The last thing I needed was to read another Lincoln biography. But a Lincoln biography given to me by my brother Charles, continued to...

This very special Lincoln biography, originally published in 1952, benefits from the 1947 opening of the Robert Todd Lincoln Collection...

What this book does masterfully well is show how the president-elect Abraham Lincoln shored up northern morale in preparation for the...

In an age of political cynicism, name calling, and deep political division (where political opponents are routinely demonized), it's...

The California of the 1850s that greeted the first wave of American settlers was primarily comprised of large, fenceless cattle ranches...

One of the most famous roads in all the world is California Route One, a coastal highway that traverses the entire length of the state. ...

Seasons Greetings, The followings is “A Dish for a Poet” which is read aloud at our house this time each year, and never fails to amuse:...

We visited Philadelphia recently, specifically Old Town, that part of the city where the Founding Fathers created the Declaration of...

Book Review: Travels with George: In Search of Washington and His Legacy, by Nathaniel Philbrick. I've read countless books about George...

The last thing I needed was to read another Lincoln biography. But a Lincoln biography given to me by my brother Charles, continued to...

Three Movies by Steven Spielberg That Define the American Ideal AMISTAD (1997) – An Independent Judiciary LINCOLN (2012) – Democracy THE...

February 22 is George Washington’s birthday. Below is my review of “Cincinnatus: George Washington and the Enlightenment,” by Pulitzer...

It was the time of the huddled masses, of immigrants, slums and overcrowded cities, of long hours and deplorable working conditions in...

I’m speaking with Ruth. We’re at a birthday celebration of a mutual friend. She tells me she didn't start college until she was...

December 12th is John Jay’s birthday. As one of the seven most influential founders of our country, Jay’s contributions are not as well...

It’s a memorable scene from a memorable movie. Actor Spencer Tracy—portraying a wealthy industrialist running for president—is looking...

October 30 is the birthday of John Adams, our second president. John Adams was one of America’s greatest statesmen--and one of its worst...

The influential jurist with the unlikely but appropriate name of Learned Hand served as the presiding judge of the Second Circuit Court...

After buying tickets and waiting almost a year, we finally got to see “Hamilton,” the smash Broadway musical. It was midweek, and the...

The two-party system was not written into the plan. Indeed, the framers of the United States Constitution worked hard to create a...