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In Hoc Anno Domini This editorial by Vermont Royster has been published annually since 1949.
When Saul of Tarsus set out on his journey to Damascus the whole of the known world lay in bondage. There was one state, and it was Rome. There was one master for it all, and he was Tiberius Caesar. Everywhere there was civil order, for the arm of the Roman law was long. Everywhere there was stability, in government and in society, for the centurions saw that it was so. But everywhere there was something else, too. There was oppression—for those who were not the friends of Tiberius Caesar. There was the tax gatherer to take the grain from the fields and the flax from the spindle to feed the legions or to fill the hungry treasury from which divine Caesar gave largess to the people. There was the impressor to find recruits for the circuses. There were executioners to quiet those whom the Emperor proscribed. What was a man for but to serve Caesar? There was the persecution of men who dared think differently, who heard strange voices or read strange manuscripts. There was enslavement of men whose tribes came not from Rome, disdain for those who did not have the familiar visage. And most of all, there was everywhere a contempt for human life. What, to the strong, was one man more or less in a crowded world? Then, of a sudden, there was a light in the world, and a man from Galilee saying, Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s. And the voice from Galilee, which would defy Caesar, offered a new Kingdom in which each man could walk upright and bow to none but his God. Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. And he sent this gospel of the Kingdom of Man into the uttermost ends of the earth. So the light came into the world and the men who lived in darkness were afraid, and they tried to lower a curtain so that man would still believe salvation lay with the leaders. But it came to pass for a while in divers places that the truth did set man free, although the men of darkness were offended and they tried to put out the light. The voice said, Haste ye. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness come upon you, for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. Along the road to Damascus the light shone brightly. But afterward Paul of Tarsus, too, was sore afraid. He feared that other Caesars, other prophets, might one day persuade men that man was nothing save a servant unto them, that men might yield up their birthright from God for pottage and walk no more in freedom. Then might it come to pass that darkness would settle again over the lands and there would be a burning of books and men would think only of what they should eat and what they should wear, and would give heed only to new Caesars and to false prophets. Then might it come to pass that men would not look upward to see even a winter’s star in the East, and once more, there would be no light at all in the darkness. And so Paul, the apostle of the Son of Man, spoke to his brethren, the Galatians, the words he would have us remember afterward in each of the years of his Lord: Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Copyright ©2024 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8 Appeared in the December 24, 2024, print edition as 'In Hoc Anno Domini'.
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This is part of a chapter taken from American History, America's Ancient Heritage through 1992, by John De Gree
On June 6, 1944, the Western Allies launched the largest seaborne invasion in world history. The invasion was named Operation Overlord, and the first day of attack was called D Day. From Great Britain to Normandy France, the Allies deployed 156,000 soldiers and 195,700 naval personnel. American leaders spoke about the war and D Day as a crusade to vanquish evil and summoned God’s help through prayer. On June 7th, FDR announced D Day in a radio broadcast to Americans. No journalist criticized FDR for his use of religion. Americans were united in prayer to support its soldiers: My fellow Americans: Last night, when I spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment that troops of the United States and our allies were crossing the Channel in another and greater operation. It has come to pass with success thus far. And so, in this poignant hour, I ask you to join with me in prayer: Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our Nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity. Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith. They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph. They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest-until the victory is won. The darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men's souls will be shaken with the violences of war. For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and good will among all Thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home. Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom. And for us at home - fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas - whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them - help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice. Many people have urged that I call the Nation into a single day of special prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts. Give us strength, too - strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our armed forces. And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be. And, O Lord, give us Faith. Give us Faith in Thee; Faith in our sons; Faith in each other; Faith in our united crusade. Let not the keenness of our spirit ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters of but fleeting moment let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose. With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogancies. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister Nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil. Thy will be done, Almighty God. Amen. Eleven months later, the war in Europe was over, with the Allies winning unconditional surrender from Germany. As the Allies pushed west from France into Germany, Allied forces in Italy were finishing a long fight they began after winning North Africa. The Soviets, moving east, eventually took Berlin in May, 1945. Chapter 8. War in Africa and Europe
