Person
It's Presidents Day and Black History Month, so why not combine both and start from the top?
Hercules Posey ( c. 1748 - 1812) was the enslaved head cook of President George Washington at Mount Vernon. Acquired by Washington when he was about twenty, he was put to work in the kitchen to assist the cook, called Old Doll. He was apparently a natural cook and quick study, and took over the kitchen at Mount Vernon. Called "Uncle Harkless" by the Washington family, he soon developed a huge reputation among the many guests entertained there. (By the way, there is no known picture of Posey. The one long assumed to be of him is not )
When President Washington moved into the Executive Mansion in Philadelphia, he was not satisfied until he brought Hercules to the free city. Hercules was given wide latitude by Washington, allowed to go anywhere in the city as long as he was home at night and allowed to sell kitchen leftovers. Thus gave him an annual salary of about $200, equal to a paid chef. Hercules became known about town as a dandy because of his love of fine clothes and accessories, and he was somewhat of a dilettante in the kitchen. At least once, when an important visitor was late for dinner, Washington broke all protocols by eating without him, saying "My cook asks not whether the guests have arrived, but whether the hour has come."
Toward the end of Washington's second term, Hercules and some others were sent back to Mount Vernon. There, with the family still in Philadelphia, the house slaves were put to manual labor. Hercules, infected with the taste for freedom, escaped Mount Vernon on Washington's birthday on February 22, 1797. Washington was livid. Hercules took the name of his former owner Posey and evaded recapture until he, and most of the other slaves were freed by the terms of George and Martha Washington's wills.
Place.
It's Presidents Day and Black History Month, so why not combine both and start from the top?
When George and Martha Washington died, the terms of their wills freed their slaves. Well, almost. There were some enslaved people are Mount Vernon who were legally "dower slaves," meaning they belonged to the estate of Martha's first husband. According to law, they could only be inherited and bequeathed, never freed. Unfortunately, Hercules Posey's wife Alice and their three, or possibly four, children were "dower slaves." So, while Hercules was free and probably living in New York, Alice died, and, when Martha died, the children were divided among her four grandchildren, with no records about who went where.
While in Philadelphia, Hercules cooked for the President at the President's House, located one block north of Independence Hall. It originally belonged to Robert Morris who gave it up for Washington from 1790-1797 and John Adams from 1797-1800. After 1800, it was a hotel and then one of its walls became a wall of the first Wanamaker's clothing store. In 1951, after the original structure had been partially gutted, renovated, and demolished over the years, the surviving walls were taken down. A public restroom was built on the site in 1954.
In 2010, a commemorative structure and historical markers were placed there to mark the site and to tell the story of the enslaved workers.
It's Presidents Day and Black History Month, so why not combine both and start from the top?
When George and Martha Washington died, the terms of their wills freed their slaves. Well, almost. There were some enslaved people are Mount Vernon who were legally "dower slaves," meaning they belonged to the estate of Martha's first husband. According to law, they could only be inherited and bequeathed, never freed. Unfortunately, Hercules Posey's wife Alice and their three, or possibly four, children were "dower slaves." So, while Hercules was free and probably living in New York, Alice died, and, when Martha died, the children were divided among her four grandchildren, with no records about who went where.
While in Philadelphia, Hercules cooked for the President at the President's House, located one block north of Independence Hall. It originally belonged to Robert Morris who gave it up for Washington from 1790-1797 and John Adams from 1797-1800. After 1800, it was a hotel and then one of its walls became a wall of the first Wanamaker's clothing store. In 1951, after the original structure had been partially gutted, renovated, and demolished over the years, the surviving walls were taken down. A public restroom was built on the site in 1954.
In 2010, a commemorative structure and historical markers were placed there to mark the site and to tell the story of the enslaved workers.
Thing
For years, this portrait was believed to be a portrait of George Washington's former enslaved chef, Hercules Posey, wearing a traditional chef's toque, and painted by iconic portraitist of the day, Gilbert Stuart.
Unfortunately, none of that is true. A conference of art experts and historians convened at Mount Vernon to discuss the issue in 2017. A two-year long investigation ensued. In the end, experts concluded that it wasn't Posey, it wasn't painted by Stuart, and it's not even a chef's toque. It's a typical headdress worn by free Dominicans at the time.
There is no known picture of Posey.
Read about Posey and a long line of other black chefs and cooks who ran the White House kitchen in Adrian Miller's book, The President's Kitchen Cabinet.
For years, this portrait was believed to be a portrait of George Washington's former enslaved chef, Hercules Posey, wearing a traditional chef's toque, and painted by iconic portraitist of the day, Gilbert Stuart.
Unfortunately, none of that is true. A conference of art experts and historians convened at Mount Vernon to discuss the issue in 2017. A two-year long investigation ensued. In the end, experts concluded that it wasn't Posey, it wasn't painted by Stuart, and it's not even a chef's toque. It's a typical headdress worn by free Dominicans at the time.
