Good Bye George...Hello Ben and Tom

This week I finished reading "His Excellency: George Washington” by Joseph Ellis. The book follows Washington from cradle to grave in less than 300 pages. While it has received good reviews, I found it a bit laborious to read. In fairness to Ellis, my less than enthusiastic endorsement of this book may have been caused by overdosing on the first President. Within two weeks, I have read three books on the president and heard of him often during the Gilder-Lehrman seminar. Time to move on to another founder or another time period!


Just as I was thinking about my next book selection, the Sunday New York Times Book Review arrived. Within a few minutes of perusing the pages, I found “The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin,” by Gordon Wood featured in the “Paperback Row” column and a review by Joseph Ellis of “Thomas Paine and the Promise of America” by Harvey Kaye. Both books are on my reading list but now it is time to turn to another era or maybe some fiction….so many books…so little time.

A history lesson

By now you have probably read all that you want to read about the Gilder-Lehrman seminar so I will keep this final posting brief.

Our last day of the seminar focused on the presidency of George Washington and a quick review of the passionate people of this time period: Adams, Jefferson, Hamilton, and Burr to name a few. Each of these men and their families are worth their own seminar. Keeping that in mind, I recently purchased Ron Chernow’s book “Alexander Hamilton.” This 700+ page book should make excellent beach reading.

From 1790 till about 1800, the country came close to a civil war. The issue of the day was how to control the tyranny of the majority. Madison was most eloquent on this topic in his Federalist Paper #10 where he identified the numerous factions or differences in the country as the saving power of the republic. A diversity of ideas would allow all to be heard. Madison, along with many of the other Founders, assumed that the most enlightened individuals would rise to leadership positions and lead the country. While this may not have worked out at all times, our country has survived and thrived.

The main lesson of history is change is inevitable. We may not see the changes as we live our daily lives, but we can all look back on earlier days and recognize that life is not the same. Some of these changes can be discouraging and other changes may give us an optimistic spirit. So now the question becomes, what is your role in this fast changing country? Time for reflection…….

The Dalzell Duet

Our final guest speakers, Robert and Lee Dalzell, gave us a unique interpretation of George Washington by looking at Mount Vernon and seeing how his running of the plantation reflected his values. Robert Dalzell is a Professor of history at Williams College in Massachusetts while Lee Dalzell recently retired as the head reference librarian from the college. They have co-authored “George Washington’s Mount Vernon: At Home in Revolutionary America,” and are currently working on a revised edition.

The Dalzell’s accompanied their remarks with a slide show that depicted Mount Vernon from the early days of 1730 up until Washington’ death in 1799. Under Washington’s direction, Mount Vernon grew from a modest size estate to a two-and-a-half story mansion with 19 large rooms and numerous out buildings including the well known round barn. The home is built of wood but Washington had the board siding carved and painted with a mixture of paint and sand so it would look like stone. The Dalzell’s credit the Redwood Library in Newport for inspiring Washington to finish his home in a similar manner. Washington also added the piazza which overlooks the Potomac River. It is unclear where Washington got the idea to add such a unique feature to his estate. While piazzas are common in Europe, Washington only traveled as far as Barbados.

The Dalzell’s spoke at length about Washington and his slaves. By reading Washington’s letters, the Dalzells have concluded that Washington grappled with the issue of slavery and what steps could be taken to free these people in an orderly manner. At one point, Washington was planning on having British farm managers who were interested in agrarian reform take over portions of Mount Vernon and farm the land with newly freed slaves. Washington felt that the one way to end slavery was to set up alternative working conditions that allowed individuals to survive and thrive on their merits. In the end, Washington freed his slaves in his will, divided Mount Vernon into four parcels, and gave away all his possessions. The Dalzells concluded that the type of control Washington exhibited throughout his life was inconsistent with the future of The United States. The will, which he kept secret from Martha, supported this new American reality.

