When I throw out the name John Wilkes Booth what comes to mind? Perhaps you think about Booth’s responsibility in ending President Lincoln’s hopes for a kinder Reconstruction. Maybe the words assassin, actor, murderer, or Confederate sympathizer come to mind. If you are a real student of Booth’s … [Read more...]
George Washington’s Overdue Library Books
Growing up I was huge patron of the library at our church, at my school, and the public library near my home. Occasionally, I would love a book so much I would incur a late fine or two – never a huge sum – never more than a dollar or two. Sometimes I would get a bit sidetracked and a book would get … [Read more...]
Millard Fillmore was a Know Nothing
Once upon a time in what seems to be a long time ago in my classroom full of nine and ten-year-old students I wrote on the white board: Millard Fillmore was a Know Nothing. I faced my students and asked them to tell me what the sentence meant. “Well...somebody isn’t too smart,” a student … [Read more...]
President Wilson’s Other Wife
Ask many people about President Woodrow Wilson’s wife and they might tell you things like, “Oh, she’s the one that took over the White House after Wilson’s stroke.” Yes, some historians refer to the period immediately following Wilson’s stroke in 1919 as the Petticoat Government since Edith … [Read more...]
