#american-history — Public Fediverse posts

Like share Requote, this should be viral

https://www.urbanmind.net/display/f7dd981d-106a-de0b-323b-1cb394846657

https://www.europesays.com/africa/487735/ Why Thousands of South Asians Were Forced Out of East Africa #Africa #AmericanHistory #AncientHistory #AncientHistoryBlog #AncientPhilosophy #ArtBlog #ArtistsBlog #ContemporaryArt #EuropeanHistory #HistoryBlog #HistoryOfPolitics #HistoryOfReligion #LatinAndSouthAmericanHistory #MedievalHistory #MilitaryHistory #ModernArt #ModernPhilosophy #Philosophy #PhilosophyBlog #RenaissanceHistory #TravelAndCulture #WorldHistory #WWI #WWII

West Virginia’s Wildly Underrated Town Boasts A National Historical Park, Shops, And Local Dining https://www.diningandcooking.com/us/61459/ #AmericanHistory #HarpersFerry #RonaldReaganWashingtonNationalAirport #WestVirginia #WestVirginiaDining #WestVirginiaFood #WestVirginiaGroceryStores #WestVirginiaRestaurants

Chalk Stain: A Memoir of Nothing but Lies

Jonathan DeCoteau’s Chalk Stain is a funny and outspoken memoir built around a boy’s fourth-grade world in 1985 and 1986, with an adult narrator who cheerfully admits to reshaping his memories. Its subtitle, A Memoir of Nothing but Lies, gives you a good sense of the invitation: come along for the stories, the exaggerations, and the feelings that have survived the years. School, family life, neighborhood friendships, and a developing love of reading provide the setting, while embarrassment supplies plenty of fuel. DeCoteau remembers childhood as a time when a haircut could feel like a public emergency and a small kindness could stay with you for decades. That sense of scale makes the book easy to enter, especially if you remember taking your own childhood troubles very seriously.

The voice does much of the work here. DeCoteau piles up outrageous comparisons, sarcastic observations, and punchlines, often turning his younger self into the most ridiculous person in the room. His descriptions of teachers and bullies have the exaggerated proportions of characters in a child’s imagination, and the dialogue moves with the speed of an argument nobody plans to surrender. MTV, toy catalogs, cartoons, and school reading programs help give these memories their particular texture. The references also show how thoroughly popular culture stocked this boy’s imagination, supplying the language he used to understand practically everything. The humor is earthy, with plenty of profanity and bodily jokes. Sometimes a comparison runs long or a point gets another punchline after it’s already landed, but the narrator’s enthusiasm keeps the pages moving.

What gave the book its staying power for me was the affection running through all that commotion. DeCoteau’s mother brings warmth and reassurance, while his father’s grumbling and blunt advice create some of the liveliest exchanges. Siblings, classmates, and neighbors fill out a world of competing personalities, with the family animals claiming a considerable share of the attention. The writing becomes especially tender when it turns toward the natural world, the attachments we form, and the way ordinary moments gain significance as we grow older. Faith is part of that outlook, expressed through gratitude, wonder, and the responsibility to care for other people. The chapters frequently move from comic chaos into reflection, and the adult narrator is candid about his younger self’s ignorance and mistakes. Some closing lessons are spelled out quite firmly, but the feelings behind them are convincing.

I’d recommend Chalk Stain to adults who grew up in the 1980s, readers who enjoy outspoken family memoirs, and anyone who remembers being the awkward kid with an imagination that outran their social skills. Animal lovers will recognize the affectionate exasperation of sharing a home with creatures that seem determined to dismantle it. Writers and devoted readers should also appreciate the attention given to discovering books and wanting to create something of your own, even when encouragement is scarce. The short, episodic chapters make it an inviting book to read a little at a time, though its lively voice encourages longer visits. DeCoteau gives those early years the messiness, intensity, and warmth they deserve. I came away most struck by how closely his urge to tell stories is tied to his urge to keep the people and places he loves within reach.

Pages: 125 | ASIN : B0H6JG97MV

Coal, Unions, and the worst prison in America.

http://www.alexluyckx.com/blog/2026/10/22/between-darkness-light-brushy-mountain-state-penitentiary/

#history #photography #filmphotography #americanhistory #urbanexploration #believeinfilm #shootfilmbenice

CIA reports misread Saddam's plans for years. Those errors shaped policy long before 2003.
#books #bookreview #CIAIntelligenceFailures #AmericanHistory
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/saddam-hussein-cia-iraq/

This book proves history holds stories bigger than most movies.
#books #bookreview #TrueStory #AmericanHistory
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/spies-in-the-congo/

France, Oh, France, what have they done?

“When demonstrations across France and other parts of Western Europe erupt into chaos and violent rioting, the most important question may not be why people took to the streets, but what happened between the first protest and the first act of violence. Who or what transformed public frustration into disorder?”

Just this past week, France, along with several other Western European countries, experienced a wave of protests that initially appeared relatively harmless but subsequently escalated into chaos and violent rioting. Yet the transition between these two points raises questions that cannot be dismissed as incidental. How did these demonstrations move from peaceful protest to widespread disorder, and who or what forces contributed to that transformation? The precise mechanisms behind this escalation remain unclear, while the narratives used to explain the unrest risk obscuring the very questions that deserve the closest scrutiny. This raises a series of alarming questions that demand serious investigation, particularly in an age when the global system of governance and established international order appear not merely to be fracturing, but increasingly desperate to preserve their authority in the face of the possibility that they may lose their capacity to rule.