There is no known picture of Posey.
Read about Posey and a long line of other black chefs and cooks who ran the White House kitchen in Adrian Miller's book, The President's Kitchen Cabinet.
Person
February 19 was the date of the issuing of Executive Order 9066 in 1942, authorizing the secretary of war to forcibly intern nearly 120,000 Japanese-Americans during World War Two. Two thirds of the internees were U.S. citizens, born and raised in the U.S.. The argument was that they posed significant espionage and sabotage threats in their west coast homes. They were forced to abandon their homes or sell all of their property for pennies on the dollar and transported to 10 camps set up in barren, isolated locations in the interior. For three to four years, they lived in these American concentration camps, behind barbed wire and armed guard. Not a single Japanese-American was convicted of espionage or sabotage
Fred Korematsu (1919-2005) was born in Oakland California. His family owned a successful flower nursery. Drafted for military duty in 1940, he was formally rejected for stomach ulcers, but probably for his ethnicity. He became a welder in order to contribute to the war effort. He was fired from shipyard jobs because he was Japanese. After the Pearl Harbor attack, he could find no employment.
When 9066 went into effect, he went into hiding to avoid internment, even having plastic surgery on his eyelids to appear Caucasian. With the help of the ACLU after his arrest, he filed Korematsu v. US, arguing that internment was unconstitutional. He lost in lower courts, and he and his family were sent to a camp in Utah Appeals reached the Supreme Court, which ruled 6-3 in 1944 that the internment was justified during circumstances of "emergency and peril."
In 1983, his California conviction for disobeying the order was vacated when investigation discovered that the Federal government had deliberately suppressed opinions of the FBI and military intelligence which had found no evidence of a Japanese-American threat. In 1998, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
February 19 was the date of the issuing of Executive Order 9066 in 1942, authorizing the secretary of war to forcibly intern nearly 120,000 Japanese-Americans during World War Two. Two thirds of the internees were U.S. citizens, born and raised in the U.S.. The argument was that they posed significant espionage and sabotage threats in their west coast homes. They were forced to abandon their homes or sell all of their property for pennies on the dollar and transported to 10 camps set up in barren, isolated locations in the interior. For three to four years, they lived in these American concentration camps, behind barbed wire and armed guard. Not a single Japanese-American was convicted of espionage or sabotage
Fred Korematsu (1919-2005) was born in Oakland California. His family owned a successful flower nursery. Drafted for military duty in 1940, he was formally rejected for stomach ulcers, but probably for his ethnicity. He became a welder in order to contribute to the war effort. He was fired from shipyard jobs because he was Japanese. After the Pearl Harbor attack, he could find no employment.
When 9066 went into effect, he went into hiding to avoid internment, even having plastic surgery on his eyelids to appear Caucasian. With the help of the ACLU after his arrest, he filed Korematsu v. US, arguing that internment was unconstitutional. He lost in lower courts, and he and his family were sent to a camp in Utah Appeals reached the Supreme Court, which ruled 6-3 in 1944 that the internment was justified during circumstances of "emergency and peril."
In 1983, his California conviction for disobeying the order was vacated when investigation discovered that the Federal government had deliberately suppressed opinions of the FBI and military intelligence which had found no evidence of a Japanese-American threat. In 1998, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Place
February 19 was the date of the issuing of Executive Order 9066 in 1942, authorizing the secretary of war to forcibly intern nearly 120,000 Japanese-Americans during World War Two. Two thirds of the internees were U.S. citizens, born and raised in the U.S.. The argument was that they posed significant espionage and sabotage threats in their west coast homes. They were forced to abandon their homes or sell all of their property for pennies on the dollar and transported to 10 camps set up in barren, isolated locations in the interior. For three to four years, they lived in these American concentration camps, behind barbed wire and armed guard. Not a single Japanese-American was convicted of espionage or sabotage
Heart Mountain War Relocation Center was one of the internment camps or concentration camps or incarceration camps, located just outside of Cody Wyoming. It operated from August 1942 to November 1945, and, at its peak, housed almost 11,000 people making it the third largest city in Wyoming.
Among the camps, Heart Mountain was known for the draft resistance movement. Arguing that they shouldn't be drafted to fight for a government that imprisoned them, 85 Heart Mountain men were sentenced and imprisoned (Isn't it ironic?) for violating the Selective Service Act. 649 men from Heart Mountain did serve in the military.
Bradford Pearson's book tells the story of Heart Mountain through the lives of the boys on its football team in The Eagles of Heart Mountain.