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor woke the “sleeping giant.” Americans could not wait to go after and defeat Japan. However, FDR and America’s greatest ally Great Britain led by Winston Churchill believed that the real threat to the United States was Hitler’s Germany. While FDR did not publicly proclaim it, he took a “Europe First” strategy and relegated the Pacific War to a “Second Place” status in strategy and support. The United States spent much of the first few years of war preparing to invade and liberate Europe from Hitler’s grasp and offering assistance to the Allies in war materiel and food. This meant, that for the majority of America’s involvement in the war, 1941-1945, American boots were not on the ground in Europe. Part of the reason for this, was that the United States was not in immediate threat from invasion from Germany. A second reason for this was the importance the Western culture of America placed on life. FDR did not want to risk American life until he was sure that the United States would win. The Allies believed their best chance in defeating the Axis Powers was in In North Africa. In May 1942, the Axis Powers controlled Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. Vichy France, the Nazi Germany collaborationist France, controlled Morocco and Algeria. Italy controlled Tunisia. Great Britain controlled Egypt and with it the Suez Canal. The Allies wanted to defeat Italy, turn the Vichy France North Africa over to the Allies, and secure that the Suez Canal would not fall under the Axis Powers. From June 11, 1940 – May 13, 1943, the Axis and Allies fought over North Africa. Great Britain provided the leadership and most of the manpower, with the Free French and the United States assisting. In 1940, Mussolini declared war on Britain and France and the Italians attacked Egypt. After initial losses, the English counterattacked and captured 130,000 Italians. Hitler sent General Ernst Rommel and the German Afrika Corps. Over the next years, the Germans and the British alternated between advancing and retreating. After the United States joined the war, in November, 1942, American General Dwight D. Eisenhower landed his forces in Morocco and Algeria. After initially fighting, the Vichy French agreed to not fight against the Allies. Eisenhower was victorious at Oran, Algiers, and Casablanca. The Americans and British coordinated their attacks against the Axis Powers and encircled the Germans and Italians in Tunis. On May 12, 1943, 250,000 German and Italian troops surrendered. Of the victory, Prime Minister Winston Churchill declared, “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” The Battle of the Atlantic The United States of America fought World War II in America, Hawaii, Europe, Africa, in the Pacific Islands, Asia, and on the oceans. A key part of this war was winning control of the Atlantic Ocean. The Atlantic was the passageway for soldiers and war materiel and food from the United States to Great Britain and then onto Europe. As an island country, Great Britain was dependent on imports. During the war, it required more than a million tons of imports per week to survive and fight. The Allies used Great Britain as a staging ground for the invasion of Europe. Without control of the Atlantic, there would be no Allied victory. The Battle of the Atlantic was essential in winning the war. It pitted the English Navy and American merchant ships against the Germany Navy, which primarily consisted of surface warships and their very successful submarines, known as U-boats. Germany had great naval successes in the first years of World War II. U-boat crews called June 1940-February 1941 “The Happy Time.” U-boat crews hunted their prey in "wolf packs," attacking shipping as a team. U-boat crews sunk over 500 Allied ships. The British lost the French fleet, the fourth strongest in the world, when Germany conquered France in the summer of 1940. Germany had decoded British messages, and U-boat crews were able to estimate where Allied ships were. Radar still had not developed enough to aid the Allies to see where the U-boats were. After America joined the war, the Germans sent five U-boats to the east coast of America. In less than a month from January 13 to February 6, 1942, U-boats had destroyed 156,939 tons of shipping without loss. By mid-1942, Allies had developed strategies that eventually won the Battle of the Atlantic over the next year. The Royal Navy used the convoy system to accompany merchant ships across the Atlantic. Allied warships protecting merchant ships could defend against the U-boats. Allies developed radar to see underwater, using this new technology on ships and in airplanes. In 1942, Allies captured the Enigma, the German secret code machine used by the U-boat commanders. Allies knew when and where U-boats were sent out to sea, and it was easier to hunt them. The Eastern Front The country that experienced the most deaths in World War II was the one most responsible for destroying the battle-hardened and technically capable German Army. Adolf Hitler shocked Joseph Stalin when he launched a war against the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941. The Germans and Soviets had signed a non-aggression pact, but Hitler just used that to avoid a two-front war. After Germany conquered France in six weeks, he fully believed he would quickly take Russia. Over the next six months, German Armies advanced on an 800-mile front east. Once winter set in, however, and the Russians regrouped, Germany saw devastating losses at the Battles of Stalingrad, Moscow, Leningrad, and in the long retreat back to Germany. Throughout the war, the Soviet Union fought 75-80% of German forces. The Jupiter Complex The Axis and Allied Powers introduced a new way of fighting in World War II: massive aerial bombing. Germany was first to begin this tactic, hitting civilian locations in Poland, the Low Countries, France, and then Britain. But as the war continued, the Allies used its superiority of industry and technology to inflict massive damage on the enemy. A British historian named this war strategy the “Jupiter Complex,” because as the