Why History Does Matter!

We all know that history is important. It helps us understand current political movements and ideas other people may have. My friend showed me this photo, perhaps you have seen it. I think it gives us a whole meaning of why it matters in our face. Other than being very funny (and sad)!Other than the obvious blooper with this sign what other problems do yo find with this statement. I realize that it hard to take this sign's message seriously because this mistake is so glaring but try to look past that for a moment. How else can we look at history to explain the issues we should take with this message? What other messages and inaccuracies you read or heard regarding this issue? How has propaganda of various governments and media help spur reactions such as this and others?

Jennie

A Quick History Lesson

In my last blog, I mentioned a book titled Silas Deane: The Mysterious of Life and Death of an American Revolutionary. The author is Coy Hilton James. As a student, I made a foolish error. I did not research the reviews about the book. I will go further into this error in my next blog; however, in this blog I plan to give a quick and interesting history of the Declaration of Independence.

In the book, James mentioned that “The Declaration of Independence was unanimously adopted by Congress on July 4, and it was ordered that it should be proclaimed in each of the United States and read to the army.” I always found the history of the Declaration of Independence very interesting. I am not sure if it was my own mistake or if my teachers told me over and over that on the 4th of July, the delegates of the Continental Congress signed the Declaration. A public misconception is that the Declaration was signed on the 4th, but it was not. The purpose of the information written below is to help justify the real history.

On June 7th 1776, Richard Henry Lee a representative from Virginia stood in front of his peers and stated:

``Resolved, That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and inde­pendent states, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.''

The following day on June 8th, the resolution was brought to Congress and a fierce debate began. Colonies that were opposed to the resolution were New York, South Carolina and Pennsylvania. A committee was then created by Congress on June 11th. Five well respected men were appointed, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston and Roger Sherman. The committee then decided to assign Jefferson as the pen of the Declaration of Independence.

On July 2nd, the Declaration was adopted by 12 of the 13 colonies. New York decided not to vote, but there were many alterations discussed between the delegates. Starting July 3rd to July 4th, alterations were made to the document. Finally on July 4th, it was approved but not yet signed by all the members. By July 19th, all colonies approved. That led to Congress announcing that the Declaration of Independence can finally be penned on parchment. Between July 19th and August 2nd, the delegates were finally given the chance to sign their name into history. Delegates Elbridge Gerry, Oliver Wolcott, Lewis Morris, Thomas McKean, and Matthew Thornton had all signed on a later date.

Of the Declaration of Independence, there are only 25 left in the world. Below are the places where they are located. 20 are owned by American institutions, 2 by British institutions, and 3 by private owners.

National Archives, Washington, DCLibrary of Congress, Washington, DC (two copies)

Maryland Historical Society, Baltimore, MD

University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA (two copies)

Independence National Historic Park, Philadelphia, PA

American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, PA

Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

Scheide Library, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ [The Library is privately owned.]

New York Public Library, New York

Pierpont Morgan Library, New York

Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston, MA

Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

Chapin Library, Williams College, Williamstown, MA

Yale University, New Haven, CT

American Independence Museum, Exeter, NH

Maine Historical Society, Portland, ME

Indiana University, Bloomington, IN

Chicago Historical Society, Chicago, IL

City of Dallas, City Hall, Dallas, TX

Declaration of Independence Road Trip [Norman Lear and David Hayden]

Private collectorPublic Record Office, United Kingdom (two copies)

The American Revolution’s First Casualty

Last fall, I did my senior thesis. My thesis defended both John Adams and the use of the Alien Sedition Acts. At one point, I thought I was done taking my history classes. That meant that I would not be up until 2am doing my readings and I would actually have time to have a life. Oh, I was so wrong. While I was doing my research on Adams, I came upon a very interesting website. http://www.silasdeaneonline.org/.

As soon as I clicked on the site, it captured me. I guess it was because of the home page. The first three words on it say “Suspicion, Intrigue and Hero?” Right away, I wondered what it was all about. On the bottom of the page it says “Silas Deane: The Mysterious Life and Death of an American Revolutionary.” I looked further into the website. After gaining some knowledge, I went to Suny Plattsburgh’s library and engulfed myself into Deane’s history. He was accused of three crimes.