February 19 was the date of the issuing of Executive Order 9066 in 1942, authorizing the secretary of war to forcibly intern nearly 120,000 Japanese-Americans during World War Two. Two thirds of the internees were U.S. citizens, born and raised in the U.S.. The argument was that they posed significant espionage and sabotage threats in their west coast homes. They were forced to abandon their homes or sell all of their property for pennies on the dollar and transported to 10 camps set up in barren, isolated locations in the interior. For three to four years, they lived in these American concentration camps, behind barbed wire and armed guard. Not a single Japanese-American was convicted of espionage or sabotage
Heart Mountain War Relocation Center was one of the internment camps or concentration camps or incarceration camps, located just outside of Cody Wyoming. It operated from August 1942 to November 1945, and, at its peak, housed almost 11,000 people making it the third largest city in Wyoming.
Among the camps, Heart Mountain was known for the draft resistance movement. Arguing that they shouldn't be drafted to fight for a government that imprisoned them, 85 Heart Mountain men were sentenced and imprisoned (Isn't it ironic?) for violating the Selective Service Act. 649 men from Heart Mountain did serve in the military.
Bradford Pearson's book tells the story of Heart Mountain through the lives of the boys on its football team in The Eagles of Heart Mountain.
Thing
February 19 was the date of the issuing of Executive Order 9066 in 1942, authorizing the secretary of war to forcibly intern nearly 120,000 Japanese-Americans during World War Two. Two thirds of the internees were U.S. citizens, born and raised in the U.S.. The argument was that they posed significant espionage and sabotage threats in their west coast homes. They were forced to abandon their homes or sell all of their property for pennies on the dollar and transported to 10 camps set up in barren, isolated locations in the interior. For three to four years, they lived in these American concentration camps, behind barbed wire and armed guard. Not a single Japanese-American was convicted of espionage or sabotage.
In my opinion, one of the most effective, and affective, exhibits at the Heart Mountain Interpretative Center/Museum is not in the museum proper; it's in the restrooms. Notice the mirrors on each side of the toilet and consider that for three and a half years, American citizens, who committed no crimes, dozens of families lived together in tarpaper covered barracks sharing open toilets and showers with strangers.
Bradford Pearson's book tells the story of Heart Mountain through the lives of the boys on its football team in The Eagles of Heart Mountain.
February 19 was the date of the issuing of Executive Order 9066 in 1942, authorizing the secretary of war to forcibly intern nearly 120,000 Japanese-Americans during World War Two. Two thirds of the internees were U.S. citizens, born and raised in the U.S.. The argument was that they posed significant espionage and sabotage threats in their west coast homes. They were forced to abandon their homes or sell all of their property for pennies on the dollar and transported to 10 camps set up in barren, isolated locations in the interior. For three to four years, they lived in these American concentration camps, behind barbed wire and armed guard. Not a single Japanese-American was convicted of espionage or sabotage.
In my opinion, one of the most effective, and affective, exhibits at the Heart Mountain Interpretative Center/Museum is not in the museum proper; it's in the restrooms. Notice the mirrors on each side of the toilet and consider that for three and a half years, American citizens, who committed no crimes, dozens of families lived together in tarpaper covered barracks sharing open toilets and showers with strangers.
Bradford Pearson's book tells the story of Heart Mountain through the lives of the boys on its football team in The Eagles of Heart Mountain.
Person
I am currently reading Nine Days: The Race to Save Martin Luther King Jr.'s Life and Win the 1960 Election, by Paul Kendrick and Stephen Kendrick. It's about the nine days that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr spent in Fulton and Dekalb County jails and Georgia State Prison in 1960 after his arrest for taking part in the Atlanta student sit-ins at segregated downtown lunch counters.
The book is phenomenal, and I'm learning a lot about something I knew very little about. The political behind the scenes activity, or inactivity, of the Kennedy and Nixon campaigns during this time had a major effect on the election results, and it could easily have gone in the other direction.
Lonnie C. King, Jr (1936-2019) was a childhood friend of MLK, but unrelated. King became the chief organizer and leader of the Atlanta Student Movement. Inspired by the original Woolworths sit-in in Greensboro NC, he organized students from the historically black Atlanta University Complex and a few white allies to sit-in and demonstrate at Rich's and other downtown stores in order to force integration of lunch counters. He convinced MLK Jr to take part in order to capitalize on his growing stature, thanks to the Montgomery bus boycott. That set everything in motion for maybe the biggest "October surprise" in Presidential election history.
A few years ago, I participated in a summer National Endowment for the Humanities teachers workshop on Atlanta's color line, and we had the honor of meeting and hearing from Mr. King.
Place
I am currently reading Nine Days: The Race to Save Martin Luther King Jr.'s Life and Win the 1960 Election, by Paul Kendrick and Stephen Kendrick. It's about the nine days that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr spent in Fulton and Dekalb County jails and Georgia State Prison in 1960 after his arrest for taking part in the Atlanta student sit-ins at segregated downtown lunch counters.
