It’s a picture night, folks. The news is a firehose, but too many late nights mean I simply must get some sleep. The spot in this photo, the Angle, was the high-water mark of the Confederacy. It was here, on a battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on July 3, 1863, that United States soldiers stopped the Confederate soldiers of Pickett’s Charge, turning back the men who were fighting to establish a nation based on the proposition that men were created unequal and that some men should rule the rest.
Heather, you may never read this, but I want you to know how treasured you are. I am so very grateful for your steady and thoughtful words that help us navigate very troubled waters. Thank you. From my heart to yours.
Sleep well, and know that many many more of us feel exactly as Akaya stated so well. The lessons you have imparted via LFAA are priceless. Stay healthy!💜
Me too. I have such a greater appreciation of who we are as a nation with all of our imperfections thanks to you Professor. You have helped me survive this misinformation nightmare and given me and all of us hope. Thank you for all you do!
Now, "WE" must do all we can financially and with tireless efforts to successfully assure national voter registration + actual intelligent voting at poles, mail-in, etc. by every legal means assist everyone who needs help to VOTE INTELLIGENTLY
I echo all of the love and appreciation to Heather for her stable honesty and enlightenment. I really need help to be able to sleep, have been awake for hours each night while praying for Ukranians, worrying about them.
I woke this morning. Almost the first thing that came to mind was "I will learn something today." Don't tell my wife of 58 years, but I was thinking of you and your LFAA. Thanks, HCR.
In grateful appreciation of Heather's shining a light steadily on history being made, but Sophia, you make an important point not often mentioned.
Heather; please take a multi-vitamin daily, brush your teeth, and eat well (lobster, again???) and although we devour your essays, please get enough sleep.
I wish that her FB talks could be on YouTube also. I think HCR reaches many on FB but she is trolled there, and some of the comments are bad. I wonder if she would consider a way that we can see her talks without FB.
I rarely look at comments anywhere that I can quickly tell there are jerks and haters there. I wrote a book that had a theory that was meant to be helpful in people understanding different facets of their bright children. It took me several years before I realized I should not read the list serves of the parents who read my book. Their comments and views stewed over the darnedest things! All of us should enjoy this group and just don't pay attention to the people on the wider net unless you're trying to figure them out for some good purpose.
And I don’t understand that kind of hatred. What’s the point? If you see something you don’t like or disagree with … use your freedom to scroll on by… the hatred is unnecessary.
Some people cannot resist being hateful. HCR is a professor and a woman, so a perfect target. And Facebook and other media give them the perfect opportunity for vile comments. I am on Facebook as it allows me to keep up with people and I belong to several pages that have interesting info and photos. When I have had enough, I read, right now a history of Henry II and Eleanor.
thinking about that... the haters are like a pack of dogs, trained to kill; I suspect a majority of them are "bot" algorithm driven digital creatures (whether email or facebook or twitter,.. just like the robocalls.
Those posts effect each of us who see or read them... gets my adrenaline up.. I have to bite my tongue. It's effective.
I have subscribed to her channel. She hasn’t had time to upload for a couple of years. I am NOT complaining. She’s so busy and yet faithful to LFAA… I'm happy with what I have.
Politics on Tuesdays and History on Thursdays. You can watch previous talks also and she has information on her podcasts "Now and Then". What a treasure!
Me too. Then I watch again later, with my husband. One thing (among many) that amazes me is how it feels as if Heather is speaking directly to me. How does she do that when simply facing a camera lens?
While you are eagerly awaiting another injection of HCR brain nutrients have you considered doing all you can to successfully assure as many people as possible are also aware of HCR's newsletter and her daaily4:00PM broadcasts?
Every one of us here must be doing the same, wouldn't you agree?
Oh Lord! I am so enthusiastic about telling people about her! I share her letters on FB, Twitter and have send subscriptions to so many people~ I was at Physical Therapy yesterday and by the time the half hour was over I was sure we had lined up another 15 folks! And that's a slow day~!~! Thanks!
Just know that as much as we treasure Heather’s wise intellect, it won’t change anything unless everyone else reads her too! Pass on, pass on pass on!!!!
Become a royal pest to ALL of your Congress members about your panic that they are not sufficiently rebutting the lies by every one of those NON-Democrats...
We only have 7 months to gain a positive outcome against ALL those who would destroy American democracy...
it seems the commenting in this newsletter could be one of the better voices belonging to well exercised mouths pronouncing well reasoned facts that must now be broadcasted nationally to inspire all the politically lethargic complacent in their accustomed effortless luxury of political freedoms to vote INTELLIGENTLY!
Success requires tireless work by the confident in their skill to so inspire others that require constant reminders broadcasted everywhere to vote INTELLIGENTLY and how to achieve the desired outcome: Saving American democracy from ALL those who strive to destroy American Constitutional Freedoms!
Thanks for being here in the comments of LFAA. Thank you also for taking the night off. We might miss a couple things from the "firehose" but all in all, you keep us well informed. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
What a beautiful parallel, Heather. Ukraine & Gettysburg. Once again we can all be grateful for your wisdom.
Mr. Welch, my fourth grade teacher, taught us ... insisted we memorize ... Lincoln's words at Gettysburg. Seventy years later his words still touch my soul.
Like my first teacher, you inspire me (us), Heather, to make real our creed in opposition to those - as you so well put it - "men who were fighting to establish a nation based on the proposition that men were created unequal and that some men should rule the rest."
Lincoln's words to Congress in 1862 ring true today "Fellow-citizens, we cannot escape history. We … will be remembered in spite of ourselves. … The fiery trial through which we pass, will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation."
These words of Lincoln now apply to the Ukrainians who will be lighted down in honor to the last generation. It is the Russians who will not escape history.
So true. I don't think most of his inner circle wanted this war either. They were enjoying their riches.
It is the Russians who will relieve of us of Putin just as we relieved ourselves of TFG. Both are on a path to self destruction. Neither listen to advisors. Both have inflated their egos so much that they fail to consider other viewpoints. Their sense of invincibility is their tragic flaw and they now begin their spiral dives into oblivion.
I do not have time or resources to trace the true identity of misha firer. It is my sense that you and others have been captured by a propagandist. Many thousands of Russians in Russia risking their lives as they demonstrate in support Ukraine might give you pause. Your stereotyping of the Russian people may be matched by propaganda in an opposing country claiming that you are Trump's twin as are all Americans. Do you think that the Russians are Putin's twins? How do you feel about the stereotyping of Black people and other minority groups in the USA, the scapegoating, the racism and White Nationalism?