History has shown us this pattern before, and its consequences for the Christian West have rarely been what its architects promised. America proved something of an anomaly in this historical cycle, owing in part to what can be understood as providential circumstances and to the intervention of figures such as Thomas Handasyd Perkins, whose role in the struggle over global commerce helped shape the economic conditions under which the newly ratified Constitution would take effect and resist the revolutionary culture of “freedom” that critics increasingly associated with vice and social disorder. France, however, presents a different and more troubling case: its Revolution became an explicit challenge to the Christian and Catholic foundations of European monarchy, as revolutionary rhetoric cast King Louis XVI in the role of an enemy of the people and, in some circles, even an Antichrist, a message that reverberated far beyond France’s borders.

It is important to recognize that revolutions and major secessionist movements rarely emerge in a vacuum or unfold solely as spontaneous expressions of popular will. Rather, they must be examined within the broader shifts occurring in the world-system, particularly those involving economic power, commercial networks, and the transfer of control from one elite group to another. This is where the sleight of hand often lies: political and moral arguments become the public-facing justification for movements whose underlying economic and institutional struggles may be far more consequential. Understanding this dynamic requires us to look beyond the rhetoric of freedom, justice, and popular sovereignty and investigate who stands to gain, who stands to lose, and how power is being reorganized beneath the surface. The question of who is funding the groups involved in the protests and what purpose do or have they served.

With this in mind, the framework through which we analyze these events must shift. The initial narrative advanced by many mainstream media outlets presents the unrest as the result of growing student dissatisfaction, particularly among secondary-school students, with the conditions of the schools they attend daily and the increasing shortage of teachers, a problem that extends far beyond France and affects education systems across multiple countries. Yet the uniformity of this narrative raises questions of its own, particularly when much of the global media landscape operates within overlapping networks of corporate ownership, elite investment, and financial influence. Rather than accepting the prevailing explanation at face value, we must examine not only the grievances being reported but also how the narrative is constructed, whose interests it serves, and whether the broader economic and political forces shaping these events are receiving the scrutiny they deserve.

The first question that must be addressed when evaluating this narrative is how well it holds up under statistical scrutiny. The available data present a somewhat ambiguous picture, particularly when France is compared with other Western nations experiencing similar educational challenges. If these conditions are not substantially different from those elsewhere, why have they not generated the same level of international concern or unrest? France has approximately 5.61 million secondary students and 485,450 secondary teachers, although these figures naturally fluctuate from year to year. Average class sizes generally fall between 25 and 30 students, though the accuracy and representativeness of these figures warrant further examination; actual classroom conditions may be considerably more crowded in some settings. Student performance, meanwhile, has declined in key subjects, including mathematics, reading, and science, reflecting a broader pattern of educational difficulty across much of Western Europe and the United States. Although reported declines are significant, questions remain about how assessment standards and proficiency thresholds influence the way these results are presented. Comparisons with systems such as Texas raise an additional concern: when grading standards and definitions of proficiency differ, a passing designation does not necessarily indicate equivalent levels of academic mastery. A 75% being a mastering grade and an 40% being a grade that meets grade level.

The teacher shortage presents an equally complicated picture. France reportedly experienced approximately 2,400 voluntary departures among public-sector teachers during the 2024–2025 period, a figure that, in isolation, does not suggest an extraordinary exodus and appears broadly consistent with the challenges confronting other Western education systems. However, voluntary departures represent only one dimension of the problem. Difficulties recruiting qualified candidates, filling vacant positions, and retaining teachers who have not yet completed the credentialing process complicate any attempt to assess the true scale of the shortage. In the United States, teacher-retention concerns have likewise persisted, with estimates often suggesting that many educators leave the profession within their first five years, although the precise rate varies by study, location, and definition of attrition. The same issues persist in filling vacancies, hiring qualified candidates and other variables that add to the issue. Taken together, these statistics raise legitimate questions about whether the educational grievances cited in the prevailing narrative adequately explain the scale and intensity of the unrest. Declining academic performance, crowded classrooms, and difficulties recruiting and retaining teachers are serious problems that deserve sustained attention. Recognizing legitimate grievances is not the same as accepting them as a sufficient explanation for political violence. Yet such conditions are not unique to France, nor do they, by themselves, explain why protests escalate into attacks on police, the destruction of public buildings, or the burning of Catholic churches.

There is, of course, a certain irony in the grievances themselves. One factor that the “students” appear not to have identified as central to their concerns is their own role in the problem, alongside that of their parents and, arguably, the broader generational attitudes inherited from their grandparents. Teachers who leave the profession or choose not to apply for teaching positions frequently cite three primary concerns: student behavior, a lack of administrative support, and insufficient support from parents. These issues, however, represent only part of a much larger problem. Another significant source of frustration is the growing administrative burden placed on teachers, including excessive paperwork and additional responsibilities that often have little to do with teaching itself. In many cases, these duties stem from administrative decisions that transfer responsibilities downward, leaving teachers to shoulder work that should be handled elsewhere.