The book is phenomenal, and I'm learning a lot about something I knew very little about. The political behind the scenes activity, or inactivity, of the Kennedy and Nixon campaigns during this time had a major effect on the election results, and it could easily have gone in the other direction.
Rich's Department Store chain was once America"s largest family- owned company. Founded in 1867 in Atlanta by a Hungarian Jewish immigrant, it was a dry goods store, and it became a true department store in 1901. Rich's and the Rich family were wealthy, powerful, and influential institutions in Atlanta for well over a century. Like other department stores in the South, Rich's stores had segregated lunch counters, and the flagship store also had an upscale tea room. White housewives enjoyed a quick lunch or tea while shopping for the latest fashions, while blacks were not served.
Lonnie King and the Atlanta Student Movement targeted Rich's and other downtown stores in 1960, peacefully sitting at the counter and asking to be served or picketing outside. A number of students were arrested, along with MLK Jr. While the students were released after a couple of days, and Rich's dropped charges, MLK was accused of violating probation and ended up being sent to the Georgia State Prison in Reidsville. His arrest and incarceration had a huge impact on the 1960 presidential election.
I am currently reading Nine Days: The Race to Save Martin Luther King Jr.'s Life and Win the 1960 Election, by Paul Kendrick and Stephen Kendrick. It's about the nine days that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr spent in Fulton and Dekalb County jails and Georgia State Prison in 1960 after his arrest for taking part in the Atlanta student sit-ins at segregated downtown lunch counters.
The book is phenomenal, and I'm learning a lot about something I knew very little about. The political behind the scenes activity, or inactivity, of the Kennedy and Nixon campaigns during this time had a major effect on the election results, and it could easily have gone in the other direction.
Rich's Department Store chain was once America"s largest family- owned company. Founded in 1867 in Atlanta by a Hungarian Jewish immigrant, it was a dry goods store, and it became a true department store in 1901. Rich's and the Rich family were wealthy, powerful, and influential institutions in Atlanta for well over a century. Like other department stores in the South, Rich's stores had segregated lunch counters, and the flagship store also had an upscale tea room. White housewives enjoyed a quick lunch or tea while shopping for the latest fashions, while blacks were not served.
Lonnie King and the Atlanta Student Movement targeted Rich's and other downtown stores in 1960, peacefully sitting at the counter and asking to be served or picketing outside. A number of students were arrested, along with MLK Jr. While the students were released after a couple of days, and Rich's dropped charges, MLK was accused of violating probation and ended up being sent to the Georgia State Prison in Reidsville. His arrest and incarceration had a huge impact on the 1960 presidential election.
Thing.
I am currently reading Nine Days: The Race to Save Martin Luther King Jr.'s Life and Win the 1960 Election, by Paul Kendrick and Stephen Kendrick. It's about the nine days that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr spent in Fulton and Dekalb County jails and Georgia State Prison in 1960 after his arrest for taking part in the Atlanta student sit-ins at segregated downtown lunch counters.
The book is phenomenal, and I'm learning a lot about something I knew very little about. The political behind the scenes activity, or inactivity, of the Kennedy and Nixon campaigns during this time had a major effect on the election results, and it could easily have gone in the other direction.
In the very last days of the 1960 presidential election, JFK's brother-in-law, Sargent Shriver, and campaign members Harris Wofford and Louis Martin (a black newspaper man), were accused by the Kennedy campaign of blowing his election chances when they, without John or Bobby Kennedy's knowledge or permission, tried to help free MLK Jr from prison. Then, they produced what came to be known as "the blue bomb," a brochure that insinuated that MLK had endorsed Kennedy. At least a million copies were distributed in black churches and neighborhoods within a couple of days. It quite possibly cost Nixon the election.
I am currently reading Nine Days: The Race to Save Martin Luther King Jr.'s Life and Win the 1960 Election, by Paul Kendrick and Stephen Kendrick. It's about the nine days that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr spent in Fulton and Dekalb County jails and Georgia State Prison in 1960 after his arrest for taking part in the Atlanta student sit-ins at segregated downtown lunch counters.
The book is phenomenal, and I'm learning a lot about something I knew very little about. The political behind the scenes activity, or inactivity, of the Kennedy and Nixon campaigns during this time had a major effect on the election results, and it could easily have gone in the other direction.
In the very last days of the 1960 presidential election, JFK's brother-in-law, Sargent Shriver, and campaign members Harris Wofford and Louis Martin (a black newspaper man), were accused by the Kennedy campaign of blowing his election chances when they, without John or Bobby Kennedy's knowledge or permission, tried to help free MLK Jr from prison. Then, they produced what came to be known as "the blue bomb," a brochure that insinuated that MLK had endorsed Kennedy. At least a million copies were distributed in black churches and neighborhoods within a couple of days. It quite possibly cost Nixon the election.
