Category Archives: Research

Meanings of “Liberty” During the American Revolution (In Pursuit of Dead Georgians, 19 )

Posted on August 1, 2015 by georgelamplugh

[NOTE: During the years of the American Revolutionary Bicentennial, when I had just begun to teach at Atlanta’s Finest Prep School (AFPS), I found myself in demand as a speaker, to a modest degree anyhow. My dissertation had included a … Continue reading →

American Republicanism, Part IV: The Republic between a Rock and a Hard Place, 1801-1815 (History Lesson Plans, 11)

Posted on July 15, 2015 by georgelamplugh

[This is the final post in the series on the early history of American “republicanism.” (For earlier posts see here, here, and here.)] * * * * * During the tumultuous presidential election campaign of 1800, fearful Federalists predicted that victory … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, Education, Historical Reflection, History, History Curriculum, Interdisciplinary Work, Research, Retirement, Southern (Georgia) History, Southern History, Teaching, Uncategorized, WP Long Read | Tagged " Thomas Jefferson, "James Madison, "Jefferson's Embargo, Battle of New Orleans, Treaty of Ghent, War of 1812 | 2 Comments

A Scrappy Fourth of July! (In Pursuit of Dead Georgians, 18)

Posted on July 1, 2015 by georgelamplugh

[NOTE: John Adams predicted that the colonial declaration of independence in the summer of 1776 “would be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. . . . It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parades, with Shews … Continue reading →

Posted in 4th of July, American History, Education, George M. Troup, Georgia History, Historical Reflection, History, James Gunn, John Clark, John Cuthbert, Nullification, Research, Retirement, Southern (Georgia) History, Southern History, Teaching, Uncategorized, WP Long Read | Tagged " Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of Independence, Fourth of July, George M. Troup, Georgia History, James Jackson, John Clark, Party Politics | 7 Comments

Early Blues Divas (Blues Stories, 19)

Posted on June 15, 2015 by georgelamplugh

[NOTE: A different take on an earlier post, “20th –Century Blues Women,” this time emphasizing the decade of the 1920s.] * * * * * 2003 was designated by Congress as “The Year of the Blues” to commemorate W.C. Handy’s first encounter with that music, … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, Bessie Smith, Big Mama Thornton, Blues Women, Books, Chicago Blues, Historical Reflection, History, Interdisciplinary Work, Ma Rainey, Mamie Smith, Memphis Minnie, Memphis Minnie, Popular Culture, Research, Retirement, Sippie Wallace and Bonnie Raitt, Southern History, Teaching, The Blues, Uncategorized, WP Long Form, WP Long Read | Tagged American History, American Popular Culture, Bessie Smith, Big Mama Thornton, Blues Divas of the 1920s, Blues Stories, Blues Women of the 1920s, Bonnie Raitt, Ida Cox, Janis Joplin, Mamie Smith, Memphis Minnie, Sippie Wallace, Southern History, The Blues | 2 Comments

American Republicanism, III: Battle for the Soul of the Republic, 1789-1800 (History Lesson Plan, 10)

Posted on June 1, 2015 by georgelamplugh

[NOTE: This is the penultimate post in the series on the history of Early American Republicanism. For earlier posts, go here and here.] * * * * * Whether the new government created by the Constitution of 1787 was … Continue reading →

Posted in American "republicanism", American History, Constitution of 1787, Education, Historical Reflection, History, History Curriculum, Research, Retirement, Southern History, Teaching, Uncategorized, WP Long Form, WP Long Read | Tagged " Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Federalists v. Republicans, French Revolution, George Washington, John Adams | 2 Comments

American Republicanism, Part II: “A Republic, if you can keep it,” 1776-1788 (History Lesson Plans, 9)

Posted on May 1, 2015 by georgelamplugh

[This is the second in a series concerning the history of American “republicanism.” For the previous post, go here.] * * * * * When the Second Continental Congress assembled in Philadelphia in May, 1775, fighting had already broken out … Continue reading →

Posted in American "republicanism", American History, American Revolution, Colonial Georgia, Constitution of 1787, Education, Historical Reflection, History, History Curriculum, Interdisciplinary Work, Philadelphia Convention (1787), Prep School, prep school teaching with a PhD, Research, Retirement, Southern History, Teaching, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Understanding Recent American History–“Nixonland,” or “The Age of Reagan”?

Posted on April 15, 2015 by georgelamplugh

[NOTE: Historical revisionism occurs when, every generation or so, the scholarly consensus about important events or individuals begins to shift. Revisionism is not a concept that appeals to neophyte historians, or to “average Americans” trying to understand the past, many … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, Books, Cold War, Dr. Martin Luther King, Historical Reflection, History, Martin Luther King, Research, Retirement, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Teaching, Uncategorized, Vietnam War | Tagged " James H. Broussard "Ronald Reagan: Champion of Conservative America", historical revisionism, recent American history, Rick Perlstein "Nixonland", Sean Wilentz "The Age of Reagan, teaching American history | 6 Comments

American Republicanism, Part I—The Blueprint (History Lesson Plans, 8)

Posted on April 1, 2015 by georgelamplugh

[NOTE: For a number of years, we had at my school a year-long elective course for seniors that combined elements of American history, American literature, and social outreach. In its last incarnation, this interdisciplinary offering was called “The School for … Continue reading →

Posted in American "republicanism", American History, American Revolution, Education, Historical Reflection, History, History Curriculum, Interdisciplinary Work, Prep School, prep school teaching with a PhD, Research, Retirement, Southern History, Teaching, Uncategorized, WP Long Read | Tagged " Thomas Jefferson, ""commonwealth, ""public good, ""republic, "Federalist #10, "James Madison, "yeoman farmers, American republicanism, John Adams | 2 Comments

Read One for the Gipper

Posted on March 16, 2015 by georgelamplugh

A Review of James H. Broussard, Ronald Reagan: Champion of Conservative America. New York and London: Routledge, 2015. [NOTE: One of the joys—and curses—of being a professional historian is the lure of “revisionism.” That’s when, every generation or so, the … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, Books, Cold War, Current Events, Education, Historical Reflection, History, History Curriculum, Popular Culture, Prep School, Research, Teaching, Uncategorized, WP Long Read | Tagged "A.P.U.S.History, "The Reagan Revolution, End of the Cold War, Iran-Contra Scandal, James H. Broussard, Modern American History, Ronald Reagan biography | Leave a comment

My Vietnam War–and Welcome to It

Posted on February 16, 2015 by georgelamplugh

I’ve got a long shelf of books about my generation’s war, but none of them presents it as I experienced it. I served in the Army from 1966 to 1968, but I never left the U.S., so my war was very different from the one … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Cold War, Historical Reflection, History, Research, Teaching, Uncategorized, Vietnam War, WP Long Read | Tagged "Short", Aberdeen Proving Ground, Autobiography, Cold War, Ft. Lee, Homefront, James H. Krefft, Vietnam War | 6 Comments