He converted a gift into a personal commercial transaction.
While doing business for the Continental Congress, he was also conducting personal business (Which was a no-no, when it came to the ethical rules in the business world).
He was branded as a traitor for writing to his friends in America and telling them to force the country to reconcile with England.

While reading Silas Deane: Patriot or Traitor, one paragraph struck me. I would describe it as divine light from the history Gods.

The author Coy Hilton James stated:

Was Deane a traitor? To set out the circumstance of the accusation is at once to bring doubt that he was. Moreover, no one ever proved his defection from the cause of his country. After all, nearly two centuries have passed since the revolutionary era. Some proof, one would thin, should have emerged. One is reminded of other historical controversies in which it has long been fashionable to argue the guilt of individuals without proof. It is the task of historians such assertions until proof appears.

(Even though Coy Hilton James wrote Silas Deane: Patriot or Traitor, I am very unsure about the book because of couple statements he used in the book.)

It was that last line that grabbed me. More then ever I am determined to close the case on Silas Deane. I concluded that I would be Silas’s lawyer. I now plan to investigate the crimes.

Jack in the Box, September 11th and President Obama

My fi

My first week of high school was when the September 11^th attacks happened. I was completely ignorant of what I was witnessing. Even after seeing people throw themselves off of buildings in a smart classroom at my high school, it still hadn’t really hit me that this was in many respects the beginning of the end. Looking back at this experience, it’s actually embarrassing for me. I remember last September I spent a Sunday evening with a very intelligent friend of mine (Who is a NYC native) and told her that at the time I didn’t even know what the World Trade Center was. She looked at me with surprise.

Not long after 9-11, I started reading more about history and what high schools refer to as current events. It didn’t take me long to realize that we were indeed entering a new chapter in our history. This is not meant to sound cliqued, but to drive across a point that this event and these readings are what made me realize the true value of history. However, as sobering as all this was for me, what has happened globally in the last eight years of my life is not what inspired me to study history.

I think what really got me into history was when I learned about the Cold War and the history of espionage. I was 15 years old when I started analyzing books. More specifically, books that aren’t novels. I always had an interest in military history, but the Cold War just seemed more exciting to me. When I was a senior in high school, I came across an interesting novel that articulates my interest in the Cold War really well.

Enclosed is a passage from Jack in the Box by John Weisman:

“The thrill of the chase.”

“God, it was so much more than that,” Sam said. “It was the Cold War. It was the feeling of commitment. We were the better angels. We did God’s work. Life had meaning. And now, what are we doing? Screwing up target information in Belgrade or Baghdad, tapping drogista telephones in Bogota, or chasing transnational terrorists on the Internet. It’s all turned so mean, so grimy, so. . . spiritless. It’s as desolate as a lunar landscape.”

Although I didn’t know then the things I know now, this passage really stuck with me. Today I’m not entirely sure if life had more meaning back then than it does now or if things are more “grimy” but to a high school teenager struggling to express himself and his interests, this passage really said it all for me.

As I’m finishing up my history degree here and looking forward to graduate school, I notice something else earth shattering; the election of President Obama. Although I admit it is an accomplishment for a man of African American decent to be President of the United States, I’m a little confused as to why. Personally, I voted for him because I thought he was the best man for the job. I realize that his ancestry is important and plays a large part in American politics and civil rights, but I’m still hazy on the bigger picture, I guess. To coin a popular image, sometimes it feels as if I’m kneeling in front of a closed door, peeking through the keyhole in an effort to get a better picture of everything on the other side. Although I feel like I am more aware of the fact that things are happening around me, I still sometimes feel like I don’t know what these things are. I’m hoping in time this will change.

To coin a popular local phrase, “That’s my opinion, what’s yours?”

-Dave Deno

C-SPAN Survey of the Presidents

I know I mentioned my historical interest is in South and Southeast Asia but I was intrigued by the C-SPAN survey of the United States Presidents and it has been buzzing around the Internet. I unfortunately do not know as much as I should about the presidents but I at least know all their names (almost know the order) and do have opinions on various presidents.