Person
Thomas-Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, aka Alexandre Dumas, was born in 1762 and died in 1806. Born in Saint-Domingue (now Haiti), he was the son of a Marquis ( French nobleman) and an enslaved African woman. Technically a slave because of his mother's status, his father took him to France, where he would be free, educated him, and helped him enter the French military. He became one of the leading figures in the French Revolutionary Wars, commanding 53,000 troops by age 31. He was the first person of color in the French army to become a brigadier general, a divisional general, and general-in-chief.
His chief rival in ambition and ability was a young Corsican named Napoleon Bonaparte. On the Egyptian expedition, commanded by Bonaparte, the two quarreled publicly, and Bonaparte threatened to have him shot. Dumas tried to return to France, but he was captured in Naples and imprisoned for two years. He suffered greatly in prison, and Napoleon, as the new Consul of France, ignored pleas from friends and family to get him released. Once released, Dumas petitioned Emperor Napoleon for the pension he was due, and he was ignored, dying in 1806.
His wife, also denied her military widow's pension, and three children were left in near poverty. His son, Alexandre, could not even afford a basic secondary education. Nevertheless, Alexandre Dumas became one of the greatest novelists of the 19th century, writing The Three Musketeers and dozens of other novels and plays, including The Count of Monte Cristo, inspired by his father.
Thomas-Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, aka Alexandre Dumas, was born in 1762 and died in 1806. Born in Saint-Domingue (now Haiti), he was the son of a Marquis ( French nobleman) and an enslaved African woman. Technically a slave because of his mother's status, his father took him to France, where he would be free, educated him, and helped him enter the French military. He became one of the leading figures in the French Revolutionary Wars, commanding 53,000 troops by age 31. He was the first person of color in the French army to become a brigadier general, a divisional general, and general-in-chief.
His chief rival in ambition and ability was a young Corsican named Napoleon Bonaparte. On the Egyptian expedition, commanded by Bonaparte, the two quarreled publicly, and Bonaparte threatened to have him shot. Dumas tried to return to France, but he was captured in Naples and imprisoned for two years. He suffered greatly in prison, and Napoleon, as the new Consul of France, ignored pleas from friends and family to get him released. Once released, Dumas petitioned Emperor Napoleon for the pension he was due, and he was ignored, dying in 1806.
His wife, also denied her military widow's pension, and three children were left in near poverty. His son, Alexandre, could not even afford a basic secondary education. Nevertheless, Alexandre Dumas became one of the greatest novelists of the 19th century, writing The Three Musketeers and dozens of other novels and plays, including The Count of Monte Cristo, inspired by his father.
Place
By 1798, the new Revolutionary government of France, the Directory, saw an opportunity to colonize Egypt and to block British access to India. General Napoleon Bonaparte was ordered to lead a French invasion to make it so. 40,000 French soldiers and 10,000 sailors sailed for Egypt.
The only French officer who came close to Napoleon's skill, achievement, and fame was Thomas- Alexandre Dumas. Napoleon was jealous of Dumas' reputation and the fact that he had captured the attention of the French press and public. He saw Dumas as a rival, and the two had a strained relationship, sometimes disagreeing on strategies. When Napoleon heard that Dumas and a few other officers had made negative comments in private about his command, he accused Dumas of mutiny and threatened to shoot him, prompting Dumas to leave the campaign.
By 1798, the new Revolutionary government of France, the Directory, saw an opportunity to colonize Egypt and to block British access to India. General Napoleon Bonaparte was ordered to lead a French invasion to make it so. 40,000 French soldiers and 10,000 sailors sailed for Egypt.
The only French officer who came close to Napoleon's skill, achievement, and fame was Thomas- Alexandre Dumas. Napoleon was jealous of Dumas' reputation and the fact that he had captured the attention of the French press and public. He saw Dumas as a rival, and the two had a strained relationship, sometimes disagreeing on strategies. When Napoleon heard that Dumas and a few other officers had made negative comments in private about his command, he accused Dumas of mutiny and threatened to shoot him, prompting Dumas to leave the campaign.
Thing
Militarily, Napoleon's Egyptian campaign was a failure, costing 30,000 French deaths, yet, due to skilled public relations and propaganda use, Napoleon's reputation as a brilliant military commander rose, paving the way for him to become Consul and then Emperor. However, the invading army also included engineers, artists, scholars, and scientists who not only collected valuable information, but modernist historians credit the campaign with creating the modern Middle East and demonstrating to the Ottoman Empire the military and technological superiority of western Europe at the time, forcing change.
One of the discoveries made by French troops was the Rosetta stone, a portion of a stele, or slab, inscribed with three versions of a royal decree issued in 196 BC. It's inscribed in three different texts: top in hieroglyphics, the middle in later demotic, and the bottom in Greek. After years of study, British and French linguists, including Jean-Francois Champollion, were able to decipher and read Egyptian hieroglyphs by comparing the inscription to the Greek.