The result is a system that increasingly appears to work against the very people responsible for educating its students. Teachers are expected to maintain classroom discipline, meet academic benchmarks, complete mounting administrative requirements, and produce measurable results, yet they often receive insufficient support from administrators and parents when students fail academically or behave inappropriately. Responsibility becomes displaced: administrators avoid accountability for institutional failures, parents may resist acknowledging their children’s shortcomings, and students themselves have fewer incentives to accept responsibility for their actions or academic performance.

The problem is compounded when students are promoted regardless of whether their grades demonstrate genuine mastery of the material. When advancement becomes disconnected from achievement, the educational system risks prioritizing the financial and institutional incentives attached to enrollment and student progression over meaningful learning. In such an environment, accountability becomes the teacher’s burden, while the authority to enforce it is steadily diminished. If students are genuinely protesting the very conditions that, arguably, have enabled academic mediocrity and weakened personal accountability, then the contradiction is difficult to ignore. Such a protest would raise serious questions about whether the students fully understand the underlying problems they claim to oppose.

The cost of living presents a considerably more compelling and consequential avenue of inquiry, particularly when examined within the broader context of how the global economic system is developing. The repercussions of these changes extend far beyond France and are not confined to the other countries currently experiencing similar unrest. Rather, they reflect broader economic pressures that transcend national borders, affecting household finances, purchasing power, and the ability of ordinary people to maintain their standard of living. There also appears to be a generational dimension to this problem, as those who are forty and younger often face significant financial pressures, particularly in relation to housing, employment, and the rising cost of everyday necessities. The precise extent of that burden varies, of course, according to income, profession, household circumstances, and access to accumulated wealth. Nevertheless, recent conflict in the Middle East has added another potential source of economic pressure, particularly through its effects on energy prices, transportation, and the wider cost of goods. The question, then, is what the French government can realistically do to alleviate these pressures and whether its response has been adequate. From this perspective, the government’s apparent inability to provide meaningful relief raises questions about both its capacity and its competence to address the underlying economic challenges.

What makes the situation particularly intriguing, however, is the apparent contrast between the scale of the unrest depicted in photographs and videos and the everyday activities that continue around it. In some of these images, people can be seen jogging through nearby streets or dining on restaurant patios within earshot of the reported disturbances. Such scenes raise questions about the geographic reach, intensity, and actual disruption caused by the unrest in particular locations. They also complicate any attempt to determine how broadly the economic grievances being expressed are shared or how urgently they are felt by the population at large. After all, if the cost of living has become sufficiently unbearable to drive people into the streets, one might reasonably ask why the visible disruption does not appear to interrupt ordinary life for everyone in the surrounding area.

The central question, therefore, is whether the economic pressures facing these communities have become severe enough to persuade people to risk the comforts, security, and relative stability associated with life in a modern Western society in order to participate in protests whose consequences may be unpredictable. Theoretically, the answer is yes: people may be willing to risk considerable personal hardship when they believe their economic circumstances have become intolerable or that established institutions are no longer capable of addressing their grievances. Yet that theoretical possibility should not be mistaken for a demonstrated explanation of the unrest in France. The more important question is whether the economic grievances being presented adequately explain the scale, distribution, and character of the unrest or whether a fuller explanation requires us to examine the wider political and global economic conditions in which these events are unfolding.

The third aspect to consider is the violence itself. Throughout the history of revolutionary movements, accounts have frequently emerged of local residents distancing themselves from those responsible for disorder, arguing that the individuals involved are neither from their communities nor representative of their people. Such accounts raise an important question about the relationship between genuine domestic grievances and the outside forces that may seek to exploit them. The argument is that episodes of political violence are not always entirely organic; in some cases, outside actors may provide financial support, organizational resources, or political direction to movements whose activities serve interests beyond the immediate grievances being expressed. What might be described as “rent-a-riots” represents the most extreme version of this theory: the idea that wealthy donors, billionaire philanthropists, or politically connected organizations finance demonstrations and unrest to advance particular objectives within national governments. The central issue is not simply whether outside funding exists, but whether there is demonstrable evidence connecting that funding to the organization, escalation, or political direction of the violence itself.

This argument becomes more complicated when migration, refugee movements, and international conflict enter the discussion. Critics of certain migration and refugee programs contend that political actors can exploit the displacement caused by war to reshape domestic political environments or advance their own interests. Some go further, arguing that the same powerful interests that benefit from international conflict may subsequently benefit from the social and political consequences of displacement.

The Middle East adds another dimension to this question. Protests involving Palestinian flags, pro-Palestinian political rhetoric, and opposition to Israeli government policy can become entangled with broader geopolitical rivalries. These demonstrations may reflect genuine solidarity with Palestinians, opposition to military action, domestic political grievances, or the influence of organized political movements. The presence of such symbols and rhetoric, by itself, does not establish foreign direction or prove that demonstrators are acting on behalf of a coordinated international agenda. Nevertheless, the possibility that international actors may seek to capitalize on these divisions warrants examination, particularly when political organizations attempt to translate public unrest into electoral or governmental influence.

Ultimately, the central issue is whether the violence and unrest are simply the consequences of domestic dissatisfaction or whether identifiable actors are exploiting those grievances to advance a wider geopolitical agenda. Right now, the entirety of the issue is still unfolding and the actors have yet to play their hands enough to where we can recognize them, at least out in the open.