You don't know me-don't accuse me of being captured by propaganda, especially when you are unwilling to accept the facts that the majority of Russians support Putin himself and have done so starting with his slaughter of thousands of Chechnans which he used to establish his credentials to take control of the Russian government; when you ignore the role of Russian forces fighting the opponents of the Syrian dictatorship. Did Putin, all by himself, invade Ukraine and capture Crimea? Did Putin all by himself, invade Donbass and conduct guerilla operations that killed 14000 Ukrainians? Who are the 170,000 troops now fighting in Ukraine? Peruvians? Norwegians? or Russians? Surely, there are many Russians who do not support the war. But until the majority of Russians take the chance to go out and protest; when their men refuse to fight; when their diplomats refuse to support the government; when their senior military officers refuse to continue this war, then the Russians will be able to escape the long judgement of history. As far as stereotyping is concerned you should know that my own Italian immigrant grandmother once defied her local Ku Klux Klan and they burned a cross in front of her house. Do you have this heritage? Don't defame me again.
I questioned the identity of misha firer and asked you several questions. I understand that you are neither your grandmother, nor Donald Trump. Perhaps, you are an expert on the behavior of people ruled by a dictator, the effects of propaganda and complete censorship.
As Boy Scouts, we hiked the Kentucky Lincoln Trail and we had to memorize that address. We had to recite it.
It was twenty miles done over two days. Colonel Franklin Artemus X died at Cold Harbor. I was reading his letters at UW in Madison. It was amazing they even let me touch them.
Heather I am one who sat in high school history classes in the 60’s taught by football coaches who read our texts ad-nausium. I am finally learning US History from your delightful essays. Thank you Thank you. I am 75, learning from you daily!
Every day I think, ¨They should throw the text books out in America and teach from passion, for history is passion of each moment. They can use Heather as a guide to create opportunities for students to create the moments themselves and then discuss what they learned.
Unfortunately, the passion that many in the coaching corner have is their sport, not their classroom. Our social studies department always had the football coach and believe me, there were some doozies. And the booster club had a hand in the hire. And there was the belief among the coaching corner that coaches had to be on the staff. Otherwise they were sneeringly called rent-a-coaches. I should say that not all coaches were bad teachers, but some of our very worst arrived along that route. In high school, I had world history taught by a Brit; otherwise, it was a wash. I am a history major and a voracious reader of history which makes up for some of that. And I love these letters because I learn so much from Heather...and also from the posters here. So refreshing.
My mother began college when I did. She got her masters and taught Government and history. She loved it until about 1995 when the students began to change. Surly, uncaring. No support from parents. She quit. I often think that those students are today's angry, snarling right wingers.
I, too remember my high school junior year history class, 1963, a truly memorable year. The one lesson Mr. Bryant emphasized now seems one a true historian like Heather teaches every day. Spanish philosopher, poet, essayist and also a Harvard prof for a while, Jorge Santayana’s famous quote: “Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it.” And according to Wikipedia this last warning, “Only the dead have seen the end of war.” Thank you, Heather and friends, for a history lesson every day. Onward.
I’m 75 too. History was my favorite subject in school. I see now what they taught us was what they wanted us to know. I’m finally learning our history from reading Heather’s letters. Thank you for opening my eyes to the truth. Every single day.
You give me a laugh. I had a football coach who taught World History too…which meant he played old movies about WW2 and reviewed his football game strategies. Sigh. I did have a wonderful US History teacher, Rob Hassig! Many of his students from all years still exchange messages and debate current events with him and each other!
I think I had that same history teacher. I can still see the board with the football plays on it. He’d say, “ if Dr. ……. Comes in, this is the Battle of the Bulge.” And we survived.
Sounds very familiar to this 70’s girl. I hated history class! All I remember is memorizing dates. Nothing about world or American history was taught in a creative way. I am grateful for Heather’s letters! I am learning!
I had an excellent high school history teacher, but she did not venture outside the established curriculum. I have learned so much history in the past 15 years. Like hidden family stories that family members wanted to keep under wraps.
These could be my words Julie altho I’m a tad younger. I feel like we are receiving a college education in history and a political view that was not emphasized in fact I realize was swept to the side
Yes, Julia, I know that experience or one similar. My high school history teacher was more informed than the coaches. He was a nice guy with a soft Tennessee lilt to his delivery. But the classroom in the heat of central Florida had no AC, and the class was after lunch, so that combination of circumstances put most people to sleep. Only in much later years while studying my family's involvement in national and world history did I realize that we are all a part of history. At that point, I began to feel the passion and excitement of it all.
Dear Dr. Heather Cox Richardson. In my occasional comments in response to your LFAA, I rarely commend you for your invaluable contributions to the creation of a new global civilization; fortunately, many others do so consistently.
But I take this opportunity to thank you for using your enviable skills and knowledge to inform and inspire your not-so-little digital community and, in the process, to move the needle marking human progress ever so slightly forward. As you have constantly noted, these are trying and dangerous times, but they are also opportune times that offer each of us the possibility of contributing in some small measure, a piece of the puzzle that will become a new era for humanity.
At this moment, I am especially grateful to you in that you have wisely chosen to take this night for what I know is some badly needed rest and rejuvenation. Along with so many others, I worry for your health and welfare when your candle burns, not only at both ends, but in the middle, too.
Thank you for the perfect picture tonight and the words of President Lincoln. I hope President Biden either uses Lincoln's words or has a memorable line in his speech that children will learn in decades to come. It feels that we are living a pivotal moment in history when the world now unites to stand up for democracy and curb the autocracies. My word tonight is palpable. One of the reporters in Ukraine reported that Ukrainians hate for the Russians was palpable. When I hear the word palpable I think back to June of 1990 when I spent a weekend in Berlin a month before the 2 Germanys reunited. The euphoria about the Berlin wall coming down had been replaced with an anxiety that was palpable with the East Berliners looking at West Germany's much richer society and the West Berliners realizing what it would take to lift East Germany out of the poverty. The Gorbachev/Bush summit was happening in Moscow supposedly to decide what should happen with Germany. It was out of their hands by then. While standing in Berlin you felt that the boulder was rolling down hill and nothing was going to stop the inevitability of the history unfolding on its own. And, yes, I cherish my piece of the Berlin wall colored with the spray paint of freedom.
Wow, Cathy! So interesting. When the wall came down, my uncle, who lived in London, flew to Germany to find out what happened to his parents, my grandparents. He found records that the Nazis kept on every single person they put in camps and murdered. He discovered that his parents were plucked from their home in Berlin and taken to tge gas camp in Chelmno, Poland where they died in 1942.
Wow! Marlene. It is hard to comprehend the horror of the Holocaust. Here in Texas they are banning books in schools under the Critical Race Theory law. One school leader recommended that if they had a book on a "controversial" subject that they should have a book about the opposing view. She used the Holocaust as an example! Like what is an opposing view of the Holocaust!!! https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/southlake-texas-holocaust-books-schools-rcna2965 Texas is now an autocracy and I hope what is happening in the world uniting against autocracy will spread into Texas! I want to see the Republicans who are supporting Putin because TFDG admires Putin and other autocrats show support of President Biden's work in uniting NATO and supporting Ukraine tomorrow night at the State of the Union speech. I'm expecting to be disappointed in them.
Cathy; It seems unbelievable in this time, in Democracy, that books are banned for teaching the Truth. Is it like a book burning from the Nazi era? I hope that is not where we are headed, such a great divide between citizens upholding freedom and Democracy and those who are trying to destroy it, book by book.
