Book Review: Make My Day by J. Hoberman Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) was the first president of the United States to have been a movie star. Motion pictures that he’d worked in and that he saw certainly affected his politics, and his politics affected the movies that came out during his time in office. This volume… Continue reading Book Review: Make My Day
Tag: Democratic Party
Book Review: Lincoln and Chief Justice Taney: Slavery, Secession and the President’s War Powers
Book Review: Lincoln and Chief Justice Taney: Slavery, Secession and the President’s War Powers by James E. Simon Those of us with a cursory knowledge of American history, like myself, have heard of the Dred Scott decision of 1857, in which Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger B. Taney opined that the black man had no… Continue reading Book Review: Lincoln and Chief Justice Taney: Slavery, Secession and the President’s War Powers
Book Review: Abraham Lincoln: Selected Speeches and Writings
Book Review: Abraham Lincoln: Selected Speeches and Writings by Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) was the sixteenth president of the United States, shepherding the nation through the dark days of the American Civil War. Though mostly self-educated, he had a gift for the English language, making memorable speeches and writing interest letters. Because of his… Continue reading Book Review: Abraham Lincoln: Selected Speeches and Writings
Book Review: A Carnival of Buncombe
Book Review: A Carnival of Buncombe by H.L. Mencken The 2016 presidential election campaign has already begun, so let’s take a look at a book about elections of the past, shall we? H.L. Mencken (1880-1948) was a newspaperman, most famously on the Baltimore, Maryland Sun. For a number of years, he had a weekly opinion column published… Continue reading Book Review: A Carnival of Buncombe
Book Review: Our Man in Charleston
Book Review: Our Man in Charleston by Christopher Dickey One of the great things about reading history books is learning about obscure people whose lives illuminate a corner of time. In school history classes, the emphasis tends to be on larger stories, a few “great men” (possibly a woman or two) and lots of dates… Continue reading Book Review: Our Man in Charleston