“There’s America, there’s the South, then there’s Mississippi.” So said President Lyndon Johnson. He might have added, “And then there’s...

They're the Bearded Presidents—or, if you will, the Great Emancipator and the Seven Dwarfs. No president before or after these...

Note: what follows was given to me as a letter some time around 1990: "In this time of commencement addresses, I recall one in...

It’s the most famous dinner in U.S. history. It was hosted by Thomas Jefferson at his well-appointed townhouse on Maiden Lane, a stone’s...

When women assume power in government, the world will become a kindler, gentler place. Says who? Well, Frank Capra for one. In his 1948...

It’s amazing how little politicians know. What they say often amounts to half-truths: yes, there is some truth in what they’re saying,...

What makes a great president? “Great presidents possess, or are possessed by, a vision of an ideal America,” say the editors of the...

It was an eye-opening experience. In my last year of college I took two courses on Constitutional Law (Con Law I & II) and discovered...

It was George H.W. Bush who made the expression famous, mainly because his critics said he lacked it. His predecessor Ronald Reagan had...

“This summer, when you become inundated with all the American bicentennial Fourth-of-July brouhaha, don’t forget you’re celebrating the...

Below are two book reviews I wrote for Amazon.com. The first book is about New York City under Dutch rule, the second is about the...

George Washington must have had an exceptional imagination. How else to explain his decision to lead an army of green farm boys against...

The White House is a symbol of America, democracy and freedom. While it has changed significantly over the past 215 years, it remains...

Stephen Spielberg’s 2013 movie “Lincoln” is as much about the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment as it is about the man. This is a good...

It’s the most famous room in the world. It’s where Presidents address the nation, especially in times of crisis. It’s the room where...

Why did the American Revolution succeed while so many revolutions that followed result in so much bloodletting? The answer is not that...

Tents going up on the edge of town. Overflowing crowds, and preachers shouting fire and brimstone, and everyone half-expecting the skies...

It was after the American Revolution, after everything had been settled and the future of the new republic looked promising. Thomas...

If you've ever dreamed of spending an evening chatting with one the Founding Fathers, have I got a book for you. The title sounds...

Washington D.C., March 4, 1861 -- Imagine the man being administered the Presidential oath is not Abraham Lincoln but Jefferson Davis....