Want to ❤️ this sooo bad! Texas has its own autocratic regime. How dare they ban books, tell women that they have to be monitored 24/7, take blacks and other people of color off the voter roll, etc????they are abhorrent and Abbott’s name should really be Abort!
Yes they all need to be told. We were never taught about how horrid the white man was to Africans. Never told of the rapes and separations of family. That’s why we must reveal these stories.
I was never told of the after-church lynchings, the rapes by owners, the horror of it all. Just that blacks were inferior, not that they had been hobbled before the starting line. Although current generation didn’t do these things, many racists today, would if they could. We need acknowledgment before healing. Hiding the truth will cripple our children, not protect them.
I’m so sorry, Marlene. There are no words except a prayer, Kaddish, for the deaths of your grandparents and of all the victims of the Nazis. And now for all those lost in the war in Ukraine.
Cathy, thank you for your beautiful story. The price of freedom is paid every day when we share with people who are not living that dream of freedom. Especially when they are looking through a wall at the other side. Your example is perfect. Putin is trying to hold in that strong desire for freedom, but his people are rebelling, protesting. Who knows how long it will take, but the Ukrainian people and government are right there as a reminder every day. We only achieve and keep these freedoms through struggle and gratitude.
Cathy, thank you for your story. I was in Berlin 2 yrs. after the wall came down. Taxi drivers in W. Berlin still had trouble finding their way to locations in E. Berlin. It was a history lesson to see it all. 10 yrs. later upon returning to Berlin, there had been a complete turn around. Areas we had visited earlier were bustling with new hotels, restaurants and shops. Museum Island was all together. It was impressive, to say the least. I pray that 10 yrs. from now we will see a free and restored Ukraine democracy!
Your letter tonight was magnificent. The unity felt around the world of nations has definitely become the symbol for Americans to heed the words of Lincoln.
God bless and keep you. You are helping all of us hold onto the hope we need, the courage to stand fast. Please take care of yourself, and thank you for the wisdom and breadth of vision you have shared with us. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE to our country! <3
Thank you Heather and Buddy for bringing us to the spot in the photo of the Angle, the high-water mark of the Confederacy. There on a battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on July 2, 1863, the United States soldiers stopped the Confederate soldiers of Pickett’s Charge, and turned back the men who were fighting to establish a nation based on the proposition that men were created unequal and that some men should rule the rest. (Letter)
Today on March 1, 2022, in Ukraine, the United States of America and other countries around the world we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all people are created equal and endowed by unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among people deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. (edit from the Declaration of Independence)
Today and tomorrow we feel the urgency, the challenge and the determination to bring these truths to the fore.
Afraid
Langston Hughes - 1901-1967
We cry among the skyscrapers
As our ancestors
Cried among the palms in Africa
Because we are alone,
It is night,
And we’re afraid.
From The Weary Blues (Alfred A. Knopf, 1926) by Langston Hughes. This poem is in the public domain.
Allen, you just made me happy . I've been up for several hours, and realized that I haven't checked the news. I don't expect it to be good, perhaps, some avoidance on my part. Now, I will look. You know that you are surrounded by forum love. We will do what what we can and want to do more than that. Blessings.
Hi Allen - I am glad to know that you can sleep. It is such a relief every time that you check in. The news is rather dismal. Evidently, serious damage in Kharkiv. It is almost 3 a.m. where I am and I absolutely must get some sleep, but it is difficult to rest. Stay safe. You have a lot of people praying for you and sending you love.
Thank you for checking in Allen. It’s a blessing to hear your voice. We are always with you. Our arms around you and family and all the people of Ukraine. Be safe. Love and hope, dear friend.
Thank you SO MUCH for this! I have copied the link and just forwarded to about a dozen friends. I do not do social media but I hope those who do will so! I am going to credit you and repost this here so it hopefully gets more attention.
Hi again, Allen. I'm going to try to get a couple of hours of sleep. We are all looking out for you. Whenever you comment on the forum, we'll find you. 🌿
Great to hear Allen's voice- " my wife isn't leaving. And I'm not leaving her" - This is one of those rare moments where the struggle of Ukraine to remain autonomous has reached the hearts of every one - and brought shame to their oppressors. Allen, it really helps to know you and your family and your cats are OK- I'm a cat lover too- I know what it means to be a cat parent. Stay safe.
Thank you for this, Richard. Putin is going against the Ukraine's infrastructure to break the resistance. Allen. Pushing Biden to get you timely intelligence. Americans are demonstrating in support of Ukraine around the country.
Good Morning Alan! Your interview from Ukraine with Canadian Morning Edition is superb, insightful and heart wrenching. Thank you so much for telling your story so we can understand, and hopefully act to help.
P.S. My kids teased me here in Michigan, USA, when I put up so much "War Flour" when g.w. bush launched the Iraq war. Wish I could send you a dozen 25 pound bags. Wish more (and pray) that this invasion will be over long before you need to open another bag.
Good morning, Allen! I am so happy to find you here this morning. It is 8:42:am in Indiana. Now I can continue to clean my house! And, I am thankful to have a house to clean! God bless and keep you, Tanya and Lucky (family and friends) safe!
Thank Heavens! I couldn't wait to communicate with you -- stopped scrolling the minute your name appeared on the forum. Please report if you can. Blessings to you and all Ukrainians - the brave and the good!
Thanks for checking in Allen. How are you, Tanya, and Lucky? Are you and your family and neighbors able to get food? Following new people on Twitter and Facebook is helping me know what's happening in Ukraine. To make sure you en famille are safe, I now also check your FB page. It is interesting and enlightening to get your point of view. I enjoyed your recent interview on Saskatchewan radio. If you don't mind, I'll post a link here for others.
Great! I'll post your interview. It helps spread support by feeling connected to you and understanding what you're going through. So glad you all have enough food!
Everyone should visit Gettysburg, more than once if possible. To immerse oneself in a place of such horror and heroism, to reflect on what took place there, is one of the most profoundly moving experiences one can have.
In 2001, my sister and I spent a couple of days in Gettysburg including a visit to the Pennsylvania monument on which our ggfather's name is listed. He emigrated from German Switzerland in 1860, age 19, and enlisted in the Union Army in August 1861. He had settled in Pittsburgh among other members of his family who had settled there. My paternal grandfather and grandmother (daughter of the emigre) often drove from their home in Norfolk VA to Pgh & back. I have a great photo of their vehicle parked in front of the Pa. Monument in 1910, very possibly at the time of the dedication. https://gettysburg.stonesentinels.com/union-monuments/pennsylvania/state-of-pennsylvania/
My paternal ggfather on my father's father's side "joined up" with Confederate forces at age 16 ( late 1864), was soon captured, escaped, captured again, escaped and went home to rural NC near Salisbury.