Roman god reigned lightning on humans, the Allied war machines reigned bombs. As soon as it could, the Americans and British ran non-stop bombing raids over Axis positions. Americans bombed during the day and the British bombed at night. Once the war turned in favor of the Allies, the devastation wrought on the Axis Powers was hard to fathom, but it is also important to note it would have immediately stopped if Germany would have surrendered. Instead, Hitler seemed intent on fighting until Germany was obliterated. Total war dead from bombing is as follows: Allies: 749,940 – 1,305,029 Axis: 790,509-1,693,374 China: 260,000-351,000 Germany: 353,000-635,000 Soviet Union: 51,526-500,000 United States: 79,265 airmen/personnel Poland: 50,000 France: 67,000 The Tehran Conference, November 1943 By November, 1943, it was clear the Allies would defeat the Axis Powers in Europe. The Russians were chasing the Germans in retreat, albeit slowly and with great casualties. The British, Americans, and Free French had won North Africa, and the invasion of Italy was underway. The Allies had the upper hand in the Battle of the Atlantic. American superiority in war materiel production was affecting every front of the war, as it supplied Allies with arms, food, clothing, and all war materiel. To plan the rest of the war, the “Big Three,” which were Great Britain’s Winston Churchill, the United States’ FDR, and the Soviet Union’s Joseph Stalin, met it Tehran, Iran. At the Tehran Conference and two later meetings, negotiations and decisions among these three leaders spelled disaster for much of the post war world. Churchill had a complete and correct understanding of Communist Soviet Union’s and Stalin’s ruthlessness. He tried in vain to educate FDR. FDR, however, as historian Paul Johnson writes in A History of the American People, “tended, like many intellectuals and pseudo-intellectuals of his time, to take the Soviet Union at its face value – a peace-loving People’s Democracy.” FDR distrusted his American advisors who reported negatively about Stalin. Stalin had, in fact, been responsible for the murder of tens of millions of Russians and was one of the world’s most brutal dictators. FDR, though, surrounded himself with pro-Communist and pro-Stalin advisors, notably his ambassador to the Soviet Union, Joseph Davies, and his personal advisor, Harry Hopkins. FDR represented the strongest power, and Churchill had to go along with his decisions. At Tehran, the Big Three decided a number of items. Great Britain and the United States would open a Western Front, as soon as possible. (Churchill wanted the largest invasion to go through the Balkans to save Eastern Europe from Stalin. FDR disagreed). After the war, the Big Three agreed on the following: The Soviet Union would take eastern Poland and Poland would take a portion of eastern Germany, America would leave Europe two years after the war, the Soviet Union would hold free elections in all the countries they occupied, and then would withdraw. Counter-Revolutionary Classical Education
From our Online Academy teacher, Adam De Gree Our schools, universities, and media have been captured by a cult. We need a counter-revolution that replaces the revolutionary dogmas of DEI with what has always been at the core of a good education. 1. The Good 2. The True 3. The Beautiful At Classical Historian, we uphold these eternal values. Our materials are apolitical, and we welcome dialogue with anyone who honestly seeks the truth. But that doesn't mean that we don't see what's happening to our country. According to a comprehensive survey by The Institute for Citizens & Scholars, only 27% of people under the age of 45 have "a very basic understanding" of history. In the words of esteemed historian David McCullough, Americans are suffering from collective amnesia. The result? A people that has no defense against would-be revolutionaries. As of 2024, it's clear that radicals dominate nearly every institution that Americans rely on to learn about the world. Prestigious universities tolerate vicious antisemitism in the name of social justice. The head of NPR claims that truth is subjective and brags about working with the CIA to censor Wikipedia. Federal agencies conspire with Big Tech to suppress dissent. Men give birth, left is right, up is down, war is peace. The American way of life is under attack. We believe that the best way that ordinary people can protect their traditions is to ensure their children receive a genuine, rigorous, and classical education. As James Madison wrote, "The advancement and diffusion of knowledge...is the only guardian of true liberty." Parallel Education System Since so many schools have been captured by ideologues, Americans have started building a parallel education system. This system, comprised of charter schools, private classical schools, and homeschools, exists side-by-side with traditional institutions. In it, students and families are receiving a better education than in mainstream schools. This isn't the first time this has happened. Czechoslovak dissidents like Vaclav Havel faced a similar situation in Czechoslovakia in the late 1970s. Seeing that the Communist Party had corrupted every social organization, they started forming what they called the parallel polis, or parallel society. Czechoslovak dissidents founded an underground university, scouting groups, Christian communities, theater associations, and printing presses. They fundraised for those who had been "cancelled" out of a job for speaking the truth. Most importantly, they created the opportunity to live a normal life in a revolutionary regime. And as N.S. Lyons writes: "In doing so they did far more than keep up morale with pleasant intellectual diversions. They built a resilient base of organization from the ground up. They forged an experienced leadership cadre. They created a flexible underground network-state. And, when the weakened Communist state collapsed, they found themselves poised to quickly step in and fill the vacuum. Suddenly their parallel polis became the polis. Much of the chaos that other post-Communist states faced was thereby peacefully avoided." The parallel education system we're now seeing shoot up across America is built upon time-tested principles. If public