Ironically, the stone never landed on French soil. It was left behind by Napoleon with other artifacts when he left Egypt. The last French troops eventually surrendered to the British, and that set up a dispute among the British, French, and Ottomans as to who owned the stone. Accounts vary as to how it happened, but what happened was that the stone ended up in the British Museum in 1802, where it has been ever since.
The Black Count is a great book about an undeservedly little known figure in history.
Militarily, Napoleon's Egyptian campaign was a failure, costing 30,000 French deaths, yet, due to skilled public relations and propaganda use, Napoleon's reputation as a brilliant military commander rose, paving the way for him to become Consul and then Emperor. However, the invading army also included engineers, artists, scholars, and scientists who not only collected valuable information, but modernist historians credit the campaign with creating the modern Middle East and demonstrating to the Ottoman Empire the military and technological superiority of western Europe at the time, forcing change.
One of the discoveries made by French troops was the Rosetta stone, a portion of a stele, or slab, inscribed with three versions of a royal decree issued in 196 BC. It's inscribed in three different texts: top in hieroglyphics, the middle in later demotic, and the bottom in Greek. After years of study, British and French linguists, including Jean-Francois Champollion, were able to decipher and read Egyptian hieroglyphs by comparing the inscription to the Greek.
Ironically, the stone never landed on French soil. It was left behind by Napoleon with other artifacts when he left Egypt. The last French troops eventually surrendered to the British, and that set up a dispute among the British, French, and Ottomans as to who owned the stone. Accounts vary as to how it happened, but what happened was that the stone ended up in the British Museum in 1802, where it has been ever since.
The Black Count is a great book about an undeservedly little known figure in history.
Persons
Buried amidst the other terrible news of this week is the fact that Florida Wildlife is on the hunt for FP-260, a Florida panther that has killed 10 calves recently. In 2020, he was hit by a car, rehabilitated, and released. Now, the goal is to capture and confine or kill him.
Craig Pittman's best seller Cat Tale is about the effort launched in the 1990s to save the Florida panther from extinction. Cars and habitat destruction had reduced the wild population to 30. But a group of wildlife conservationists joined forces, sometimes tragically and sometimes hilariously, to save them. Now there are thought to be over 200.
Roy McBride was one of the people involved. Picture a West Texas born hunter who had a long career hunting wolves, coyotes, and panthers preying on ranchers' livestock, and you have Roy McBride. In his later years, his mindset switched from hunting to saving, and he was a huge part of the Florida program. Because the panther genetic pool was so dangerously shallow, he captured 8 female mountain lions and released them in Florida, introducing some much needed viability and diversity.
Deborah, "Deb," Jansen has been a wildlife biologist for over 30 years, specializing in the Florida panther. She probably knows more about them than just about anyone else, up close and personal, even performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on one.
Pittman's deep environmental knowledge, his wit, and his sometimes cockeyed way of seeing things make Cat Tale an extremely entertaining read.
Buried amidst the other terrible news of this week is the fact that Florida Wildlife is on the hunt for FP-260, a Florida panther that has killed 10 calves recently. In 2020, he was hit by a car, rehabilitated, and released. Now, the goal is to capture and confine or kill him.
Craig Pittman's best seller Cat Tale is about the effort launched in the 1990s to save the Florida panther from extinction. Cars and habitat destruction had reduced the wild population to 30. But a group of wildlife conservationists joined forces, sometimes tragically and sometimes hilariously, to save them. Now there are thought to be over 200.
Roy McBride was one of the people involved. Picture a West Texas born hunter who had a long career hunting wolves, coyotes, and panthers preying on ranchers' livestock, and you have Roy McBride. In his later years, his mindset switched from hunting to saving, and he was a huge part of the Florida program. Because the panther genetic pool was so dangerously shallow, he captured 8 female mountain lions and released them in Florida, introducing some much needed viability and diversity.
Deborah, "Deb," Jansen has been a wildlife biologist for over 30 years, specializing in the Florida panther. She probably knows more about them than just about anyone else, up close and personal, even performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on one.
Pittman's deep environmental knowledge, his wit, and his sometimes cockeyed way of seeing things make Cat Tale an extremely entertaining read.
Place
Big Cypress National Preserve - By the Numbers
Established October 11, 1974, Big Cypress is America’s first national preserve.
The preserve is 729,000 acres. That's larger than Rhode Island.
Approximately one million visitors visit the preserve each year.
The preserve is a freshwater swamp ecosystem. It provides the largest contiguous acreage of habitat for panthers in South Florida.
The preserve has one of the largest fire management programs in the National Park System, burning roughly 60,000 acres each year.
(From National Park Service website https://www.nps.gov/bicy/index.htm )
Big Cypress National Preserve - By the Numbers
Established October 11, 1974, Big Cypress is America’s first national preserve.
The preserve is 729,000 acres. That's larger than Rhode Island.