I don't know how you've managed to do all that traveling and taken only one day off--and you really do need that sleep. (On the subject of sleep, I highly recommend Mathew Walker's Why We Sleep. Walker is head of the Human Sleep Science Laboratory at UC Berkeley, and doing without can precipitate all manner of illnesses, and it interferes with learning, as the day's memories are transferred from the during sleep from the hippocampus to the cerebral cortex, which is why it's a huge mistake for students to pull all nighters. Experiments have shown that the ones who do remember little compared to those who get a good night's sleep. Walker brings the science alive.
There are also some fascinating anecdotes. Keith Richards used to sleep with a tape recorder and a guitar nearby, so that if he was inspired in the middle of the night, he could take advantage of it. One morning, he awakened, without any memory of being up the previous night, to find that his tape recorder had been used. He played it, and heard--for the first time ever--the song, Satisfaction, followed by 40 minutes of his snoring.
As a Civil War buff, I'm fascinated to see the photo of Gettysburg, and one of these days I'll have to get there. I have read detailed and fascinating accounts of some of the battles from a northern soldier's viewpoint in Rufus: A Boy's Extraordinary Experiences in the Civil War. Phoebe Sheldon pulled the book together based on her great great grandfather, Rufus Harnden's letters home from the war. He volunteered in 1862 at age 17. Chancellorsville is particularly interesting, with details on the North being routed by Stonewall, just before he was shot.
That snippit of the hippocampus transferring memories to the cerebral cortex is fascinating. It puts science in a simple way to understand how we process our memories and our experiences. In my corner of the world, it is why it is imperative to allow police officers involved in a shooting the time to get a deep sleep cycle before having to give statements regarding their shooting. (This is a relatively new event that has happened in my time in law enforcement and in the realm of Critical Incident Stress Management, and I see it slipping away as far too many police shootings are viewed as allowing the officers to "fabricate" their stories, and that the "facts" must be delivered "at once" which is really contraindicated by the science.)
David, back in summer of 2016, my husband and I took a road trip, looping from the midwest to Blue Ridge Parkway. Along the way we stopped at the Lincoln Museum in Springfield Illinois (well worth the price of admission!) and spent two days in Gettysburg. I highly recommend either hiring a guide or doing what we did, purchasing the CD guide which gives information to each stop it brings you to (took us about 5-6 hours to get through).
While I did not see any ghosts there, I believe the grounds to be highly haunted--both nights there I woke from terrible dreams, waking with a sense of terror, despair and anguish that made my physically feel I was on the verge of death.
It was a very wonderful trip, however, marred by the travel through Pennsylvania where there were so many signs for tfg, literally passed through towns where every, EVERY single house and/or business had one that it was frightening. Almost looked as though you would be targeted and in danger if you did not post one. That is when I realized the election was in trouble.
I drive frequently between Boston and DC, and one of these days I will stop in Gettysburg. It's out of the way, but I like to drive, and I like the wilds of Pennsylvania. Fascinating about the dreams. My intellect doesn't believe in ghosts, but my gut is open on that. Where do you get the CD guide?
I might also do this on a cross-country jaunt I've been meaning to take, and if so, do you have any route recommendations between Gettysburg and Springfield IL?
We purchased it in their gift store there. It gives history in about 5-10 min segments as you drive to each spot. Truly added a lot to the tour.
For our trip, we went west to east with Springfield the first stop, Gettysburg in the middle of the 12 days. (Too much driving on some of the days. I underestimated how much time I'd spend on the Blue Ridge)
We went from Chicago to Springfield (you can also see the home Lincoln lived in while in Springfield, and also visit the cemetery where he is buried).
We drove to Memphis for two days, then had a long day driving west to Asheville, NC. Up the Blue Ridge (what a FANTASIC DRIVE!) headed back west after stopping in Gettysburg.
We spent one day in Pittsburg. (They have a Point Park where the rivers converge and we took a Cog rail up to the bluff which was fun. We weren't able to view the Warhol Museum there, but had a great meal/brew at the Church Brew Works.) From there we went onto Indianapolis where we have family/friends, so no sightseeing there. Indy wouldn't be a bad spot to stop. They have a wonderful Children's Museum there, if there would be any kiddos on your trip.
I've done the northern part of the blue ridge--between rt 66 and Charlottesville, and that is indeed fabulous--and fun driving. Have not been on it below Charlottesville.
Please take care of yourself! America needs your wisdom and insight! I need it!! “Letters from An American” are vital for our democracy! Thank you for all you do and the sacrifices you make for us!
Heather, you may never read this, but I want you to know how treasured you are. I am so very grateful for your steady and thoughtful words that help us navigate very troubled waters. Thank you. From my heart to yours.
Thank you, Akaya. I actually really needed this tonight. Am way too tired! :)
Sleep well, and know that many many more of us feel exactly as Akaya stated so well. The lessons you have imparted via LFAA are priceless. Stay healthy!💜
I guess many of us are concerned about you burning out... your fire has lit many candles. thank you again
Sleep, dear sister. Get some good rest. Love to you.
Seconded
I echo a Susan and Akaya. Tonight you will help me sleep.
Me too. I have such a greater appreciation of who we are as a nation with all of our imperfections thanks to you Professor. You have helped me survive this misinformation nightmare and given me and all of us hope. Thank you for all you do!
Now, "WE" must do all we can financially and with tireless efforts to successfully assure national voter registration + actual intelligent voting at poles, mail-in, etc. by every legal means assist everyone who needs help to VOTE INTELLIGENTLY
PLEASE
THANK YOU
DO IT NOW, TODAY!
I echo all of the love and appreciation to Heather for her stable honesty and enlightenment. I really need help to be able to sleep, have been awake for hours each night while praying for Ukranians, worrying about them.
I woke this morning. Almost the first thing that came to mind was "I will learn something today." Don't tell my wife of 58 years, but I was thinking of you and your LFAA. Thanks, HCR.
In grateful appreciation of Heather's shining a light steadily on history being made, but Sophia, you make an important point not often mentioned.
Heather; please take a multi-vitamin daily, brush your teeth, and eat well (lobster, again???) and although we devour your essays, please get enough sleep.
Yes, I can't imagine how we could understand anything that is happening without you! So looking forward to your broadcast today at 4:00
I miss those talks since I quit FB. I’ve watched everything she’s put on YouTube. I just can’t do FB. 😢
I wish that her FB talks could be on YouTube also. I think HCR reaches many on FB but she is trolled there, and some of the comments are bad. I wonder if she would consider a way that we can see her talks without FB.
I watch her Facebook talks on my phone, turned sideways so I just see her wonderful face and NO comments. Good for my blood pressure.
I rarely look at comments anywhere that I can quickly tell there are jerks and haters there. I wrote a book that had a theory that was meant to be helpful in people understanding different facets of their bright children. It took me several years before I realized I should not read the list serves of the parents who read my book. Their comments and views stewed over the darnedest things! All of us should enjoy this group and just don't pay attention to the people on the wider net unless you're trying to figure them out for some good purpose.
Good idea!!
And I don’t understand that kind of hatred. What’s the point? If you see something you don’t like or disagree with … use your freedom to scroll on by… the hatred is unnecessary.