schools can't be saved, they don't need to be. We have an alternative. Educating American Leaders Americans know enough about traditional public education to know that they've had enough of it. Homeschooling is growing at a record pace, and in 2024, more than 1 in 20 American schoolchildren learn at home. Moreover, the number of charter schools has grown by about 50 percent over the last ten years. Excitingly, there are likely over 1 million students receiving a classical education right now. And with 34 percent of students set to benefit from school choice in 2024, that number is growing fast. Critics might point out that this still leaves the vast majority of students in the public school system. That's certainly true. But consider this: 54% of American adults read at or below the sixth-grade level. Moreover, a full 21% of adults are illiterate. Are these ill-served Americans likely to form the next generation of leaders? That seems unlikely. On the other hand, students in the parallel education system consistently outperform those in mainstream schools. Homeschoolers earn significantly higher test scores than public school students, and they have higher than average social, emotional, and psychological development. More importantly, they enjoy more professional success, participate in more community service activities, and internalize the values of their parents at higher rates than the public schooled. The burgeoning charter school movement is seeing similar results. According to a comprehensive study of over 6,000 charter schools, 83 percent of charter school students perform at or better than their peer cohort in reading, and 75 percent perform the same or better in math. And while studies on classical school performance are few and far between, early research shows that classical school graduates have huge advantages over public school students. This indicates that the future leaders of America won't be coming from public schools. They will have had the great advantage of learning in the parallel education system. Raising Critical Thinkers How is any of this counter-revolutionary? Here's what John Adams had to say on this topic: “Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.” Knowledge is a prerequisite for self-government. If we lose our knowledge, we will lose our ability to govern ourselves. But that does not mean that there will be no government. It simply means that the government will no longer be of the people, by the people, and for the people. Instead, it will be a government of the powerful, by the powerful, and for the powerful. But it's not just that an uneducated populace cannot govern itself. It's that people who have been cut off from their heritage make easy prey for ideological radicals. If they do not understand the many catastrophes of history, people will not appreciate the civilization that sustains them. To the contrary, they will be manipulated by those who want to tear it down. Just consider the scenes unfolding across college campuses in 2024. As students with no knowledge of world history or geography chanted, "From the River to the Sea" without knowing which river or what sea they were referring to, America's enemies must have been deeply satisfied. The empty heads of American youth served as fertile soil for explicitly Marxist propaganda. Counter-Revolutionary Classical Education Revolutionary regimes have always preyed on the ignorant. People who have no critical thinking skills have formed the backbone of totalitarian societies from Czechoslovakia to Ethiopia and from China to Cuba. Ironically, many have supported oppression in the name of social justice and humanitarian principles. Classical education stands as an obstacle to those who would destroy their own country. Rather than raising the useful idiots of tomorrow, it cultivates critical thinkers who know a rat when they see one. Students who have grappled with the great ideas of Western Civilization will not jump on the bandwagon and call for an end to America. Instead, they will be drawn towards Truth, Beauty, and Goodness like a deer is drawn to running water. Thanks to them, we can have hope in our nation's future. We provide classical history curriculum, history games, online discussion courses, and educator resources for the counter-revolution. Join us. It’s Personal When our co-founder Zdenka went to school in Czechoslovakia in the 1970s, teachers had to teach Communist ideology in the classroom. Anyone caught teaching counter to this thinking could be turned into the authorities. Good Czechoslovak Communists, they said, would report any counter-revolutionary activities to the relevant authorities. When Zdenka was in her early 20s, Czechs and Slovaks rose up peacefully to overthrow the Marxists. She joined protests and passed out pamphlets calling for freedom. Some of her friends were arrested and beaten by police for their "counter-revolutionary activities." Luckily, the counter-revolution carried the day. Ordinary people stood up to state violence and said that they didn't want to live in a revolutionary regime. They wanted a return to normalcy. Growing up in a totalitarian society, Zdenka used to look to America as an example of freedom. Yet after living in California for over 20 years, she knows that many Marxists have brought their revolution here. Americans still enjoy freedoms that are rarely protected in other countries. But as time goes on, it's becoming more difficult to live a normal life in the US. Everywhere you look, you see people trying to replace normalcy with revolutionary ideas. Not at Classical Historian. We offer a traditional historical perspective, one that rejects revolutionary dogmas. We believe in good old ideas like beauty, truth, and goodness. Our materials promote the virtues required for self-government. And yes, we're proud to be an American company. If these are counter-revolutionary ideas, then we're proud to be counter-revolutionary educators. But really, we just think we're normal Americans. Visual memory is essential for learning. In fact, research shows that students with strong visual memory perform higher-order reasoning tasks better than their peers. And despite what you may think, you can help your students build visual memory without tedious drills.