Approximately one million visitors visit the preserve each year.
The preserve is a freshwater swamp ecosystem. It provides the largest contiguous acreage of habitat for panthers in South Florida.
The preserve has one of the largest fire management programs in the National Park System, burning roughly 60,000 acres each year.
(From National Park Service website https://www.nps.gov/bicy/index.htm )
Thing
Before they went extinct 11,000 years ago, Florida was home to at least six different species of smilodon, commonly known as the saber-toothed tiger. Since, there have been two native wild cats found in Florida, bobcats and panthers.
In 1896, archaeologists digging at a Calusa Indian site at Key Marco Florida discovered a number of 1,500 year old artifacts including a 6 inch figure of an anthropomorphic panther figure, carved from native Florida buttonwood using shells and shark teeth. The Key Marco cat, as it came to be called, has been interpreted as a part human, part panther deity, fetish, or mythical figure important to the Calusas, who once populated large areas of coastal Florida, but virtually disappeared before Spanish exploration.
Before they went extinct 11,000 years ago, Florida was home to at least six different species of smilodon, commonly known as the saber-toothed tiger. Since, there have been two native wild cats found in Florida, bobcats and panthers.
In 1896, archaeologists digging at a Calusa Indian site at Key Marco Florida discovered a number of 1,500 year old artifacts including a 6 inch figure of an anthropomorphic panther figure, carved from native Florida buttonwood using shells and shark teeth. The Key Marco cat, as it came to be called, has been interpreted as a part human, part panther deity, fetish, or mythical figure important to the Calusas, who once populated large areas of coastal Florida, but virtually disappeared before Spanish exploration.
Person
In Black Smoke, Adrian Miller traces the history of barbecue from its Native American and African roots and introduces the reader to important black figures in its history, including Marie Jean.
Marie Jean, or Mary Jean, or Mary John, or Marie Jeanne, etc. was born enslaved in Arkansas in the late 1780s, when the territory was French-claimed. She was purchased by James Scull in 1811 to cook in his tavern. Soon, his tavern became famous far and wide for the great food there, and especially for Marie Jean's barbecue. She soon became much sought after, cooking, catering, and overseeing huge plantation feasts in the area. In fact, she earned so much money that she purchased her own freedom.
When she died in 1857, the Weekly Arkansas Gazette ran her obituary. It described her as "a free negress, as black as the ace of spades, some 65 years of age, and weighing smartly over 200 pounds." The fact that a black person's obituary ran in a newspaper in the South is exceedingly rare. Not only that, but the paper used her full name, rare at the time, and it acknowledged her expertise, accomplishments, and community respect.
In Black Smoke, Adrian Miller traces the history of barbecue from its Native American and African roots and introduces the reader to important black figures in its history, including Marie Jean.
Marie Jean, or Mary Jean, or Mary John, or Marie Jeanne, etc. was born enslaved in Arkansas in the late 1780s, when the territory was French-claimed. She was purchased by James Scull in 1811 to cook in his tavern. Soon, his tavern became famous far and wide for the great food there, and especially for Marie Jean's barbecue. She soon became much sought after, cooking, catering, and overseeing huge plantation feasts in the area. In fact, she earned so much money that she purchased her own freedom.
When she died in 1857, the Weekly Arkansas Gazette ran her obituary. It described her as "a free negress, as black as the ace of spades, some 65 years of age, and weighing smartly over 200 pounds." The fact that a black person's obituary ran in a newspaper in the South is exceedingly rare. Not only that, but the paper used her full name, rare at the time, and it acknowledged her expertise, accomplishments, and community respect.
Place
There are two venues where barbecue has played a huge role: black churches and political rallies.
Not only have black churches used barbecues to mark special occasions and holidays, but they've also used them as fundraisers.
Politicians and barbecues have gone hand in hand for nearly two hundred years. The Georgia General Assembly still marks the beginning of its legislative session every January with a Wild Hog dinner. The political cartoon here from 1834 shows President Andrew Jackson turning on a spit. My favorite political BBQ story might be Billy Possum. President Taft made a trip to Georgia in 1909, and a huge bbq dinner was held in his honor, featuring barbecued possum. Atlanta newspapers and Taft political staffers even tried creating a cute cuddly stuffed animal character named Billy Possum to rival Theodore Roosevelt's Teddy Bear. It didn't quite work.
There are two venues where barbecue has played a huge role: black churches and political rallies.
Not only have black churches used barbecues to mark special occasions and holidays, but they've also used them as fundraisers.
Politicians and barbecues have gone hand in hand for nearly two hundred years. The Georgia General Assembly still marks the beginning of its legislative session every January with a Wild Hog dinner. The political cartoon here from 1834 shows President Andrew Jackson turning on a spit. My favorite political BBQ story might be Billy Possum. President Taft made a trip to Georgia in 1909, and a huge bbq dinner was held in his honor, featuring barbecued possum. Atlanta newspapers and Taft political staffers even tried creating a cute cuddly stuffed animal character named Billy Possum to rival Theodore Roosevelt's Teddy Bear. It didn't quite work.
