constructive engagement.”

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Eisenhower on D-Day: ‘The Free Men of the World are Marching Together to Victory’

On June 6, 1944, almost four years to the day that British Prime Minister Winston Churchill delivered his famous “We Shall Fight on the Beaches” speech in which he prophetically called for the “New World” to step forth to liberate the old, Allied forces under the command of General Dwight Eisenhower stormed the beaches of Normandy. The hour of Europe’s liberation had come, and it would be delivered by the greatest amphibious invasion in world history.

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ISIS Sets Eyes on Syrian UNESCO Site Palmyra

The Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) is on the doorstep of Palmyra, another UNESCO World Heritage Site in Syria. Officials warn if ISIS is not stopped, they will destroy another important historic city as they expand the caliphate.

Phil Collins - Texas Legislature - AP PHOTO - Eric Gay

Texas Legislature Honors Phil Collins as ‘Honorary Texan’

British pop superstar Phil Collins received a unique honor this week, as the Texas Legislature issued a resolution recognizing him as an honorary Texan, for the donation of “his magnificent collection of historical artifacts to the State of Texas for display at the Alamo.”

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Texas Assumes Control of Alamo; Daughters of the Republic of Texas ‘Will Always be Honored’

The State of Texas has formally assumed control of the Alamo, placing the day-to-day management of the historic site in San Antonio under the Texas General Land Office (GLO). The GLO will now solicit proposals for a new management company to assume those duties later this year. Previously, the Alamo had been managed by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas (DRT), the volunteer organization that was responsible for securing the funds to preserve the Alamo in 1905. A law passed in 2011 transferred control to the GLO.