Here are 5 games that you can play with your kids to help them build visual memory. The Grid Game This team-based game calls on kids to recreate the layout of objects in a grid. Here’s how it works:
Kim's Game This game for individuals is another great visual memory tool. To play, place 10 objects on a table and cover them all with a blanket. Then, let your student take the blanket off the table and look at the objects for 1 minute. Based on their age, have them either write down what they saw, or tell you about it. The student who describes all 10 objects correctly wins! Pegs For this game, you’ll need two peg boards, which you should be able to find at any major retailer. Typically, they have a plastic base and a 6x6 layout. To play, arrange pegs on the board in a pattern of your choosing. Then, have the student replicate the pattern on their own peg board. To increase difficulty, give your student less and less time to view the original pattern during each round of play. History Memory Games Memory games are long-time kid favorites. To play, place all the tiles face down and take turns flipping two tiles per turn. The goal is to collect as many pairs as possible. And with our history memory games, you can introduce students to important people, events, and places from ancient, medieval, and American history. That way, when students learn about these historical terms later on, they’ll already be familiar with them. Describe! This simple game for individual students can be played without any materials at all. To play, tell your students to look at a scene or artwork for a set amount of time. Then, have them describe it to you in as much detail as possible. Closing Thoughts At times, students won’t be excited to do schoolwork. But by making play a part of the learning experience, parents can teach without tedium. On Saturday, October 7th, 2023, Hamas terrorists from the Gaza Strip infiltrated and attacked Israeli civilians, murdering over 1,400, desecrating corpses, sexually assaulting women, and kidnapping over 240. Hamas murdered 30 Americans who were in Israel and other citizens from other countries. In response to this unfathomable and barbarous attack, Israel has declared war against Hamas.
In a series of articles, Classical Historian has detailed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since its beginning in 1948. Please refer to these for historical context. Israel controlled the Gaza Strip from 1967-2005. In 1967, Israel fought a war against Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. Called the "Six-Day War," Israel defeated the three countries and took the Gaza Strip from Egypt, the West Bank from Jordan, and the Golan Heights from Syria. Israel took these lands because it believed it could better defend itself from invasion if it held this territory. From 1967-2005, Israel militarily occupied the Gaza Strip. For many years, Palestinians argued that if Israel stopped occupying the Gaza Strip, peace would result. Believing this, in 2005, Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip, leaving the Palestinians in control. In 2007 in the Gaza Strip, Hamas won elections. Fatah, the organization that lost the elections, led by Mahmoud Abbas, did not want to have Hamas take over. A military battle between Hamas and Fatah ensued. Hamas won. Fatah politicians were murdered. Hamas took over all of Gaza Strip and has ruled it with dictatorial power since 2007. Hamas states their goal is to destroy the Jewish country of Israel and to kill all Jews in Israel. Hamas is a radical Islamic terrorist organization and their main sponsor is Iran. From 2007 until 2023, Iran has been arming Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Israel has declared a state of war against Hamas, in response to the barbaric Hamas attacks. The United States of America, led by President Joe Biden, initially called for a lowering of violence between Israel and Hamas by a presidential tweet. Then, the tweet was deleted, and President Joe Biden has declared that the United States of America fully backs Israel's right to defend itself. The economic system the Founding Fathers created allowed individuals from all economic levels to aspire to and achieve incredible success. Slavery is the exception to this. Because of slavery, most technological advancements did not originate from the slave culture in the South. The South’s medieval society stunted technological and economic advancement. However, the North was another story. At no other time in the history of man did one society invent and develop so many new ways of doing things that benefitted the general public. Many of America’s most successful industrialists were born in this time period, including Andrew Carnegie (1835), J.P. Morgan (1837), John D. Rockefeller (1839), and Levi Strauss (1829). Most came from the poorest of backgrounds and were able to capitalize on the American environment of small government supported by laws that did not favor one group over another. The greatest inventions and economic development occurred in the free North. The South, with its slave culture, repressed Americans who were hard-working, thrifty, and creative.
