Category Archives: History

Assault and Battery on the Mother Tongue–“Business-Speak”

Posted on September 25, 2012 by georgelamplugh

Once upon a time, I wanted to teach English, and, though things didn’t work out that way, I’ve maintained a love affair with the language.  Nothing gets me hotter under the collar faster than writing that is sloppy, imprecise, deceptive, … Continue reading →

Posted in "Business-Speak", American History, Current Events, Georgia History, History, Murdering the English Language, Retirement, Southern (Georgia) History, Southern History, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

High School, Now–and Then: Reflections on a 50th Reunion

Posted on September 1, 2012 by georgelamplugh

Unless your formal education terminated with twelfth grade, you probably feel warmer and fuzzier about your college or university than your high school.  I’m one of those fortunate enough to have spent time in “higher education,” but, after college and grad school, I … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, Civil Rights Movement, Cold War, Current Events, History, Newark (Del.) High School Class of 1962, Retirement, Teaching | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The Uses of History in Tom Stoppard’s “Arcadia” (Adventures in Interdisciplinary Land, 1)

Posted on August 1, 2012 by georgelamplugh

[Note:  Of one thing I am convinced:  There is nothing new in the world of “Education.” Rather, the same ideas, usually with different names and/or ever greater reliance on technology, keep coming ’round, like some sort of bizarre, quasi-“intellectual” carousel … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Interdisciplinary Work, Research, Teaching, Tom Stoppard's "Arcadia" | 3 Comments

The Mississippi Delta and the Blues (Blues Stories, 6)

Posted on July 9, 2012 by georgelamplugh

Geographers define a “delta” as the triangular-shaped fertile area created by siltation at the mouth of a river.  But, when Blues fans refer to “the Delta,” “the land where the Blues began,” we mean “the fertile alluvial plain shared by the … Continue reading →

Posted in "Charley Patton", Alan Lomax, American History, Delta Blues, History, Muddy Waters, Research, Robert Johnson, Son House, Southern (Georgia) History, Southern History, The Blues | 4 Comments

Reading the Civil War: “Patriotic Gore”–And More

Posted on June 16, 2012 by georgelamplugh

In the Fall of 1969, I took a grad school course on the Civil War.  During a discussion of historiography, someone asked our professor his opinion of Shelby Foote’s history of the conflict, the first two volumes of which were then in … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, Civil War, History, Research, Retirement, Shelby Foote, Southern (Georgia) History, Southern History, Teaching, Vietnam War | Tagged | 9 Comments

20th-Century Blues Men (Blues Stories, 5)

Posted on June 1, 2012 by georgelamplugh

[Note:  This post is the companion piece to “20th-Century Blues Women.”  A slightly different format this time, without an introductory essay (for those interested in one, go here.); instead, I offer biographical sketches of some favorite 20th-century Blues men and a song or two that capture the essence … Continue reading →

Posted in "Charley Patton", Alan Lomax, American History, Blind Willie McTell, Chicago Blues, Delta Blues, History, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Piedmont Blues, Research, Robert Johnson, Son House, Southern (Georgia) History, Southern History, The Blues | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Past Personal: Teaching the Vietnam War as History

Posted on May 1, 2012 by georgelamplugh

[Note:  This piece originated as a talk to a group of history teachers; it explains the genesis of the series, already posted here, “Growing Up With Vietnam.” (Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4] * * * * * When I began … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, Cold War, Current Events, History, Research, Retirement, Teaching, Vietnam War | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Unflattering Glimpses of the Georgia Legislature, 2012 and 1817

Posted on April 4, 2012 by georgelamplugh

[Note:A huge sigh of relief can be heard all round the greater Atlanta area; wives and daughters are once again permitted to leave their homes unaccompanied by a heavily armed escort; the family silver has been retrieved from its hiding place and … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, Current Events, Georgia History, History, Research, Southern (Georgia) History, Southern History | 4 Comments

20th-Century Blues Women (Blues Stories, 4)

Posted on April 1, 2012 by georgelamplugh

A funny thing happened when I researched the role of women in developing the Blues in the twentieth century:  I found an alternative narrative that contained a few surprises.  For example, the year 2003 was designated by Congress as “The … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, Bessie Smith, Big Mama Thornton, Billie Holiday, Blues Women, Chicago Blues, Delta Blues, Francine Reed, History, Ma Rainey, Mamie Smith, Memphis Minnie, Memphis Minnie, Ruth Brown, Sippie Wallace and Bonnie Raitt, Southern History, The Blues | 3 Comments

Thoughts on a First Draft

Posted on March 1, 2012 by georgelamplugh

Recently, I completed a first draft of the “Project,” after about eight months of effort (which, of course, followed fifteen years of research, most of it over long school vacations, but who’s counting!).  The text (including notes, which at this point are embedded in the body … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, Georgia History, History, Research, Retirement, Southern History | 2 Comments