Some people cannot resist being hateful. HCR is a professor and a woman, so a perfect target. And Facebook and other media give them the perfect opportunity for vile comments. I am on Facebook as it allows me to keep up with people and I belong to several pages that have interesting info and photos. When I have had enough, I read, right now a history of Henry II and Eleanor.
thinking about that... the haters are like a pack of dogs, trained to kill; I suspect a majority of them are "bot" algorithm driven digital creatures (whether email or facebook or twitter,.. just like the robocalls.
Those posts effect each of us who see or read them... gets my adrenaline up.. I have to bite my tongue. It's effective.
Boredom as much as hatred..maybe more so....
Google "Heather Cox Richardson YouTube"
I'm pretty sure HCR's chats are on YouTube - just not the same day.
Google "Heather Cox Richardson YouTube"
I have subscribed to her channel. She hasn’t had time to upload for a couple of years. I am NOT complaining. She’s so busy and yet faithful to LFAA… I'm happy with what I have.
I get it...I am barely a shadow on there anymore!
I didn't know about these talks. Thank you!
Politics on Tuesdays and History on Thursdays. You can watch previous talks also and she has information on her podcasts "Now and Then". What a treasure!
Thanks for the info you guys! Yay!
Politics chat Tuesdays (Today!) at 4 pm, History chat Thursdays at 1 pm EST.
I always try to watch them Live. It makes me feel so connected.
Me too. Then I watch again later, with my husband. One thing (among many) that amazes me is how it feels as if Heather is speaking directly to me. How does she do that when simply facing a camera lens?
Some people have that ability. It is a gift !
I like to imagine that she has a photo of a concerned, attentive face right beside the lens. That's how I would have to do it!
💞
Years of teaching?
Could not agree more!
While you are eagerly awaiting another injection of HCR brain nutrients have you considered doing all you can to successfully assure as many people as possible are also aware of HCR's newsletter and her daaily4:00PM broadcasts?
Every one of us here must be doing the same, wouldn't you agree?
Oh Lord! I am so enthusiastic about telling people about her! I share her letters on FB, Twitter and have send subscriptions to so many people~ I was at Physical Therapy yesterday and by the time the half hour was over I was sure we had lined up another 15 folks! And that's a slow day~!~! Thanks!
WONDERFUL NEWS!
Yes, I recommend her highly to my friends and family, share on FB and my town's Dems Committee, of which I am an active member. Thanks, George!
WONDERFUL!
Idem!
Amaya,
Just know that as much as we treasure Heather’s wise intellect, it won’t change anything unless everyone else reads her too! Pass on, pass on pass on!!!!
Become a royal pest to ALL of your Congress members about your panic that they are not sufficiently rebutting the lies by every one of those NON-Democrats...
I agree wholeheartedly. So grateful for you Heather!
We only have 7 months to gain a positive outcome against ALL those who would destroy American democracy...
it seems the commenting in this newsletter could be one of the better voices belonging to well exercised mouths pronouncing well reasoned facts that must now be broadcasted nationally to inspire all the politically lethargic complacent in their accustomed effortless luxury of political freedoms to vote INTELLIGENTLY!
Success requires tireless work by the confident in their skill to so inspire others that require constant reminders broadcasted everywhere to vote INTELLIGENTLY and how to achieve the desired outcome: Saving American democracy from ALL those who strive to destroy American Constitutional Freedoms!
This is a perfect response. Heather, you are a treasure!
Hi folks: I did realize that I had the date of Pickett's Charge wrong. A typo, I promise! It's fixed now.
Oh my! You made a teensy mistake? My best to you!😁
Thanks for being here in the comments of LFAA. Thank you also for taking the night off. We might miss a couple things from the "firehose" but all in all, you keep us well informed. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Another typo: “Four score(s).” A beautiful piece. Most grateful.
What a beautiful parallel, Heather. Ukraine & Gettysburg. Once again we can all be grateful for your wisdom.
Mr. Welch, my fourth grade teacher, taught us ... insisted we memorize ... Lincoln's words at Gettysburg. Seventy years later his words still touch my soul.
Like my first teacher, you inspire me (us), Heather, to make real our creed in opposition to those - as you so well put it - "men who were fighting to establish a nation based on the proposition that men were created unequal and that some men should rule the rest."
Lincoln's words to Congress in 1862 ring true today "Fellow-citizens, we cannot escape history. We … will be remembered in spite of ourselves. … The fiery trial through which we pass, will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation."
These words of Lincoln now apply to the Ukrainians who will be lighted down in honor to the last generation. It is the Russians who will not escape history.
All Russians are not the same. This is Putin's madness and shame.
So true. I don't think most of his inner circle wanted this war either. They were enjoying their riches.
It is the Russians who will relieve of us of Putin just as we relieved ourselves of TFG. Both are on a path to self destruction. Neither listen to advisors. Both have inflated their egos so much that they fail to consider other viewpoints. Their sense of invincibility is their tragic flaw and they now begin their spiral dives into oblivion.
From your mouth to God's ears!
It is, indeed, Putin's War and will be so named I presume.
So true, Fern. I believe most Russians want the same thing as most Americans--a peaceful life in a Just system.
Great to see you here, Heydon. Thank you for your care and support of the Ukrainians and for all people of good spirit.
Take a look here: https://www.quora.com/Why-dont-the-the-Russian-people-revolt-against-Putin-and-the-oligarchs-now-that-everyone-in-the-world-has-isolated-them
I do not have time or resources to trace the true identity of misha firer. It is my sense that you and others have been captured by a propagandist. Many thousands of Russians in Russia risking their lives as they demonstrate in support Ukraine might give you pause. Your stereotyping of the Russian people may be matched by propaganda in an opposing country claiming that you are Trump's twin as are all Americans. Do you think that the Russians are Putin's twins? How do you feel about the stereotyping of Black people and other minority groups in the USA, the scapegoating, the racism and White Nationalism?
You don't know me-don't accuse me of being captured by propaganda, especially when you are unwilling to accept the facts that the majority of Russians support Putin himself and have done so starting with his slaughter of thousands of Chechnans which he used to establish his credentials to take control of the Russian government; when you ignore the role of Russian forces fighting the opponents of the Syrian dictatorship. Did Putin, all by himself, invade Ukraine and capture Crimea? Did Putin all by himself, invade Donbass and conduct guerilla operations that killed 14000 Ukrainians? Who are the 170,000 troops now fighting in Ukraine? Peruvians? Norwegians? or Russians? Surely, there are many Russians who do not support the war. But until the majority of Russians take the chance to go out and protest; when their men refuse to fight; when their diplomats refuse to support the government; when their senior military officers refuse to continue this war, then the Russians will be able to escape the long judgement of history. As far as stereotyping is concerned you should know that my own Italian immigrant grandmother once defied her local Ku Klux Klan and they burned a cross in front of her house. Do you have this heritage? Don't defame me again.
I questioned the identity of misha firer and asked you several questions. I understand that you are neither your grandmother, nor Donald Trump. Perhaps, you are an expert on the behavior of people ruled by a dictator, the effects of propaganda and complete censorship.