Inventors created new products which improved the lives of all humans, and businessmen created systems that brought these products to average people, but the great majority of inventors in America were from the North. The 1800s in America was a time of amazing technological breakthrough and rapid economic expansion. Because of the abundant land, scarce labor, and limited government, Americans were always thinking of better ways to work in agriculture. Along with new inventions, Americans also created a business climate which protected property rights and intellectual rights. These protections emboldened inventors to create. The following is just a small list of Americans who invented or developed processes in the 1800s that made many of life’s tasks easier and thus raised the standard of living for the average American:
These inventors and business developers were either northerners or westerners, or they moved to the North to further their business interests. The first half of the 1800s was known as the “Canal Era.” Perhaps the most important canal built in America was the Erie Canal. The Erie Canal connected the Great Lakes area to the Hudson River, which emptied into the Atlantic Ocean via New York City. This canal was 40 feet wide, 4 feet deep, and 363 miles long. The Erie Canal made New York City the business capital of the country. On September 11, 2001, 19 Al-Qaida terrorists from various countries in the Middle East and Asia hijacked four airplanes and purposefully crashed them. Two airplanes hit the “Twin Towers” in New York City, one hit the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and one did not reach its target of the White House because the passengers stopped the terrorist pilots. This plane crash-landed in a field in Pennsylvania. Because of the 9/11 attacks, approximately 3,000 civilians were murdered and America fully entered into the War on Terror.
The terrorists who committed these attacks were part of an international organization called Al-Qaida, a radical Islamic organization. Al-Qaida did not control a country, but its members lived and live in many parts of the world, including the United States of America. These terrorists hate America because the United States supports Israel’s right to exist, and because America represents freedom. Islamic terrorists want the world to follow its own form of Islam. Israel is a Jewish country, and the Al-Qaida organization hates Jews. Osama bin Laden was the head of Al-Qaida. He demanded that the U.S.A. stop supporting Israel and that we remove all of our soldiers from the Arabian Peninsula. In 2001, Al-Qaida had most of its bases in Afghanistan, a country of Asia. Afghanistan was ruled by a political party called the Taliban. Like Al-Qaida, the Taliban was very extreme in its Islamic beliefs. The Taliban did not allow girls to study or women to have a job. Women had to wear a black robe called a burqa that covered their entire body. The Taliban treat females as if they are second-class citizens. If you had a book or a newspaper that the Taliban didn’t like, the Taliban soldiers might torture or kill you. If it was thought you were an Afghani Christian, the Taliban would execute you. If you belonged to a minority group, you could be tortured. Punishment for homosexuality or for infidelity for a married woman was execution. The Taliban and Al-Qaida worked together. After the attacks on 9/11, President Bush demanded from the Taliban that it hand over Osama bin Laden to the United States of America. The Taliban refused, and the U.S. launched a war. The Taliban lost the war initially and the U.S. helped the Afghans establish a republic. However, after 20 years, the Taliban are back in charge of Afghanistan. In 2001, Saddam Hussein was the dictator of Iraq, and the world believed that he was supporting terrorists and that he had dangerous weapons. It was feared he would give terrorists a nuclear bomb or poison gas or some other weapons that the terrorists would then use against Americans. Saddam Hussein threatened the U.S., attempted to kill President George H.W. Bush in a visit to Kuwait, and had defied 16 United Nations resolutions to come clean on his making dangerous weapons. The United States Senate gave President George W. Bush authority to use force to remove Hussein, and he used it. The U.S. launched a war against Hussein, removed him, and established a republic. Iraq is still a republic today. The Iraqi people tried and executed Hussein as a mass murderer. President Obama became the leader of the U.S. in 2009 and continued the fight against terrorists in a different way than President Bush. He stated that he wanted the U.S.A. to lead from behind and to disengage in the war in Afghanistan and in Iraq. However, he continued ordering the killing of terrorists. In 2011, he gave the order for Navy Seals to kill the leader of Al-Qaida, Osama bin Laden. In 2014, Obama announced the end of active military operations in Afghanistan. From that point on, America performed more of a backup role in support of Afghan soldiers. Initially, President Obama ordered American soldiers out of Iraq. After the American retreat from Iraq, another terrorist organization, called Daesha (or also ISIS) conquered much of Iraq and Syria. ISIS instituted Sharia Law, the same law that the Taliban ruled with in Afghanistan. Over 