At present, the full scope of this situation remains uncertain, as events are still unfolding and the actors involved have yet to reveal their intentions clearly enough for their roles to be identified publicly. This does not mean that broader connections are absent, but rather that the available evidence may not yet be sufficient to establish them conclusively. One argument worth considering is that these events are connected to the wider global economic and political climate, including the influence of powerful financial and political interests. This possibility becomes particularly noteworthy when unrest occurs around election cycles in countries that, over the past year or more, have challenged or opposed the prevailing international order. The timing raises legitimate questions about whether these developments are entirely coincidental, whether domestic grievances are being exploited by competing political interests, or whether broader geopolitical pressures are contributing to the instability.

What happens next, therefore, deserves careful attention. The consequences may extend well beyond the countries experiencing unrest, particularly if domestic political instability intersects with existing international rivalries, economic pressures, and shifts in the balance of global power. The immediate task is to distinguish what can already be demonstrated from what remains a working hypothesis, while recognizing that the decisions made in the coming months may have consequences far beyond the present moment. If these developments are connected to broader changes in the global system, their effects may become increasingly visible not only within individual nations but across the international political and economic landscape.

October in History 15 Important Moments in American, North Carolina and African American History

October has witnessed turning points in the American Revolution, breakthroughs in education and civil rights, and events that changed the nation.

For Raleigh and Triangle readers, the month also carries meaningful local connections—from the first North Carolina State Fair in Raleigh to the cornerstone of UNC’s Old East building.

This October history guide highlights 15 important moments across American, North Carolina and African American history. These histories overlap, revealing how local experiences and national movements helped shape the country.

Important October Moments in American History

October 1, 1958: NASA Begins Operations

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration officially began operations on October 1, 1958. The civilian agency absorbed the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, beginning a new chapter in American space exploration.

The date marks NASA’s operational beginning; the legislation creating the agency had been signed earlier that year. 

October 19, 1781: British Forces Surrender at Yorktown

British forces under General Charles Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia, following a siege by American and French forces.

The victory was a decisive turning point in the Revolutionary War. Although it did not formally end the conflict, it helped pave the way for American independence. 

October 22, 1962: Kennedy Addresses the Nation About the Cuban Missile Crisis

President John F. Kennedy publicly announced the discovery of Soviet missile sites in Cuba and a naval quarantine intended to prevent additional offensive weapons from reaching the island.

The address brought Americans face to face with one of the Cold War’s most dangerous confrontations. 

October 24–29, 1929: The Stock Market Crash

October 24, known as Black Thursday, began a dramatic stretch of stock-market turmoil, followed by further plunges on October 28 and 29.

The crash became a defining symbol of the Great Depression. It was part of a broader economic breakdown rather than the Depression’s sole cause. 

October 28, 1886: The Statue of Liberty Is Dedicated

The Statue of Liberty was dedicated in New York Harbor on October 28, 1886. A gift from the people of France, the monument became a lasting symbol of liberty and, over time, immigration and hope.

Its evolving meaning reflects generations of people seeking freedom and opportunity in the United States. 

Important October Moments in North Carolina History

October 7, 1780: The Battle of Kings Mountain

Patriot militia defeated British-led Loyalist forces at Kings Mountain, a major turning point in the Revolutionary War’s Southern campaign.

Although the battlefield is in South Carolina, the battle has strong North Carolina connections through the militia leaders and fighters who helped secure the victory. 

October 12, 1793: UNC’s Old East Cornerstone Is Laid

William Richardson Davie helped lay the cornerstone of Old East at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

The ceremony marked an important construction milestone for the university. It was distinct from UNC’s legislative charter in 1789 and the beginning of instruction in 1795. 

October 15, 1954: Hurricane Hazel Strikes the Carolina Coast

Hurricane Hazel made landfall near the North Carolina–South Carolina border as a Category 4 hurricane. Powerful winds and a devastating storm surge caused severe coastal damage.

Hazel remains a major reference point in North Carolina hurricane history and a reminder of the destructive power of coastal storms. 

October 18, 1853: The First North Carolina State Fair Opens in Raleigh

The first North Carolina State Fair opened in Raleigh on October 18, 1853, sponsored by the State Agricultural Society.

For Raleigh residents, this anniversary connects a familiar autumn tradition to North Carolina’s agricultural heritage and the capital city’s role as a statewide gathering place. 

October 25, 1774: The Edenton Tea Party

Fifty-one women in Edenton signed a statement supporting resistance to British policies and a boycott of British imports, including tea and cloth.

Remembered as the Edenton Tea Party, the action represents an important example of women’s organized political participation before the American Revolution. It centered on a boycott declaration rather than an act of tea dumping. 

Important October Moments in African American History

October 2, 1967: Thurgood Marshall Takes His Seat on the Supreme Court

Thurgood Marshall joined the Supreme Court’s opening ceremony as its first African American justice on October 2, 1967.

Before joining the Court, Marshall had established himself as a leading civil rights attorney, challenging racial discrimination and helping lead the legal struggle against school segregation. 

October 3, 1904: Mary McLeod Bethune Opens Her School

Educator Mary McLeod Bethune opened a school for Black girls in Daytona Beach, Florida, on October 3, 1904. Her work laid the foundation for what became Bethune-Cookman University.

The milestone reflects the determination of Black educators who expanded educational opportunities during segregation. 

October 1966: The Black Panther Party Is Founded

Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale founded the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense in Oakland, California, in October 1966.

The organization became influential in the Black Power movement. Alongside its opposition to police brutality, it developed community programs that included free breakfasts for children, health clinics and educational initiatives. 

