Posted in seeker, tagged democracy, history, Thomas Jefferson on January 4, 2008 | 4 Comments »
Hamilton Versus Jefferson on Popular Rule. A short set of quotes by Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. (But the collector apparently doesn’t know that one was Jefferson paraphrasing the Leveler Richard Rumbold who said, “There was no man born marked of God above another, for none comes into the world with a saddle on his [...]
Posted in seeker, tagged history on December 16, 2007 | 3 Comments »
..than I tend to give him. And, if this is accurate, Washington was also a better man than I thought: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson & Slavery in Virginia.
Thanks, alansmithee!
Posted in seeker, tagged history, race on September 29, 2007 | 2 Comments »
From here:
With features as conspicuously Negroid as they were reputed to be by her contemporaries, it is no wonder that the black community, both in the U.S. and throughout the British Commonwealth, have rallied around pictures of Queen Charlotte for generations. They have pointed out the physiological traits that so obviously identify the ethnic strain [...]
Posted in seeker, tagged history, Hollywood on March 21, 2007 | 9 Comments »
1. In Sparta, homosexuality was very common; in Zoroastrian Persia, it was considered a perversion. (See Homosexuality in the militaries of ancient Greece and Middle Eastern Literature: Persian.)
2. The Spartans did not fight alone; 700 Thespians also fought to the death beside them. (See Battle of Thermopylae.)
3. The decisive victory against Persia was fought at [...]
Posted in seeker, tagged history, mithraism, religion on January 10, 2007 | 5 Comments »
Bill Colsher sent email that I’m posting here (with his permission). I’ll interrupt it to address a few points, but I thought the whole thing was worth sharing:
Words:
Pater Patratus - was a fetial priest whose job was to make sure the gods were properly informed of the reasons for war and then to formally declare [...]
Posted in seeker, tagged history on December 20, 2006 | 2 Comments »
The seven-day week began with the Sumerians, who tied seven days to seven gods and planets. The Babylonians took the week and changed Sumerian gods to their Babylonian equivalents: Shamash (the sun), Sin (the moon), Nergal (god of conflict), Nabu (god of writing and learning), Marduk (the high god), Ishtar (god of love) and Ninurta [...]
Posted in seeker, tagged history on March 2, 2006 | 7 Comments »
Some people think the Civil War was simply a war to end slavery, but few wars are simple. A few illustrations:
Did the South have the right to secede?
“If the Union was formed by the accession of States, then the Union may be dissolved by the secession of States.” Daniel Webster, 1833
Did Lincoln plan to [...]
Posted in seeker, tagged history, race on February 21, 2006 | No Comments »
I read about this issue ages ago, then couldn’t find it again. Salon is visiting it in Jim Crow and the Indians:
“Freedmen,” blacks whose ancestors were enslaved by Cherokee and other tribes, are suing to become tribal citizens. But the tribes say they are ineligible because they don’t have Indian blood.
As soon as you decide [...]
Posted in seeker, tagged Confederacy, history, race, slavery on September 10, 2005 | 3 Comments »
I was thinking about what a complex history New Orleans had, so I did some googling, and as often happens, found more than I was looking for:
Black Slave Owners & Free Slaves
Robert E. Lee on Black Troops and the Confederacy
the will of Betsey Sompayrac, a free woman of color and a slave owner