1 million refugees fled ISIS and immigrated, mainly to Europe. Some of these refugees are terrorists and have killed Europeans. Once it became clear that ISIS was a threat to Iraq and American interests, President Obama sent American soldiers back into Iraq. President Trump continued the fight against terrorists in Iraq and in Afghanistan. Different from President Obama, Trump allowed the American military to fully engage the terrorists and be more aggressive. In early 2018, the United States and its allies defeated ISIS in Iraq and Syria. In 2018, ISIS held no territory, could not collect any taxes, and did not control any oil fields. When President Trump left office in January 2021, the Taliban controlled 20% of Afghanistan. Trump made a deal with the Taliban that the United States would withdraw its soldiers by May 1, 2021, if the Taliban would not try to take more land in Afghanistan or harm Americans. Trump’s plan was to maintain an American presence at the military airport at Bagram Air Base, a massive military airport the Americans had built in Afghanistan, to ensure that terrorists would not threaten America from Afghanistan. In January, 2021, President Joe Biden took office. Biden extended the American presence in Afghanistan four months. Beginning in May, the Taliban attacked and captured key military posts and territory throughout Afghanistan. Biden did not order American troops to fight the Taliban as they took control of more of the country. Biden decided to evacuate all American soldiers out of Afghanistan by August 31st. This decision to leave did not involve American allies and NATO, even though they had supported the U.S. during the war. While the Afghani President in July and August warned Biden that the Taliban could take over the country quickly, Biden told him to not speak of this in public, but to give the perception that the Taliban were not threatening the Afghani government. Biden announced to reporters at this time that the Taliban could not take over the country so quickly. Biden then gave the order to abandon Bagram Air Base. American forces left at midnight, without telling the Afghani commander. Once the Americans left, The Taliban quickly moved in to take over all of the country. The Taliban, before taking over the capital city Kabul, asked the Biden administration if he wanted to secure the city while the Americans evacuated all other personnel, including American civilians and Afghanis who had helped the Americans. Biden told the Taliban they could take over the city and be in charge. On August 15, the Taliban captured Kabul. Only the airport in Kabul was controlled by the Americans. For the last two weeks of August, 2022, the Biden Administration attempted to evacuate all Americans and its Afghani allies from the country. Biden reported there were around 11,000 Americans in the country. Throughout these two weeks, Americans and its Afghan allies had to make their way through Taliban guards to the airport. Many Americans and Afghani allies reported that the Taliban beat them and denied them to get to the airport. On August 26, a suicide attack killed 13 U.S. Marines and up to 200 Afghanis at the airport. By the end of August, all U.S. soldiers were evacuated along with 6,000 Americans, but anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand Americans were left stranded along with tens of thousands of Afghani allies in Afghanistan. Vice President Harris, who is running for President in the 2024 election, argues that she was completely involved in all decisions about the war in Afghanistan and is proud of her work with President Biden. As of September 11, 2024, the Taliban controls Afghanistan and there are no more U.S. soldiers in the country. There are still an untold number of Americans and Afghan allies trying to get out, though. Twenty-three years after the worst terrorist attack on American soil, those who harbored and supported the terrorists claim victory over America in Afghanistan. Questions 1. Who was responsible for the 9/11 attacks on the U.S.A? 2. Who are the Taliban? 3. How did the U.S. respond to these attacks in Afghanistan? 4. Why did the U.S. attack Iraq? 5. What happened after President Obama took U.S. soldiers out of Iraq? 6. What has happened to ISIS since President Trump began his presidency? 7. What did the Taliban do from May through August, 2021? 8. How did President Biden respond? 9. How many Americans and its Afghani allies were left behind once the American military evacuated Afghanistan? 10. Opinion Question: Should the United States have completely left Afghanistan? Was the withdrawal completed in the best way?  Juneteenth is America’s newest federal holiday and is a celebration of ending slavery in the United States of America. Juneteenth marks June 19, 1865 as the day Union Army General Gordon Granger, from his headquarters in Galveston, Texas, proclaimed freedom for all enslaved people in Texas. “Juneteenth” is a combination of the words June and nineteenth and is a creation of Freedmen in Texas. Freedmen is what former slaves in America were called after the Civil War. Every June 19th since 1865, Juneteenth has been celebrated in Texas, in the South, and elsewhere. President Joseph Biden made Juneteenth a federal holiday when he signed the congressional act into law on June 19th, 2022.