October 16, 1859: John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry Begins

Abolitionist John Brown and his followers began their raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry, then in Virginia and now in West Virginia.

The effort sought to strike against slavery and included Black participants. Although the raid failed, it intensified the national conflict over slavery before the Civil War. 

October 16, 1968: Tommie Smith and John Carlos Protest at the Olympics

During the men’s 200-meter medal ceremony at the Mexico City Olympics, American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised black-gloved fists.

Their demonstration became an enduring image of protest against racial injustice and a defining moment in the relationship between sports and human rights. 

Connecting October History to Raleigh

These anniversaries offer starting points for classroom discussions, family conversations and local history research. The State Fair’s beginnings provide a direct Raleigh connection, while UNC’s history links the month to the wider Triangle.

Together, these stories invite readers to consider how education, civic participation and the struggle for freedom have shaped communities across generations.

Follow DoRaleigh.com for daily updates on government meetings, local festivals, and community happenings — your one-stop guide to everything Raleigh!

Connect With Us: Instagram | Facebook | BSky | Linkedin

Share With Us: Post your community News, Events, on our Submissions Page.

Advertise With Us: Interested in Advertising click here.

Published by Bryan Tomlinson

Design, Optimization, and Marketing by BTDesigns.pro 

#AbrahamLincoln #AHouseDivided #UnitedWeStand #Unity #TogetherWeStand #StrongerTogether #DividedWeFall #NationalUnity #Humanity #Solidarity #CommonGround #UnitedInPurpose #OvercomingDivision #CollectiveStrength #Peace #Cooperation #AmericanHistory #CivilWarHistory #Mark325 #WisdomThroughHistory #OneHumanity #UnityOverDivision #TheJudahChannel

𝑵𝒆𝒅 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒉𝒂𝒘𝒌: 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝑨𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂 - 𝑷𝒐𝒔𝒕-𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔

Full video, glossary, and more on the website.

https://waywordsstudio.com/project/blackhawk-rediscovery-of-america/

#democracy #readingguide #reflections #chapterreflections #history #literacy #indigenoushistory #settlercolonialism #americanhistory #nedblackhawk #therediscoveryofamerica #dialectics #encounterhistory #glossary #settlerrepublicanism #action #nextsteps #learning

https://www.europesays.com/conflicts/41346/ Over 100 Years Later, Teddy Roosevelt’s Line on Naval Power and Peace Remains One of the Greatest Military Quotes in All of Armed Forces History #AlfredThayerMahan #AmericanHistory #Cuba #Manila #Military #MilitaryHistory #NavalHistory #navy #Spain #TeddyRoosevelt #TheodoreRoosevelt #USNavy #UsNavy #USSRoosevelt

Book Review: Conquistadora by Esmeralda Santiago

A novelised tour Puerto Rico’s colonial history from the perspective of a determined and yet unlikeable heroine and the people she enslaves for a sugar hacienda in the 19th Century. It could have been improved with more focus on the lives of the slaves.

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟

Genre: Historical Fiction, Colonial fiction, Puerto Rican history, colonisation, slavery.

Publisher: Alfred K. Knopf Publishing

Review in one word: Powderkeg

Esmeralda Santiago’s Conquistadora is a sweeping and compelling historical fiction set between old Europe in 19th Century Spain and the New World of Puerto Rico. I have to admit that I don’t know much about Puerto Rico but recently watching the Superbowl half time performance of Bad Bunny sparked my imagination and curiosity about the culture and people of Puerto Rico, which made me want to read this book.

Protagonist Ana is resentful of being born female into a world of hushed parlours where women are seen and not heard in 19th Century Spain. She’s a tomboy and a rebel and longs to have adventures like her ancestors. Along with this goal of exploration is her desire to dominate another land and other peoples, whom she sees as lesser than herself.

So she escapes the strictures of her class and gender by way of marriage to ambitious Ramón along with his twin Innocente set sail for the American colony Puerto Rico. Ana is a complex and generally unlikeable character in my opinion, due to her emotionless ambition to tame the new land she moves to, and her brutal exploitation of African slaves on her sugar plantation Hacienda los Gemelos.

Ana’s pride and liberation that she feels in the new place is as a result of the blood, sweat and tears of countless slaves. This is one of the major tensions in the book as Ana does struggle to rationalise her decisions and how she feels about these people, whom she “cares” about but ultimately sees as less than herself and less than human.

Would she discipline the old, the crippled, the children she was taking on as her responsibility? She remembered Jesusa slapping her servants, then being shocked that they quit their jobs.

But she now wondered if it was in her blood. Subjugating the native people was the first thing the conquistadores did, always by force, always by violence.

She was now in the position Jesusa had wished for: one of undisputed power over others. So far, none of her workers had challenged Ana, but of course, they could. They should, Ana thought. She would, if she were one of them. And that made all the difference.

“So long as they’re slaves,” Ana said to Ramón and Inocente, “they have to do what I say. I’ll train them, and if they refuse their work, yes, I’ll punish them. That’s what it means to be an hacendada, doesn’t it?”

Excerpt from Conquistadora by Esmeralda Santiago

The ‘strong-willed mistress’ of a colonial plantation is a literary character done to death and could even be considered cliched. I found the character of Ana a bit one dimensional and boring for this reason.

