In His Own Words: Jefferson and Education
For better or worse, education can shape who we are, and Thomas Jefferson knew that.
Proclamation 4333—Thanksgiving Day, 1974
America and the world have changed enormously since the first thanksgiving 353 years ago. From a tiny coastal enclave on an untamed continent, we have grown into the mightiest, freest nation in human history.
What a Difference an Election Makes
Most histories are written about events that have actually transpired, unless they are fanciful “alternative histories.”
Frances Perkins and the Movement for Social Rights
It seems that we sometimes forget the long struggle and the hard-won gains of the social rights movement.
Does Foreign Policy Matter in Presidential Elections? What Recent History Shows
Of all the subjects at the forefront of this year’s presidential campaign, we do not hear much about foreign policy.
How Morning After the Revolution Shows Our Societal Decay
Nellie Bowles, author of Morning After the Revolution (2024), loves San Francisco.
The Strenuous Life
A few years ago now, Sheryl Sandburg of Facebook wrote a book called Lean In, which I certainly did not read, since I am a respectable academic and people like me do not read best-selling self-help books by business gurus, especially when the business is social media.
America’s Cultural Revolution
If you want to understand our contemporary politics and culture, you must have a working knowledge of the major revolutions of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.
What Undecided Voters Might Be Thinking
Since the populist surge that gave us Brexit and the rise of Donald Trump, politics in the Western world has polarized into a distinctive stalemate
Why a President Cannot Whip Inflation
One of the greatest challenges facing the administration of US President Gerald Ford when he assumed office in 1974 was the poor state of the US economy, which was suffering from a condition dubbed stagflation – stagnation and inflation.
Constitution Day Reflections on America’s Founding Documents
When it comes to celebrating Constitution Day, it may be considered atypical to think of the Declaration of Independence.
Watering A Nation’s Roots
In 1967, Pepperdine College commissioned the historian and conservative man of letters Russell Kirk to write a history textbook for the southern California Christian college.
The Impact of the 1984 First Ladies Conference Convened by Betty Ford and Rosalynn Carter
The First Ladies Association for Research and Education, FLARE, held it first national conference entitled, “In Celebration of Betty Ford’s 50th Anniversary as First Lady and Betty Ford’s 40th Anniversary of her historic 1984 first ladies conference” on April 26, 2024, at the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The Upside to the Barbecue Bubble
Everyone has opinions about brisket rubs, and pitmasters like Rodney Scott have won the prestigious James Beard award.
A Proper Sense of History
Students today often view history as a fascinating but largely useless subject – the sort of thing you study for pleasure but not the most practical of activities.
Gerald R. Ford’s Greatest Achievement
What was Gerald R. Ford’s greatest achievement as president?
Learning from Pandemics
The recent COVID-19 pandemic has not generated the kind of self-critical examination that we need to undertake if we are to avoid repeating mistakes in the future.
An Axis Star Wars Strategy Challenges U.S. Military Spending
In the 1980s, kudos were given to Ronald Reagan for introducing Star Wars technology that shielded America from nuclear attack and forced an expensive Soviet response.
The Political Vision of The Lord of the Rings
Tolkien’s timeless epic, The Lord of the Rings, is one of the bestselling books of all time and Peter Jackson’s three-part film adaptation of Tolkien’s classic is one of the highest grossing movies of all time.
The Divine Economy of the Pardon Power
A 25-year-old Japanese American girl from Los Angeles, with a talented voice for broadcasting on the radio.