In December 1941, President Roosevelt, praising "the great American charter of personal liberty and human dignity," designated the first 'Bill of Rights' day by declaring: “Now, Therefore, I, Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States of America, do hereby designate December 15, 1941, as Bill of Rights Day. And I call upon the officials … Continue reading “I’m an American; I have RIGHTS!”
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An Ode to the American Roadtrip
It's no secret that COVID has changed a lot of things in our world. Not least among them is how we travel. Airline travel is at its lowest level in decades, with more and more Americans choosing the relative safety of their own vehicles and embarking on that simultaneously most-dreaded and also most-loved traditions: the … Continue reading An Ode to the American Roadtrip
From Plymouth to Plymouth
Four hundred years ago this week, on September 16, 1620, the people we now know as "Pilgrims" set out from Plymouth for the New World, seeking relief from religious persecution in their home country. Every Thanksgiving, children don paper hats and cardboard bonnets to reenact the life of these settlers after their arrival. Their difficult … Continue reading From Plymouth to Plymouth
Will the REAL Independence Day Please Stand Up?
Happy Birthday to the United States of America! Wait...what? America's birthday is generally accepted to be July 4. Independence Day. A day filled with hot dogs, fireworks, and flags. The day our founding fathers banded together to declare independence from Great Britain, marking the end of colonial rule and the birth of a new … Continue reading Will the REAL Independence Day Please Stand Up?
More Than a Face on a Coin
Crossing the western half of the United States by car or airplane is an awe-inspiring experience. From the Great Plains of the Dakotas to the sharp peaks of the Rockies, it's not hard to imagine the America of long ago: the sheer brutality of the vast wilderness mixed with the reverence of its majestic beauty. … Continue reading More Than a Face on a Coin