Santiago does a brilliant job of diving between perspectives. The strongest writing in the book, in my opinion, comes from her delving into the perspective of the people enslaved on the plantation.

Flora observed these changes because it was important to notice everything. A new master meant that she must pay close attention so that she could learn what kind of people they were. Would the masters bother the women? Would the lady spend only a few days a year at the hacienda and live the rest of the time in the city? Would they have much company, or would they prefer to visit others? Would the lady sit against cushions whining that she was bored while ordering maids and complaining that things were not clean or neat enough?

Flora had lived among blancos for years, and she knew that they were an indolent but violent race. To survive among them, she watched them, and could read them as well as they read their books and letters.

Flora was a Mbuti, and her clan lived in dense forests, hunting, fishing, and gathering, moving from place to place along the Congo River, following the availability of fruits, vegetables, and game.

Their low stature and highly developed senses made them agile and stealthy. Children were taught to revere their environment because taking the forest for granted could be deadly.

As they moved through the bush, the Mbuti sang to the gods in gratitude and exultation for the gifts of food and shelter.

Among her people she was named Balekimito. When she was blessed with the blood, her clanswomen and friends celebrated Balekimito’s first menstrual period in the elima ceremony.

They built a house from supple branches and broad leaves, and the women and pubescent girls moved in. The elder women taught the girls how to keep embers alive so that they could revive the fire in their next camp. They taught them the adult women’s songs and sang about the responsibilities of womanhood and motherhood. Boys congregated around the yard of the elima house and sang to the girls, hoping that one would choose him to be allowed inside. The days in the elima house were the happiest time of Balekimito’s life.

Three moons later, Portuguese slavers captured her and her mother. They raped them, then made them walk to a village where they were thrown into a shack and roped to other captives for two nights.

Excerpt from Conquistadora by Esmeralda Santiago

Reading about colonisation and slavery from the perspective of the slaves was riveting to say the least. Mainly because I feel like deep in my own history my own ancestors were enslaved or colonised, in Aotearoa and in Ireland by powerful people from elsewhere who took away the riches of their own land. So for me these parts of the book had a personal lens of understanding, a deep ancestral understanding.

“The dead time, for the slaves, was as arduous as the zafra, with the added burden of the bone-rattling thunder, sizzling lightning, and sudden downpours of hurricane season that made outdoor labor hazardous. Rain or shine, dead time or zafra, the slaves fulfilled their duties under the watchful foremen and supervisors who were either white men or light-skinned mulattos with short tempers and quick hands. Locked in for the night in windowless cuarteles, the slaves led an existence defined by the demands of others, the needs of others, the caprice of others, and by the insistent throaty call of the watchtower bell.”

Excerpt from Conquistadora by Esmeralda Santiago

I recommend this novel more of an anthropological record of what occurred to the oppressed, but only as a partial side story rather than the main narrative. The story of the oppressors and colonisers (Ana and Severo) which is the ‘main course’ of the book is far less compelling and more stereotypical. These main characters lack the charisma and likeability to carry the book in my opinion.

This novel could have been radically improved, and also radicalised by showing equal perspectives in the narrative of the enslaved peoples, whose stories should have been given more time. These were harrowing stories of survival, resilience and will to survive against unspeakable odds and racism, which make these far more interesting stories than the coloniser’s version of history. An approach like this would have made the book far more interesting. For this reason I give this book a rating of three stars.

Content Catnip

Efforts to stop the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) from closing regional archival facilities at San Francisco and Chicago continue.

@genealogy
@histodons
#Genealogy #AmericanHistory
#USnationalArchives #NARA

Details at https://twelvekey.com/2026/10/15/efforts-to-stop-the-closure-of-the-national-archives-at-san-francisco-and-chicago-continue/

How the 1830 July Revolution Changed the Fate of France

Published: Oc…
#France #FR #Europe #EU #AmericanHistory #AncientHistory #AncientHistoryBlog #AncientPhilosophy #ArtBlog #ArtistsBlog #Contemporaryart #EuropeanHistory #HistoryBlog #HistoryofPolitics #HistoryofReligion #LatinandSouthAmericanHistory #MedievalHistory #military-history #ModernArt #ModernPhilosophy #Philosophy #PhilosophyBlog #RenaissanceHistory #TravelandCulture #WorldHistory #WWI #WWII
https://www.europesays.com/france/95276/

How the 1830 July Revolution Changed the Fate of France https://www.byteseu.com/2457879/ #AmericanHistory #AncientHistory #AncientHistoryBlog #AncientPhilosophy #ArtBlog #ArtistsBlog #ContemporaryArt #EuropeanHistory #France #HistoryBlog #HistoryOfPolitics #HistoryOfReligion #LatinAndSouthAmericanHistory #MedievalHistory #MilitaryHistory #ModernArt #ModernPhilosophy #philosophy #PhilosophyBlog #RenaissanceHistory #TravelAndCulture #WorldHistory #WWI #wwii

The Hollywood Myths That Created a Fake Roman Empire

Published…
#Italy #Europe #Europa #EU #Rome #AmericanHistory #ancienthistory #AncientHistoryBlog #AncientPhilosophy #ArtBlog #ArtistsBlog #ContemporaryArt #EuropeanHistory #HistoryBlog #HistoryofPolitics #HistoryofReligion #LatinandSouthAmericanHistory #medievalhistory #MilitaryHistory #modernart #ModernPhilosophy #Philosophy #PhilosophyBlog #Renaissancehistory #TravelandCulture #worldhistory #wwi #WWII
https://www.europesays.com/italy/55813/

