Tag: 19th century

Masculinity, Southern Gentlemen, and the Strange Story of Alabama’s First U.S. Senator, William Rufus DeVane King

Posted on by nickdupree

OR John Kerry Should’ve Grown A Beard: The North-South Manliness Inversion A Post That Cites Its Sources…with Footnotes! As I mentioned in the preceding post, the Nick’s Crusade blog is a history blog too. I think delving into history can be very valuable, not just because the strange doglegs and twists in the American story—history … Continue reading “Masculinity, Southern Gentlemen, and the Strange Story of Alabama’s First U.S. Senator, William Rufus DeVane King”

Plug Uglies: top hat-toughs

Posted on by nickdupree

Here’s a fascinating topic you won’t find elsewhere: the Plug Uglies. The Plug Uglies were a gang of nativist thugs that ran Baltimore for nearly seven years uninterrupted in the 1850s. The American Party sprung from the grassroots in reaction to the flood of immigration in the mid-1800s, which meant you had a substantial population … Continue reading “Plug Uglies: top hat-toughs”

Heroes Without Glory: Some Good Men of the Old West—Nick explores a dusty, old-fashioned book of social history

Posted on by nickdupree

This is the first in a series of book and article reviews I’ll write, taking you through the stacks and exploring old and not so old books about humanity’s story (history). In this case, I’m exploring a fairly rare social history from 1965, probably not something you’d find on the shelves of your local public … Continue reading “Heroes Without Glory: Some Good Men of the Old West—Nick explores a dusty, old-fashioned book of social history”

Senate, In Capitol Built By Slaves, Passes Resolution Apologizing For Slavery

Posted on by nickdupree

Last Thursday, on the eve of Juneteenth, the celebration of the end of slavery, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution apologizing for slavery and the “Jim Crow” laws that oppressed ex-slaves and their descendants for roughly a century. The resolution (full text), which also has a cowardly disclaimer at the bottom stating the apology can’t … Continue reading “Senate, In Capitol Built By Slaves, Passes Resolution Apologizing For Slavery”

Spanish-American War Coming Up on History Channel

Posted on by nickdupree

In my last post, I talked about the Spanish-American War.I think the best parallel to the current Bush wars is not Vietnam, but the Spanish-American War, which was also fought with an all-volunteer military, and justified by an incident (Remember the Maine!) that the target of the war (Spain) may not have actually been responsible … Continue reading “Spanish-American War Coming Up on History Channel”