Yesterday's History, Today's Current Events

One of the highlights of the Gilder-Lehrman seminar was the opportunity to hear from Dr. Pauline Maier from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. If you have watched the Liberty series on PBS, you couldn’t have missed her…she is the historian who truly becomes enthusiastic and animated when asked about the Declaration of Independence and the writing of the Constitution. She confirms my belief that if students understand The Declaration, The Constitution, and The Bill of Rights, they will understand how the rest of American history unfolds. Yesterday, President Bush nominated Federal appeals court judge John G. Roberts, Jr. to the Supreme Court and today, the Senate began the “advice and consent” process. To understand what is happening and the influence the Court will have on this country, you need to understand the Constitution. History and current events go hand in hand.

Dr. Maier presided over an animated 90 minutes of discussion on her latest project, a book on the ratification of the Constitution. Dr. Wood peppered her with questions and challenges and she responded promptly and convincingly. The book will discuss how the ratification process was fraught with doubt and dirty tricks. Primary sources are few and far between, but Dr. Maier plans on supplementing her research with newspaper accounts from 1787 and 1788. Anti-federalist news accounts are further limited since the Federalist took to burning down papers that opposed the Constitution. Having an audience of teachers, gave Dr. Maier the opportunity to caution us on teaching the ratification as a neat and orderly process. Disaster could have struck at any point in the process.

Dr. Maier is also adopting a new style of writing for this book, one that she labeled as narrative. David McCullough, champion narrative history writer, recommended that she adopt this style as a way to reach a wider audience. McCullough know what he is talking about as his latest book “1776” continues to be the top seller on The New York Times best seller list. Dr. Wood mentioned that McCullough’s book on John Adams sold over 1.6 million copies while most traditional history books sell around 1,000 copies.

Paradise Regained

Today is the first day that I feel I have enough perspective to start writing about one of the most challenging and invigorating weeks I have ever experienced. My week at Brown was more then I could ever have expected.

Our surroundings were truly conducive to the study of colonial history. Many of the buildings and memorials at Brown commemorate our early history as the University was chartered in 1764 and moved to Providence in 1770. In addition to our daily lecturers, we were treated to tours of Providence that included stops at the Brown House (prominent family that made money in several business ventures including the slave trade and the China trade,photo on the left ), the Stephen Hopkins home (photo on the right), a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and the Roger Williams Memorial.

There were about twenty-five participants for the seminar and they came from many states and one foreign city, Rome. In addition to teachers we also had a national park ranger from Philadelphia and two museum education directors. While the group was diverse, the one thing all of us had in common, was our passion for the early days of our country. Our down time was dominated by discussions of the numerous books that have recently been published on this time period, including “1776,” “His Excellency George Washington,” and “The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin.” Discussions became so heated that participants started ranking the Founders…George Washington was clearly number one but the group quickly divided over the next in line…Adams…Franklin…Jefferson…they all had defenders.

My recollections of this week will continue.

The Salute Continues

Newport, Rhode Island July 10, 2005

"I do think history matters. We cannot build a better future
if we do not recognize the impact of history."

French Ambassador Jean-David Levitte

Vive l'Alliance!

Last night, the American and French alliance was celebrated with a reception at the President’s House at the Naval War College. Historical dignitaries including General George Washington, Count Rochambeau, and the Marquis de Lafayette, accompanied by fife and drum, mingled among the many guests. Admiral Shuford, the 51st President of the College, easily won the hearts of the many guests from France, including the Ambassador, by his extensive welcoming comments spoken in French. The Admiral spoke of his two years as a student at the Institute of Political Science in Paris and of the beauties of that city.

The French Ambassador, Jean-David Levitte, spoke about our long alliance starting with the American Revolution and proceeding with General Pershing in World War I and D-Day. The alliance was always based on the ideas of liberty and equality for all. The Ambassador also asked the guests to keep in mind especially our British friends as they cope with the bombings of July 7.