From Vietnam to 9/11, this book traces every hard call the CIA made.
#books #bookreview #AmericanHistory #ColdWar
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/cia-directors-book-review/

The World’s First Remote-Controlled Boat — 1898.

remotecontrol #boat #worldsfirst #AmericanHistory #newyork

Post/video by America Rewind

𝑵𝒆𝒅 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒉𝒂𝒘𝒌: 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝑨𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂 - 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 12: 𝑭𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑻𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝑺𝒆𝒍𝒇-𝑫𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: 𝑵𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝑨𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝑺𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒕𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑪𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝑾𝒂𝒓 𝑬𝒓𝒂

Full video, glossary, and more on the website.

Reading Guides on Waywords, one chapter and reflection video about every two weeks.

https://waywordsstudio.com/project/blackhawk-rediscovery-of-america/

#democracy #readingguide #history #literacy #indigenoushistory #settlercolonialism #americanhistory #termination #terminationpolicy #resolution108 #relocationpolicy #redpower #selfdetermination

The Emancipation Proclamation freed no one on the day it was signed. Lincoln himself said so. Here is what he was actually doing. #Lincoln #EmancipationProclamation #AmericanHistory #HistoryMyths #ForgottenHistory

https://econopass.com/abraham-lincoln-emancipation-proclamation-real-story/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub

Posted into Culture Society News 🌍 @culture-society-news-Econopass

I spent a lot of my childhood in a semi-rural Ohio Black community with very little contact with white people, so it always strikes me as odd to have Black folks who don't know me and with no direct experience with legal racial segregation judging the purity of my Black identity based on a standard of their homogenized, commodified urban Black identity financed by white money and sold worldwide.

How Formerly Enslaved People Built Their Own Towns
#PBS #Documentary #BlackFedi #US #Culture #Community #History #AmericanHistory #BlackHistory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8FbsMDfKoY

Today is Indigenous Peoples' Day in the United States. Some still call it Columbus Day, creating a debate every October that ends the same way: nowhere, says Jason Schlosberg, a Washington, D.C., attorney working on a book about the sacred and civic symbols that structure American public life. “This argument never resolves because it was never really about Christopher Columbus,” Schlosberg writes. “It's a theological dispute that both sides insist on conducting as a historical one, and history is the wrong tool for the job.” Read more in his guest piece for the @LATimes:

https://flip.it/OdqyNq

#Culture #IndigenousPeople #AmericanHistory

Why the Pentagon Wants You to Watch an Execution
#Therese #BlackFedi #PublicExecutions #DarkHistory #AmericanHistory #DeathPenalty #NidalHasan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNfKRrDS824&t=629s

Freedom Has Never Been Free.

https://kandiblaze.wordpress.com/2026/10/11/freedom-has-never-been-free/

Heather Cox Richardson thoughtfully asks "How Much Longer?" in her latest piece. She dives into the historical underpinnings of today's political landscape, urging reflection on the durability of democratic institutions. What lessons can we learn from the past to navigate present challenges? Click here to explore this insightful analysis.
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/how-much-longer
#AmericanHistory #Politics #Democracy

𝑵𝒆𝒅 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒉𝒂𝒘𝒌: 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝑨𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂 - 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 11: 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝑻𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒂𝒘𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑪𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒚: 𝑵𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝑨𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒚𝒕𝒉 𝒐𝒇 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝑫𝒊𝒔𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆

Full video, glossary, and more on the website.
https://waywordsstudio.com/project/blackhawk-rediscovery-of-america/

#democracy #readingguide #reflections #history #literacy #indigenoushistory #settlercolonialism #americanhistory #assimilation #culturalrelativism #politicalpower #resistancemovements

https://www.europesays.com/conflicts/31757/ Why the United States Couldn’t Stop Its Fatal Descent Into Vietnam #AmericanHistory #AmericanTroops #AncientHistory #AncientHistoryBlog #AncientPhilosophy #ArtBlog #ArtistsBlog #ContemporaryArt #EuropeanHistory #HistoryBlog #HistoryOfPolitics #HistoryOfReligion #LatinAndSouthAmericanHistory #MedievalHistory #MilitaryHistory #ModernArt #ModernPhilosophy #Philosophy #PhilosophyBlog #RenaissanceHistory #TravelAndCulture #WorldHistory #WWI #WWII

#Filipino #AmericanHistory #Month

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:mojhr33bx3rw4dxxpehd32qz/post/3mxjskvmkx22q

Zum Welttag gegen die Todesstrafe - und aus ganz aktuellem Anlass - erinnern wir heute an einen Beitrag zu einer filmischen Kritik an der #Todesstrafe in den #USA aus unserer Rubrik #Filmkritik:

▶️ Ulrike Weckel, Mit Mitteln des Spielfilms gegen die Todesstrafe. I Want to Live! (1958), #WerkstattGeschichte 85/2022, https://werkstattgeschichte.de/alle_ausgaben/muell/

@histodons

#histodons #Film #Filmgeschichte #DeathPenalty #CapitalPunishment #movies #FilmHistory #Cinemastodon #AmericanHistory #VisualHistory

National Museum of American History Commemorates 250 Years of the Gunboat Philadelphia.
Conservation Updates and New Research Findings.
The gunboat Philadelphia is a rare surviving intact American revolutionary war fighting vessel that was part of a small American fleet.
https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/releases/national-museum-american-history-commemorates-250-years-gunboat-philadelphia #globalmuseum #museums #AmericanHistory

Book Review: Heaven’s Ditch by Jack Kelly

Author: Jack Kelly
Title: Heaven’s Ditch: God, Gold, and Murder on the Erie Canal
Publication Info: New York : St. Martin’s Press, 2016.
Summary/Review:

I thought I was getting myself into a book about the history of the Erie Canal.  And it is – but it’s about so much more – using the thread of the Erie Canal to connect the stories of turbulent changes in Western New York in the first half of the 19th century.