Here is another site you should look at. It is by the former Russian foreign minister calling on Russian diplomats to resign. Let's see what they do. https://twitter.com/andreivkozyrev/status/1498713596900958210
Stan
As Boy Scouts, we hiked the Kentucky Lincoln Trail and we had to memorize that address. We had to recite it.
It was twenty miles done over two days. Colonel Franklin Artemus X died at Cold Harbor. I was reading his letters at UW in Madison. It was amazing they even let me touch them.
Heather I am one who sat in high school history classes in the 60’s taught by football coaches who read our texts ad-nausium. I am finally learning US History from your delightful essays. Thank you Thank you. I am 75, learning from you daily!
Every day I think, ¨They should throw the text books out in America and teach from passion, for history is passion of each moment. They can use Heather as a guide to create opportunities for students to create the moments themselves and then discuss what they learned.
Unfortunately, the passion that many in the coaching corner have is their sport, not their classroom. Our social studies department always had the football coach and believe me, there were some doozies. And the booster club had a hand in the hire. And there was the belief among the coaching corner that coaches had to be on the staff. Otherwise they were sneeringly called rent-a-coaches. I should say that not all coaches were bad teachers, but some of our very worst arrived along that route. In high school, I had world history taught by a Brit; otherwise, it was a wash. I am a history major and a voracious reader of history which makes up for some of that. And I love these letters because I learn so much from Heather...and also from the posters here. So refreshing.
Except some of the passion is fighting the Civil War again.
My mother began college when I did. She got her masters and taught Government and history. She loved it until about 1995 when the students began to change. Surly, uncaring. No support from parents. She quit. I often think that those students are today's angry, snarling right wingers.
I have to say that a lot of the antics I see today remind me of what I saw while in education. I retired in 1997.
I, too remember my high school junior year history class, 1963, a truly memorable year. The one lesson Mr. Bryant emphasized now seems one a true historian like Heather teaches every day. Spanish philosopher, poet, essayist and also a Harvard prof for a while, Jorge Santayana’s famous quote: “Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it.” And according to Wikipedia this last warning, “Only the dead have seen the end of war.” Thank you, Heather and friends, for a history lesson every day. Onward.
I’m 75 too. History was my favorite subject in school. I see now what they taught us was what they wanted us to know. I’m finally learning our history from reading Heather’s letters. Thank you for opening my eyes to the truth. Every single day.
👍👍👍👍
Me too!
You give me a laugh. I had a football coach who taught World History too…which meant he played old movies about WW2 and reviewed his football game strategies. Sigh. I did have a wonderful US History teacher, Rob Hassig! Many of his students from all years still exchange messages and debate current events with him and each other!
I think I had that same history teacher. I can still see the board with the football plays on it. He’d say, “ if Dr. ……. Comes in, this is the Battle of the Bulge.” And we survived.
Lol!
You are not alone, while these are not hour long lectures, they start the conversation that continues way past an hour, and informs my entire day.
Sounds very familiar to this 70’s girl. I hated history class! All I remember is memorizing dates. Nothing about world or American history was taught in a creative way. I am grateful for Heather’s letters! I am learning!
Memorizing " discovery" dates and WAR dates - did one beget the other?
I had an excellent high school history teacher, but she did not venture outside the established curriculum. I have learned so much history in the past 15 years. Like hidden family stories that family members wanted to keep under wraps.
Interesting. My high school history teacher was the basket ball coach.....hmmmm. History wasn't important?
"Social Studies" was considered easy enough for college jocks on athletic scholarships.
These could be my words Julie altho I’m a tad younger. I feel like we are receiving a college education in history and a political view that was not emphasized in fact I realize was swept to the side
Yes, Julia, I know that experience or one similar. My high school history teacher was more informed than the coaches. He was a nice guy with a soft Tennessee lilt to his delivery. But the classroom in the heat of central Florida had no AC, and the class was after lunch, so that combination of circumstances put most people to sleep. Only in much later years while studying my family's involvement in national and world history did I realize that we are all a part of history. At that point, I began to feel the passion and excitement of it all.
Dear Dr. Heather Cox Richardson. In my occasional comments in response to your LFAA, I rarely commend you for your invaluable contributions to the creation of a new global civilization; fortunately, many others do so consistently.
But I take this opportunity to thank you for using your enviable skills and knowledge to inform and inspire your not-so-little digital community and, in the process, to move the needle marking human progress ever so slightly forward. As you have constantly noted, these are trying and dangerous times, but they are also opportune times that offer each of us the possibility of contributing in some small measure, a piece of the puzzle that will become a new era for humanity.
At this moment, I am especially grateful to you in that you have wisely chosen to take this night for what I know is some badly needed rest and rejuvenation. Along with so many others, I worry for your health and welfare when your candle burns, not only at both ends, but in the middle, too.
Sleep well.
Please take care of yourself. Nice to see the colors of the Ukrainian flag in that beautiful sunset.
So true Victor. Flag of the free world right now.
Brilliant observation Victor—thank you 🇺🇦
Take care of yourself-your clarity is important in these complicated times.
Thank you for the perfect picture tonight and the words of President Lincoln. I hope President Biden either uses Lincoln's words or has a memorable line in his speech that children will learn in decades to come. It feels that we are living a pivotal moment in history when the world now unites to stand up for democracy and curb the autocracies. My word tonight is palpable. One of the reporters in Ukraine reported that Ukrainians hate for the Russians was palpable. When I hear the word palpable I think back to June of 1990 when I spent a weekend in Berlin a month before the 2 Germanys reunited. The euphoria about the Berlin wall coming down had been replaced with an anxiety that was palpable with the East Berliners looking at West Germany's much richer society and the West Berliners realizing what it would take to lift East Germany out of the poverty. The Gorbachev/Bush summit was happening in Moscow supposedly to decide what should happen with Germany. It was out of their hands by then. While standing in Berlin you felt that the boulder was rolling down hill and nothing was going to stop the inevitability of the history unfolding on its own. And, yes, I cherish my piece of the Berlin wall colored with the spray paint of freedom.
Wow, Cathy! So interesting. When the wall came down, my uncle, who lived in London, flew to Germany to find out what happened to his parents, my grandparents. He found records that the Nazis kept on every single person they put in camps and murdered. He discovered that his parents were plucked from their home in Berlin and taken to tge gas camp in Chelmno, Poland where they died in 1942.
Wow! Marlene. It is hard to comprehend the horror of the Holocaust. Here in Texas they are banning books in schools under the Critical Race Theory law. One school leader recommended that if they had a book on a "controversial" subject that they should have a book about the opposing view. She used the Holocaust as an example! Like what is an opposing view of the Holocaust!!! https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/southlake-texas-holocaust-books-schools-rcna2965 Texas is now an autocracy and I hope what is happening in the world uniting against autocracy will spread into Texas! I want to see the Republicans who are supporting Putin because TFDG admires Putin and other autocrats show support of President Biden's work in uniting NATO and supporting Ukraine tomorrow night at the State of the Union speech. I'm expecting to be disappointed in them.