President William Howard Taft ranked 24 visited plattsburgh in July 1909. He reviewed the troops located in Plattsburgh and took part of the Tercentenary Celebrations of the Discovery of Lake Champlain. Throughout this post are photos of this event. President William McKinley visited the Plattsburgh Barracks and spent the summers of 1897 and 1898 at the Hotel Champlain ranked 16th. Theodore Roosevelt ranked four also visited Plattsburgh to see the American troops at Plattsburgh Barracks in August 1915. (The photo to the left.)

Sixty-five presidential historians and scholars rated the 42 presidents. They ranked them on 10 attributes of leadership; public persuasion, crisis leadership, economic management, moral authority, international relations, administration skills, relations with congress, vision/setting an agenda, pursed equal justice for all and performance within the context of his times. Unfortunately that sentence cannot read his or her times.

Though I am not positive how I would actually number them I know ones I like and the ones I do not. I think some presidents have received a lot of glory and some are forgotten. I do like Wilson and Truman, but it could be I am just interested what was going on throughout the world at these times. James Buchanan (April 23, 1791 – June 1, 1868) president 15 was the last on the list. For me he is one of my least favorites as well. I don't know how many of you have seen "Will and Grace" but there have references to Buchanan that I find funny. For example: Will's Boss says "Well, I'm going to a dinner. They're honoring African-Americans who run big-time law firms in New York City. It's being held in a phone booth on the Upper East Side. and Will's response is "Ha ha ha! That the same phone booth where they held the Gays for Buchanan rally?" In other episode Will said "Hell, I'd rather go out with Pat Buchanan than this guy." (Just a little cultural reference- I get to make so few!)

I also like that Andrew Jackson is at the bottom of the list. I did not like his policies towards the Native Americans. But then again what president was fair to them? My father likes Jackson because he was the first president of the people. My father is a huge president history buff so it seems his opinion would be more potentate than mine. However he voted for Bush- twice! I don't really see him as a president of the people.

I decided to go through the list of attributes and see how Bush performed briefly in my opinion. In the beginning he did well at public persuasion but then America became more unsure. In the beginning his crisis leadership was okay, not exactly a tough guy. However by 2003 (in my opinion) I think he was creating the crisis. He obviously was not the best at economic management. I know many people, especially the Evangelicals- like my family- think of him as having great morality. however, I find him completely immoral. For example in the Bible the rich are to give to the poor. I am not asking for rich to give their money to the starving Americans without health insurance but their taxes breaks were not a good idea. I think he lacked in administration skills and in international relations. Just think of all the support we had after 9/11 that quickly became resentment (and maybe even fear). Also when the world asked us not to invade Iraq we did anyway. I am not really sure how to answer the relations with congress. Does anyone have any ideas? The vision/setting an agenda. Well I do have to say he was great at that. He had a specific agenda and went for it. However, I find that his agenda was problematic and dangerous. I believe he did not purse equal justice for all. For example air torture. The laws of the land state that we are not to engage in torture, so what do we do? We sent our prisoners to other countries that will torture and Guantanamo Bay (A strong Christian- He had less problems with god when he was drinking). I am not sure if we can answer performance within the context of his times yet. But in my beliefs he did not preform in accordance to them, though there are people who would disagree. The question is how much of the population thought the way he did.

I wonder what my father thinks of the list. What do you think of the list? How will Obama do? Will people by-pass what he does because he achieved so much even before he started. (The list is available by clicking on the underline word attributes.)

Jennie

Our First Blog!

Hello Plattsburgh students and blogger world! This is the first blog for Plattsburgh State University History Association. Our main purpose is to promote interest and discussion about history within the Plattsburgh student body and now the blogging world! At least once a week a member of the association will write a blog on something that person finds intriguing, important or most likely both. We are a diverse group of young historians. Most focus in local or United States History. Local history ranges from Plattsburgh, Champlain Region, Adirondack region and even Canada. (We are only 18 miles from the border!) One student is interested in John Adams, another in Canadian and another in Medieval. I am interested in South and Southeast Asia; primarily Cambodia. Since we are obtaining Bachelor degrees we are young historians who have fresh ideas (we hope) and are new in the discussion of history. This is a way to take it out of the classroom. This is a way to share our ideas and opinions with each other and hopefully other people.

Jennie