The canal itself is an engineering wonder constructed by the state of New York under the leadership of Governor DeWitt Clinton.  Did you ever wonder why the canal crosses the entire state rather than a shorter route from the Hudson River to Lake Ontario?  Turns out that option was discarded due to too great a difference in elevations, the hazards of navigating Lake Ontario, and that they would still need a way to get around Niagara Falls to reach the other lakes.  Kelly offers a lot of great detail of the engineering challenges especially in Lockport where the “flight of five” locks was constructed to carry the canal over the Niagara Escarpment,

While workers excavated the canal, the growing Western New York region became the “burned-over district” at the heart of the religious revivals of the Second Great Awakening. The term originates with the Presbyterian minister Charles Grandison Finney. Other leaders emerged to found entirely new religions.  William Miller predicted the end of the world on a specific date, and even though it didn’t come his followers eventually evolved into the Adventist movement.  Meanwhile, Joseph Smith, Jr. founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints based on a new scripture he claimed to have found inscribed on golden plates in a hill in Palmyra.

Western New York was also a hotbed of social movements, including abolitionists (many overlapping with new Christian denominations) and women’s suffrage.  In 1826, a former Freemason named William Morgan planned to publish a book exposing Masonic secrets.  After Morgan disappeared and was presumed murdered, the scandal launched an anti-Masonic movement that grew into a political party.  The Anti-Masonic Party held the first presidential nominating convention in 1832, and their candidate – William Wirt – won 7 electoral votes!  And if to tie together this book with a cosmic coincidence, Morgan’s widow Lucinda ended up becoming one of Joseph Smith’s “plural wives!”

The book can be disjointed as jumps back and forth among different threads.  But I found the details of this histories and the connections among them fascinating.

Recommended books:

• The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge by David McCullough
• The King’s Best Highway: The Lost History of the Boston Post Road, the Route That Made America by Eric Jaffe

Rating: ***1/2

The Emancipation Proclamation freed no one on the day it was signed. Lincoln himself said so. Here is what he was actually doing. #Lincoln #EmancipationProclamation #AmericanHistory #HistoryMyths #ForgottenHistory

https://econopass.com/abraham-lincoln-emancipation-proclamation-real-story/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub

Posted into FLIPBOARD EXCHANGE FEED 🗞️ @flipboard-exchange-feed-Econopass

The Emancipation Proclamation freed no one on the day it was signed. Lincoln himself said so. Here is what he was actually doing.

#Lincoln #EmancipationProclamation #AmericanHistory #HistoryMyths #ForgottenHistory #Bluesky

https://econopass.com/abraham-lincoln-emancipation-proclamation-real-story/

The Emancipation Proclamation freed no one on the day it was signed. Lincoln himself said so. Here is what he was actually doing. #Lincoln #EmancipationProclamation #AmericanHistory #HistoryMyths #ForgottenHistory

https://econopass.com/abraham-lincoln-emancipation-proclamation-real-story/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub

Posted into The Forgotten Truth @the-forgotten-truth-Econopass

From Vietnam to 9/11, this book traces every hard call the CIA made.
#books #bookreview #AmericanHistory #ColdWar
https://smpl.is/anemt

John Paul Jones was an officer on the Alfred in 1776 when the ship attacked New Providence in the Bahamas capturing a number of cannon and a supply of gunpowder. When the building of Fort Phoenix in Fairhaven, MA, was completed in 1777 it was outfitted with some of the captured guns. This one survived a British raid on the harbor in 1778, when the fort was captured. It is now referred to as the "John Paul Jones cannon."

#AmericanRevolution #JohnPaulJones #FortPhoenix #FairhavenMA #Massachusetts #History #AmericanHistory #NewBedfordMA

A Columbia grad turned Soviet agent. A quiet man with a secret life. His story reads like fiction, but it's real.
#books #bookreview #americanhistory #coldwarspy
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/american-soviet-spy/

Bowden talked to hostages, guards, and officials on every side. The full picture still shocks readers.
#books #bookreview #Nonfiction #AmericanHistory
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/iran-hostage-crisis-book-book-review/

𝑵𝒆𝒅 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒉𝒂𝒘𝒌: 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝑨𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂 - 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 10: 𝑻𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑪𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑻𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒚 𝑳𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔: 𝑳𝒂𝒘𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑭𝒆𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝑷𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑬𝒓𝒂

Full video, glossary, and more on the website.

Reading Guides on Waywords, one chapter and reflection video about every two weeks.
https://waywordsstudio.com/project/blackhawk-rediscovery-of-america/

#democracy #readingguide #reflections #history #literacy #indigenoushistory #settlercolonialism #americanhistory #glossary #assimilation #residentialschools #boardingschools #plenarypower #congress