Cathy, today is your state's chance to start change...election day. I hope Beto et al can bring the purple state of TX a little closer to blue!
Cathy thanks for all you do for Texas, the League if Women Voters and us!!
Cathy; It seems unbelievable in this time, in Democracy, that books are banned for teaching the Truth. Is it like a book burning from the Nazi era? I hope that is not where we are headed, such a great divide between citizens upholding freedom and Democracy and those who are trying to destroy it, book by book.
Want to ❤️ this sooo bad! Texas has its own autocratic regime. How dare they ban books, tell women that they have to be monitored 24/7, take blacks and other people of color off the voter roll, etc????they are abhorrent and Abbott’s name should really be Abort!
Hard to heart this, but such tales need to be told.
Yes they all need to be told. We were never taught about how horrid the white man was to Africans. Never told of the rapes and separations of family. That’s why we must reveal these stories.
I was never told of the after-church lynchings, the rapes by owners, the horror of it all. Just that blacks were inferior, not that they had been hobbled before the starting line. Although current generation didn’t do these things, many racists today, would if they could. We need acknowledgment before healing. Hiding the truth will cripple our children, not protect them.
I’m so sorry, Marlene. There are no words except a prayer, Kaddish, for the deaths of your grandparents and of all the victims of the Nazis. And now for all those lost in the war in Ukraine.
🙏
Thank you, Irenie. Kaddish has been said many many times. All of those who are being uprooted in Ukraine have my heart.
😔
Cathy, thank you for your beautiful story. The price of freedom is paid every day when we share with people who are not living that dream of freedom. Especially when they are looking through a wall at the other side. Your example is perfect. Putin is trying to hold in that strong desire for freedom, but his people are rebelling, protesting. Who knows how long it will take, but the Ukrainian people and government are right there as a reminder every day. We only achieve and keep these freedoms through struggle and gratitude.
Cathy, thank you for your story. I was in Berlin 2 yrs. after the wall came down. Taxi drivers in W. Berlin still had trouble finding their way to locations in E. Berlin. It was a history lesson to see it all. 10 yrs. later upon returning to Berlin, there had been a complete turn around. Areas we had visited earlier were bustling with new hotels, restaurants and shops. Museum Island was all together. It was impressive, to say the least. I pray that 10 yrs. from now we will see a free and restored Ukraine democracy!
Your letter tonight was magnificent. The unity felt around the world of nations has definitely become the symbol for Americans to heed the words of Lincoln.
God bless and keep you. You are helping all of us hold onto the hope we need, the courage to stand fast. Please take care of yourself, and thank you for the wisdom and breadth of vision you have shared with us. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE to our country! <3
Thank you Heather and Buddy for bringing us to the spot in the photo of the Angle, the high-water mark of the Confederacy. There on a battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on July 2, 1863, the United States soldiers stopped the Confederate soldiers of Pickett’s Charge, and turned back the men who were fighting to establish a nation based on the proposition that men were created unequal and that some men should rule the rest. (Letter)
Today on March 1, 2022, in Ukraine, the United States of America and other countries around the world we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all people are created equal and endowed by unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among people deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. (edit from the Declaration of Independence)
Today and tomorrow we feel the urgency, the challenge and the determination to bring these truths to the fore.
Afraid
Langston Hughes - 1901-1967
We cry among the skyscrapers
As our ancestors
Cried among the palms in Africa
Because we are alone,
It is night,
And we’re afraid.
From The Weary Blues (Alfred A. Knopf, 1926) by Langston Hughes. This poem is in the public domain.
Good .morning Fern. Just awake. Trying to catch up
Allen, you just made me happy . I've been up for several hours, and realized that I haven't checked the news. I don't expect it to be good, perhaps, some avoidance on my part. Now, I will look. You know that you are surrounded by forum love. We will do what what we can and want to do more than that. Blessings.
Love "forum love," Fern...
❤️🌿❤️
💞
Hi Allen - I am glad to know that you can sleep. It is such a relief every time that you check in. The news is rather dismal. Evidently, serious damage in Kharkiv. It is almost 3 a.m. where I am and I absolutely must get some sleep, but it is difficult to rest. Stay safe. You have a lot of people praying for you and sending you love.
🙏🙏🙏
💞
Thank you for checking in Allen. It’s a blessing to hear your voice. We are always with you. Our arms around you and family and all the people of Ukraine. Be safe. Love and hope, dear friend.
❤️🌿❤️
Allen was recently interviewed on Saskatchewan radio. I think you'll find it interesting. https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-66-the-morning-edition-sask/clip/15897599-sask.-man-living-ukraine-staying-put-home-country
What a gift to hear Allen today. Thank you so much, Imogene. Now when we’re writing letters we’ll be talking to Allen at the same time.
Thank you SO MUCH for this! I have copied the link and just forwarded to about a dozen friends. I do not do social media but I hope those who do will so! I am going to credit you and repost this here so it hopefully gets more attention.
Forwarded to friends and families and collegues!! Thank You Imogene!
Thank You!! So good to hear Alan's voice and his clear, strong, intelligent message!! More HUGS Alan, to you and your family.
Thank you, Imogene. Good to hear Allen is "hanging in."
Hi again, Allen. I'm going to try to get a couple of hours of sleep. We are all looking out for you. Whenever you comment on the forum, we'll find you. 🌿
Great to hear Allen's voice- " my wife isn't leaving. And I'm not leaving her" - This is one of those rare moments where the struggle of Ukraine to remain autonomous has reached the hearts of every one - and brought shame to their oppressors. Allen, it really helps to know you and your family and your cats are OK- I'm a cat lover too- I know what it means to be a cat parent. Stay safe.
Thank you for this, Richard. Putin is going against the Ukraine's infrastructure to break the resistance. Allen. Pushing Biden to get you timely intelligence. Americans are demonstrating in support of Ukraine around the country.
Good Morning Alan! Your interview from Ukraine with Canadian Morning Edition is superb, insightful and heart wrenching. Thank you so much for telling your story so we can understand, and hopefully act to help.
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-66-the-morning-edition-sask/clip/15897599-sask.-man-living-ukraine-staying-put-home-country.
P.S. My kids teased me here in Michigan, USA, when I put up so much "War Flour" when g.w. bush launched the Iraq war. Wish I could send you a dozen 25 pound bags. Wish more (and pray) that this invasion will be over long before you need to open another bag.
Good morning, Allen! I am so happy to find you here this morning. It is 8:42:am in Indiana. Now I can continue to clean my house! And, I am thankful to have a house to clean! God bless and keep you, Tanya and Lucky (family and friends) safe!
Thank Heavens! I couldn't wait to communicate with you -- stopped scrolling the minute your name appeared on the forum. Please report if you can. Blessings to you and all Ukrainians - the brave and the good!
Me too!
❤️
Thanks for checking in Allen. How are you, Tanya, and Lucky? Are you and your family and neighbors able to get food? Following new people on Twitter and Facebook is helping me know what's happening in Ukraine. To make sure you en famille are safe, I now also check your FB page. It is interesting and enlightening to get your point of view. I enjoyed your recent interview on Saskatchewan radio. If you don't mind, I'll post a link here for others.
