American History
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The Mayflower Pilgrims
On a chilly November day, before landing
on Cape Cod, the Mayflower Pilgrims "laid
the foundation of American liberty."
The Origins of American Independence
America's fight for independence simmered for years. The Stamp Act, the Boston Massacre, the Tea Party were factors that led to the Declaration of Independence. Learn more here.
Sam Adams
Mastermind of the Revolution
Poor, shabby, brilliant and determined, Sam Adams masterminded the events that led to the American Revolution.
At Harvard, he planned to be a minister. His father wanted him to be a lawyer. His mother overruled both and decreed that he go into business. His unrelenting passion for justice and liberty led to the colonies' declaration of independence on July 4, 1776, Like George Washington, he was irreplaceable.
It's quite a story.
When you're in Boston visit the Old South Meeting House where the patriots met before tossing hundreds of boxes of tea into Boston Harbor.
Paul Revere - American Hero
Thanks to a nudge from historian, Jeremy Belknap, in 1798, Paul Revere sat down with pen and paper and recounted the story of a memorable night in 1775.
He wrote, "Having a little leisure, I wish to fulfill my promise, of giving you some facts, and Anecdotes, prior to the Battle of Lexington, which I do not remember to have seen in any history of the American Revolution."
Revere is famous for his Midnight Ride but as an organizer of the Sons of Liberty, a cartoonist and engraver, a reliable and trusted messenger, and tossing boxes of tea into Boston Harbor, Revere was an invaluable asset in the fight for freedom and liberty.
Visit Paul Revere's House in Boston's North End and the Hancock-Clarke House in Lexington.
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Henry Knox
Washington's Favorite General
When newly appointed General George Washington arrived in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the summer of 1775 to take command of the ragtag Continental Army, he was horrified by the lack of weapons and ammunition.
A 25-year-old artillery officer stepped forward with a suggestion. Taking only his teenaged brother, Henry Knox made a 600-mile winter journey to Fort Ticonderoga to bring armaments stored there to Boston.
Throughout the eight years of the Revolution, Knox was at Washington's side.
John Trumbull
Washington's Favorite Spy
John Trumbulll's life was full of ups and downs - even a stint in a British prison.
Trumbull's enduring legacy, and his gift to generations of Americans, are his paintings of the Revolution's crucial moments and the brave patriots who made those moments happen.
Today, four of his paintings hang in the Rotunda of the United States Capitol.
Towards the end of his life, Trumbull founded America's first university art gallery at Yale.
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The White House Rose Garden
When President Kennedy asked gifted horti-culturalist, Bunny Mellon, to redesign the Rose Garden, Mrs. Mellon hesitated. She did not have an advanced degree.
What she did have was tremendous talent.
Learn more here.
The New York Yankees
Building a Brilliant Brand
When Jacob Ruppert bought the NY Yankees in 1914, the team was languishing at the bottom of the League. Ruppert transformed the Yankees into the world's most valuable sport franchise.
How did he do it? What can we learn from him?
Visit the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.
The Founding of Washington, D.C.
It's a well-worn myth that Congress established America's capitol on the banks of the Potomac River
in honor of George Washington.
As you'll see, nothing could be farther from the truth. This unlikely story started with a band of soldiers marching to Philadelphia to demand back pay from Congress at gunpoint!
America's Star-Spangled Banner
America's flag didn't always have stars and stripes
and it wasn't always called "the star-spangled banner."
Our flag got that great nickname one memorable
morning in Baltimore harbor.
Learn more here.
Reagan's Journey
Lessons from a Remarkable Career
Ronald Reagan’s early life was a rollercoaster of new towns, new homes and new schools. His father was an alcoholic who could barely hold onto a job.
Forced to look outside his family for role models, Ronald Reagan found heroes in books, at church, at school and at work.
Thanks to a mentor, within months of graduating from college at the bottom of the Depression, Reagan was on his way to spectacular success in his dream career. How did he do that? What can we learn from him?
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A Soldier's Tale - World War I
What is it like to be working in real estate in lower Manhattan one day and off to book camp the next?
My grandfather's letters to his "sweetheart" provide a vivid picture of exactly what it was like - on trains, on ships, on the front lines.
Thanks to terrible eyesight, he was put to work clerking for a medical unit. During the Argonne-Meuse offensive, he retrieved badly wounded soldiers from the front.
Learn more here.
A Mariner's Tale - The Civil War
What was it like to serve in the U.S. Navy in the 19th century?
Born in London, my great, great grandfather, George Price went to sea with the British merchant navy but jumped at the opportunity to join the U.S.Navy in 1848 to fight the Mexican - American War.
He spent 30+ years at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, served at the Battle of New Orleans in 1862, and was injured at Vicksburg in 1863.
Learn more about a 19th century mariner's life here.