On display were several paintings by David R. Wagner of the Rochambeau route to Yorktown. I spoke with Mr. Wagner and learned that he plans to do over 100 paintings as part of this project. His paintings are vibrant and pay close attention to historical details. His paintings make the era come alive.

Senator Pell, Governor Carcieri and Representative Langevin were also in attendance.

This was an especially moving event as we heard speakers talk about the historical significance of our long alliance and refer to numerous events that so many study in high school but forget over time. While all of us tend to focus on the here and now, it is important to recall the people and events that came before us, to recognize the sacrifices and dedication of our nation’s founders, and to reflect on how new generations can build on their legacy.

An Aside:

My lobbying instincts came to the fore as I was shaking hands with the Governor and introduced myself as a high school history teacher. He initially smiled, but then I added I was a teacher with 9 years of experience. With this, his smile faded somewhat and he said “too bad” and moved on. I made this comment because of the recent pension changes at the state level. While I support pension change, I believe some of the provisions were not fully thought out and may be considered discriminatory. My elected officials have heard from me once and they will hear from me again. We must all be active citizens!

A Visit to Rough Point

Today I spent the day touring Rough Point, the Newport home of Doris Duke. Doris Duke was an heiress, a noted preservationist, an animal lover, and a great collector of art from around the world. Rough Point is located on Bellevue Avenue and has a spectacular view of the ocean. Our tour guide was well versed in the antiques and art of the house as well as knowledgeable about the personal side of a woman whose life had its share of tragedy. The tour concluded with a special fashion exhibit “Jet Set to Jeans.” Information about Rough Point and the Doris Duke Foundation can be found at www.NewportRestoration.org.

Rochambeau Returns

This weekend Newport will be celebrating the 225th anniversary of the arrival of General Rochambeau and the French Army to Newport. Rochambeau's army was sent to assist Washington and played an important role at the Battle of Yorktown where the British army under Cornwallis surrendered.

The Brigade will be holding an encampment at Fort Adams and numerous other events are planned for the weekend. On the schedule is a reception at the Naval War College for the French Ambassador, the Governor and other state and local officials. On Saturday the Colony House will host a reception and David McCullough (my favorite historian) author of "1776" is expected to attend.

Students living in New England and studying early American history just need to walk around the center of most towns and read house plaques and statue markers to get a good understanding of how much this area of the country has contributed. While Boston may be home to The Freedom Trail, most New England towns have their own share of early American history.

Other musings:

Don't miss an interesting article on the history of presidential surprises when choosing justices that appeared on the front page of The New York Times (NYT) on July 5, 2005.

Finished The NYT crossword for the third day in a row.

Count Down to Brown

Each summer I like to participate in a professional development activity that adds to my content knowledge, provides me with an opportunity to "talk" history with fellow colleagues, and reminds me what it is like to be a student.

On Sunday, I check in at Brown University for a week long seminar on "George Washington and the Origins of the American Republic." The seminar is being sponsored by The Gilder-Lehrman Institute and will be conducted by Professor Gordon Wood, a Pulitzer Prize winning author. One of my favorite authors of the time period, Pauline Maier of MIT, will be a guest lecturer. Both Wood and Maier appear in Liberty, the PBS series on the American Revolution.

So it is back to college on Sunday. I am almost done with my assigned reading and I have a bit of packing to do but now it is time to get excited. I was amused by the dorm rules and promise to keep in mind what I tell my own children...."don't do anything you wouldn't want to tell me about."

Independence Day

What a great day for a history teacher to start a blog! After reading other blogs, I have decided to venture forth with this "new" technology to better reach my main audience...the students of MHS.

This is a day for lingering over the newspapers, my favorite being The New York Times, reading "The Radicalism of the American Revolution," a text for my summer course (more on that later), and of course, viewing fireworks as recommended by John Adams back in 1776.

Enjoy the beach and the cookouts but keep in mind why we celebrate the day.