Oh for sure. It's my 15 minutes of fame.
We have enough food etc to end of March though we may run out of flour. Our critters have enough food for longer than that
Great! I'll post your interview. It helps spread support by feeling connected to you and understanding what you're going through. So glad you all have enough food!
😊
We love you, Allen, you wise, loving, sane, courageous man!
Now don't over do it
Certainly not! Self-deprecating Canadians are such a delightful change from self-important people about in the US.
😂
❤
Yay, Allen. Here and awake! Thank you...
💞
❤️🌿❤️
Dear Fern, poetry touches our hearts in profound ways. Langston Hughes’ words are perfect for this moment. For posterity. Thank you for sharing.
🌿
Everyone should visit Gettysburg, more than once if possible. To immerse oneself in a place of such horror and heroism, to reflect on what took place there, is one of the most profoundly moving experiences one can have.
I've been there several times. The souls are palpable. The power is almost overwhelming. It's sacred ground, indeed.
In 2001, my sister and I spent a couple of days in Gettysburg including a visit to the Pennsylvania monument on which our ggfather's name is listed. He emigrated from German Switzerland in 1860, age 19, and enlisted in the Union Army in August 1861. He had settled in Pittsburgh among other members of his family who had settled there. My paternal grandfather and grandmother (daughter of the emigre) often drove from their home in Norfolk VA to Pgh & back. I have a great photo of their vehicle parked in front of the Pa. Monument in 1910, very possibly at the time of the dedication. https://gettysburg.stonesentinels.com/union-monuments/pennsylvania/state-of-pennsylvania/
My paternal ggfather on my father's father's side "joined up" with Confederate forces at age 16 ( late 1864), was soon captured, escaped, captured again, escaped and went home to rural NC near Salisbury.
I don't know how you've managed to do all that traveling and taken only one day off--and you really do need that sleep. (On the subject of sleep, I highly recommend Mathew Walker's Why We Sleep. Walker is head of the Human Sleep Science Laboratory at UC Berkeley, and doing without can precipitate all manner of illnesses, and it interferes with learning, as the day's memories are transferred from the during sleep from the hippocampus to the cerebral cortex, which is why it's a huge mistake for students to pull all nighters. Experiments have shown that the ones who do remember little compared to those who get a good night's sleep. Walker brings the science alive.
There are also some fascinating anecdotes. Keith Richards used to sleep with a tape recorder and a guitar nearby, so that if he was inspired in the middle of the night, he could take advantage of it. One morning, he awakened, without any memory of being up the previous night, to find that his tape recorder had been used. He played it, and heard--for the first time ever--the song, Satisfaction, followed by 40 minutes of his snoring.
As a Civil War buff, I'm fascinated to see the photo of Gettysburg, and one of these days I'll have to get there. I have read detailed and fascinating accounts of some of the battles from a northern soldier's viewpoint in Rufus: A Boy's Extraordinary Experiences in the Civil War. Phoebe Sheldon pulled the book together based on her great great grandfather, Rufus Harnden's letters home from the war. He volunteered in 1862 at age 17. Chancellorsville is particularly interesting, with details on the North being routed by Stonewall, just before he was shot.
Somehow I’ve long known that Keith Richards is an apparition
LOL!
Immortal
That snippit of the hippocampus transferring memories to the cerebral cortex is fascinating. It puts science in a simple way to understand how we process our memories and our experiences. In my corner of the world, it is why it is imperative to allow police officers involved in a shooting the time to get a deep sleep cycle before having to give statements regarding their shooting. (This is a relatively new event that has happened in my time in law enforcement and in the realm of Critical Incident Stress Management, and I see it slipping away as far too many police shootings are viewed as allowing the officers to "fabricate" their stories, and that the "facts" must be delivered "at once" which is really contraindicated by the science.)
WOW!!!
David, back in summer of 2016, my husband and I took a road trip, looping from the midwest to Blue Ridge Parkway. Along the way we stopped at the Lincoln Museum in Springfield Illinois (well worth the price of admission!) and spent two days in Gettysburg. I highly recommend either hiring a guide or doing what we did, purchasing the CD guide which gives information to each stop it brings you to (took us about 5-6 hours to get through).
While I did not see any ghosts there, I believe the grounds to be highly haunted--both nights there I woke from terrible dreams, waking with a sense of terror, despair and anguish that made my physically feel I was on the verge of death.
It was a very wonderful trip, however, marred by the travel through Pennsylvania where there were so many signs for tfg, literally passed through towns where every, EVERY single house and/or business had one that it was frightening. Almost looked as though you would be targeted and in danger if you did not post one. That is when I realized the election was in trouble.
Hard to believe that the cult has taken over so many lives. I hope some have “woke” but I do believe that cults don’t deprogram themselves
Indeed! And we were driving with my large "FEEL THE BERN" magnet on my car. We'd get gas and get right back on the interstate!
It is hard to feel safe in a sea of red. Never felt this way before re politics.
I drive frequently between Boston and DC, and one of these days I will stop in Gettysburg. It's out of the way, but I like to drive, and I like the wilds of Pennsylvania. Fascinating about the dreams. My intellect doesn't believe in ghosts, but my gut is open on that. Where do you get the CD guide?
I might also do this on a cross-country jaunt I've been meaning to take, and if so, do you have any route recommendations between Gettysburg and Springfield IL?
We purchased it in their gift store there. It gives history in about 5-10 min segments as you drive to each spot. Truly added a lot to the tour.
For our trip, we went west to east with Springfield the first stop, Gettysburg in the middle of the 12 days. (Too much driving on some of the days. I underestimated how much time I'd spend on the Blue Ridge)
We went from Chicago to Springfield (you can also see the home Lincoln lived in while in Springfield, and also visit the cemetery where he is buried).
We drove to Memphis for two days, then had a long day driving west to Asheville, NC. Up the Blue Ridge (what a FANTASIC DRIVE!) headed back west after stopping in Gettysburg.
We spent one day in Pittsburg. (They have a Point Park where the rivers converge and we took a Cog rail up to the bluff which was fun. We weren't able to view the Warhol Museum there, but had a great meal/brew at the Church Brew Works.) From there we went onto Indianapolis where we have family/friends, so no sightseeing there. Indy wouldn't be a bad spot to stop. They have a wonderful Children's Museum there, if there would be any kiddos on your trip.
I've done the northern part of the blue ridge--between rt 66 and Charlottesville, and that is indeed fabulous--and fun driving. Have not been on it below Charlottesville.
It's not quite clear to me--did you get the CD in Springfield or Gettysburg? Thanks!
Sorry. Gettysburg gift shop.
I too am so grateful for you Heather. And take very good care of yourself. Thank you from my heart and mind.
Thank you for bringing us all together, Professor Richardson.
Salud to freedom!
Please take care of yourself! America needs your wisdom and insight! I need it!! “Letters from An American” are vital for our democracy! Thank you for all you do and the sacrifices you make for us!