Tag: us history
December 1, 1824 — The Electoral College Fails Again
The Electoral College isn’t a term in the US Constitution. It’s a construction that allows us to envision the collective body of electors who choose the president.
The 5th of November: The Gunpowder, Treason, and Slave Revolt
Slavery is not a natural condition, despite what American slaveholders said.
The Time Georgia Tech Handed Cumberland The Worst L in College Football History; October 7th, 1916
No matter your favorite college football team, you’ve taken an embarrassing loss. Even perennial juggernaut Alabama (Roll Tide) has taken some shameful Ls. I witnessed a few of them in […]
The 5 Different 9/11s Part 1: New York City
This past weekend marked the twentieth anniversary of the september 11th terrorist attacks. I vaguely remember being 11 in sixth grade and watching as the smoke rose into lower Manhattan’s […]
The Most American Beer
Is Native American beer (tiswin) beer? By German law, beer can only consist of barley, water, hops, and yeast. There are thousands of variations on that basic recipe. The type […]
Presidential Ranking and the Politics of Memory
This past June, C-SPAN released an updated United States Presidential ranking. This was their 4th installment of the rankings. Beginning in 2000 and following each change of administration in 2009 […]
America’s Culture War Is a Religious Conflict
A civic religion is more than just a system of beliefs that we might consider “religious,” as in, supernatural. A civic religion is a set of beliefs, customs, and symbols […]
The Three Americas: Nation, State, Idea
On July 4, 1776 (actually a few days earlier), a delegation of British colonists codified the United States of America. There was still a war to fight, an initial government […]
An Incomplete History of Scotch Whisky, Bourbon Whiskey, and Tennessee Whiskey
On This Day in History — June 1 — Whiskey, Whisky, and More Whiskey In most countries that import or export whiskey (or whisky), the drink is actually defined by […]
The Constitutional Convention Saved a Flailing Young Country in 1787
On This Day in American History — May 25, 1787 — The Constitutional Convention Begins In his Second Inaugural Address, Abraham Lincoln called it “a new birth of freedom.” Lyndon […]