She uses primary documents such as diaries, journals, and notes, combined with secondary sources such as biographies, historical articles, and historian's viewpoints of times and individuals in history. She combines a deep understanding of history with the ability to see beyond words to engage the feelings and inner thoughts of individuals in their written words. Normally, this reliance on "feelings" and intuition does not play largely in history, but Freeman feels it is an important aspect of her research. She writes, "Although historians typically dismiss such evidence as personal, idiosyncratic, and trivial - useful for little more than spicing up biographies and historical narratives - feelings are vital passageways to an intuitive level of thought" (Freeman 289-290). Thus, this book is different, not because of the research, but because the author attempted to personalize the research, thus personalizing the individuals for the reader. If there is anything to criticize about this work, it is her determination to show how mismanaged the American government has always been. She maintains that the strict code of honor is one of the only threads that held the new nation together, and that bickering, shifting loyalties, and personal motives would have destroyed the New Republic had this code of honor not been in place. However, her research actually points to many good, decent individuals, such as William Plumer and William Maclay, who strove to create a viable, working government admit chaos, disorganization, and the disintegration of political parties. Certainly, the atmosphere was charged with emotion, disagreement, and personal motives - the men were human, after all. However, this theme pervades the book. It would have been more balanced, it seems, if more attention was given to some of those members of the government who managed to get along without the petty differences, personal motives, and petty grievances that bothered so many of their cohorts. Certainly, these men existed, and the book would have been stronger...
That is not to say the author is not extremely good at presenting her arguments and research. However, it seems that while her thesis is readily proved, there could have been more than a code of honor that helped keep the politicians in check. There had to be some that were so committed, they did not need a code of honor to justify their actions, they were simply honorable men.
Alexander Hamilton carried on an affair with the wife of "a notorious political schemer," Maria Reynolds. Andrew Jackson married Rachel Jackson before her divorce from Lewis Robards was finalized and therefore was accused of marrying a married woman. Jackson's opponent in 1828, John Quincy Adams, was in turn accused of "corrupt bargaining" during his term. Jackson also championed Margaret O'Neill Timberlake, who married his secretary of war, John Eaton.
American History prior 1877 signed . Start introduction paragraph discuss historical events / people occurances, devote approximately page topic chosen. "Unimportant" American Events In spite of the fact that they had a decisive influence on the American society, particular historic events are likely to be forgotten by the masses. Little people know something regarding Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" pamphlet or about the influence that it had on colonists during the War
Great War in American history does not signify any greatness for the disastrous affects it left behind. The aftermath of the civil war had been damaging for the Americans, which resulted in their rebuking the African-Americans, with a biased attitude towards their slavery. The book 'A lesson before Dying' emphasis on such a community, where the outcome of the wars were still hanging on their shoulders, yet it was
History As Myth This-based Myth Atreus Thyestes In paper I conversational I supposed a myth teacher a continuing education program geared library patrons aged 50+, a conversation actual essay. Below directions assignment: Briefly describe a historical event, a controversy, a world event, a current event, a military group action, a political event group, a religious group action, a similar phenomenon. Thyestes and Atreus: The great Civil War of Mycenae Once upon a time,
Nelson's violent images call upon the reader to behold the corpse of Till, forcing the reader into a state of seismic cultural shock, as America has long been eager to forget its racist legacy (Harold, 2006, p.263). Trethewey's first lines of her book are gentler, but there is always the urge to remember: "Truth be told, I do not want to forget anything of my former life" (Trethewey, p.1) The
Americans are reminded incessantly these days that slavery was a terrible thing. In today's politically correct society, some blacks are challenging reparations for slavery because their remote ancestors were slaves. Slavery is routinely used to bash the South, although the slave trade began in the North, and slavery was once used in every state in the Union. Today's historians assure people of America that the War for Southern Independence was
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