Abolishing slavery in North America took hundreds of years. Various Native American tribes practiced slavery thousands of years before Europeans settled in North and South America. When English colonists imported slaves in 1619, they were not bringing a new practice to the continent. However, not all colonists favored slavery. In 1688, German Quakers issued the Germantown Quaker Petition Against Slavery. Throughout the 1700s, colonists in the north formed abolitionist societies. An abolitionist was a person who wanted to end (abolish) slavery. Between the American Revolution and 1804, all of the Northern states provided for the gradual or immediate abolition of slavery. Slavery continued in the South until right after the end of the Civil War. The election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 was a major turning point in the abolition of slavery in the United States of America. Lincoln and the new Republican Party believed in “free soil and free men.” This meant the Republicans were against slavery. In 1860, the only Americans who owned slaves were Democrats. After Lincoln’s election, Southern white Democrats formed the Confederate States of America and declared itself separate from the Union. In the American Civil War (1861-1865), Lincoln led the Union, also called the North, and defeated the Confederacy, also called the South. The story of ending slavery in America during the Civil War is somewhat complicated. In the Civil War, some states fighting in the Union were slaveholding states (Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware). Lincoln’s goal at the beginning of the war was to keep the country together, not to end slavery. However, as the war progressed Lincoln changed his goal to end slavery. On January 1, 1863, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. This ended slavery only in the rebelling states. This meant that slaves in the rebelling states would only become free when the Union Army conquered their state. The Civil War ended on April 9, 1865. However, the Union Army did not take over Texas until June of 1865, when General Granger announced all slaves to be free. Slaves in the Union states did not get their freedom until eight months after the Civil War. President Lincoln persuaded the Republican Congress to pass the 13th Amendment in January 1865. It was ratified on December 6, 1865. The 13th Amendment ended slavery. The last African-American slaves held in the United States were held by the Choctaw Indians, who freed their slaves in 1866. Juneteenth is a day to celebrate the ending of slavery in America. While the details of exactly when slavery ended may be intricate, Americans have decided to make this day embody all of the joy and celebration that surrounds the long battle to end involuntary servitude. Every year since the first Juneteenth, Americans in Texas have celebrated the end of slavery. Americans made great sacrifices to end slavery. In the war, over 360,000 Northerners died, over 275,000 were wounded, and over 2,000,000 served. About 180,000 black American soldiers served in the Union Army, with nearly 40,000 of them dying. As a result of Union sacrifices on the battlefield, slavery ended in the United States. Juneteenth is a day to celebrate freedom and to remember the courage and sacrifices made by Americans to win the war and end slavery. Questions 1. What does the word Juneteenth mean? 2. What happened on June 19th, 1865, in Galveston, Texas? 3. When did the Civil War occur? 4. What did the Republicans think about slavery in 1860? 5. What did Southern Democrats think about slavery in 1860? 6. What was the Emancipation Proclamation? 7. Which slave states fought with the Union against the South? 8. Which amendment ended slavery? 9. Who held the last slaves on American soil? 10. How many Northern soldiers died and were wounded in the Civil War?  On Sunday, Americans honored their moms by bringing them flowers, taking them out to eat, and spending time visiting either by phone or in person. When did this idea of celebrating mothers begin and how did it come to America?
Thousands of years ago, in ancient Greece and Rome, pagans held spring festivals honoring their mother goddesses. Rhea is the Greek mythological mother of the Olympian gods and goddesses and was worshipped as the goddess of fertility and the mountain wilds. In statues, Rhea is depicted as a matronly woman, seated on a throne flanked by lions. In ancient Rome, Romans celebrated “Magna Mater” (Great Mother), however, these celebrations became so wild and notorious that the Roman government banned Magna Mater’s followers from Rome. What do mothers and wild parties have in common? Ask the ancient, pagan Romans. They had a way with parties. Immediately after the crucifixion of Christ, Christians celebrated Mary as the mother of God, “Theotokos” in Greek and “Mater Dei” in Latin. By the 7th century, Christians around the world set aside January 1st as a special day to honor Mary. Throughout the month of May, Mary is celebrated in many churches as a role model of a perfect mother. In America, Mother’s Day was the brainstorm of Anna Jarvis in 1868. Jarvis wanted to establish a day where Americans would unite for peace and friendship. In 1868, she created a committee to establish “Mother’s Friendship Day,” a day set aside for former Civil War combatants and their families to reunite and form friendships. When Jarvis died, her daughter, also Anne Jarvis, took up the call. Anne Jarvis wanted a day to honor all moms and was upset that America’s holidays were too male dominated. Jarvis sponsored the first U.S. celebration of Mother’s Day at St. Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia, in the early 1900s. Anne Jarvis was so successful in promoting the holiday that in 1914, the U.S. Congress passed a law designating the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. President Wilson issued a proclamation that on the first Mother’s Day, Americans should show the flag in honor of those mothers whose sons had died in war. Mother’s Day has become a major American and commercial holiday. It is the third largest holiday for sending cards. Americans take their mothers out for brunches or lunch on Mother’s Day, and it has become a source of great wealth for the card, restaurant, and flower industries. The founder of Mother’s Day, Anne Jarvis, decried the commercialization of the holiday she championed. In fact, in 1948, Jarvis was arrested for disturbing the peace during a protest against Mother’s Day! The Classical Historian family expresses great admiration and gratitude to all mothers. Mothers are responsible for passing on culture, manners, standards, education, and morality. The author of this article is the 10th of 11 children. He’s glad his mom sacrificed so much to give life and love to so many. Thanks Mom! And we wish all moms this Sunday a Happy Mother’s Day! |
John De GreeJohn De Gree writes the current events with a look at the history of each topic. Articles are written for the young person, aged 10-18, and Mr. De Gree carefully writes so that all readers can understand the event. The perspective the current events are written in is Judeo-Christian. Receive Articles and Coupons in Your EmailArchives
December 2024
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