Things
In Black Smoke, Adrian Miller traces the history of barbecue from its Native American and African roots and introduces the reader to important black figures in its history.
In chapter one, Miller discusses the five different meat cooking techniques used by indigenous Americans that were described by the first Europeans to observe them, and these methods became the basis of what we call barbecue today. (All illustrations are from Black Smoke.)
1. Piercing sticks
2. A rotating spit over a fire
3. A raised platform
4. A vertical hole
5. A shallow pit
In Black Smoke, Adrian Miller traces the history of barbecue from its Native American and African roots and introduces the reader to important black figures in its history.
In chapter one, Miller discusses the five different meat cooking techniques used by indigenous Americans that were described by the first Europeans to observe them, and these methods became the basis of what we call barbecue today. (All illustrations are from Black Smoke.)
1. Piercing sticks
2. A rotating spit over a fire
3. A raised platform
4. A vertical hole
5. A shallow pit
Person
A typo in yesterday's post, that I corrected a few hours later, reminded me of an eye-opening book I discovered over 30 years ago, Black Masters by Johnson and Roark.
Some people might not realize that there were free blacks in the South before the Civil War, even in states with laws that made it difficult or even impossible to free slaves or that required freed slaves to leave the state. Many of these people were mulatto in the language of the day, and freed by their owner/father. Some of these free blacks became slaveowners themselves. In a lot of cases, they purchased family members who could never be legally freed.
William Ellison Jr (c.1790-1861) was an exception. Born April Ellison in South Carolina, he was most likely the son of his owner William Ellison, since he took the name William Jr later. At age 10, he was apprenticed to a cotton gin maker, and he also learned blacksmithing. After 6 years, he became a hired hand and used his pay to purchase his freedom. He then purchased his wife and children.
In 1817, he moved to Sumter SC and set up shop as a cotton gin maker and mechanic. By 1830, he owned four non-related slaves to work in his shop. His work was in high demand, and he prospered, advertising in several newspapers. By 1852, he owned three plantations, totaling more than 1,000 acres. According to the 1860 census, he owned 63 slaves, the largest slaveowner among the 171 black slaveowners in SC.
When the Civil War broke out, he offered the labor of his slaves to the Confederate effort and converted his cotton plantation to vegetables for the war effort. His sons tried to enlist in the Confederate army but were refused due to race. A grandson was able to enlist in 1863. The family donated money and bought Confederate war bonds. At his death in 1861, his 63 slaves were divided amongst his three surviving children.
A typo in yesterday's post, that I corrected a few hours later, reminded me of an eye-opening book I discovered over 30 years ago, Black Masters by Johnson and Roark.
Some people might not realize that there were free blacks in the South before the Civil War, even in states with laws that made it difficult or even impossible to free slaves or that required freed slaves to leave the state. Many of these people were mulatto in the language of the day, and freed by their owner/father. Some of these free blacks became slaveowners themselves. In a lot of cases, they purchased family members who could never be legally freed.
William Ellison Jr (c.1790-1861) was an exception. Born April Ellison in South Carolina, he was most likely the son of his owner William Ellison, since he took the name William Jr later. At age 10, he was apprenticed to a cotton gin maker, and he also learned blacksmithing. After 6 years, he became a hired hand and used his pay to purchase his freedom. He then purchased his wife and children.
In 1817, he moved to Sumter SC and set up shop as a cotton gin maker and mechanic. By 1830, he owned four non-related slaves to work in his shop. His work was in high demand, and he prospered, advertising in several newspapers. By 1852, he owned three plantations, totaling more than 1,000 acres. According to the 1860 census, he owned 63 slaves, the largest slaveowner among the 171 black slaveowners in SC.
When the Civil War broke out, he offered the labor of his slaves to the Confederate effort and converted his cotton plantation to vegetables for the war effort. His sons tried to enlist in the Confederate army but were refused due to race. A grandson was able to enlist in 1863. The family donated money and bought Confederate war bonds. At his death in 1861, his 63 slaves were divided amongst his three surviving children.
Place
This house, which was built c. 1816, was purchased in 1838 by William Ellison, a free African American. Ellison became a successful plantation owner. He manufactured and repaired cotton gins and owned cotton plantations and over 60 slaves. His house is included in the Stateburg (SC) Historic District, and it is privately owned.
The family graveyard is in Sumter County.
This house, which was built c. 1816, was purchased in 1838 by William Ellison, a free African American. Ellison became a successful plantation owner. He manufactured and repaired cotton gins and owned cotton plantations and over 60 slaves. His house is included in the Stateburg (SC) Historic District, and it is privately owned.
The family graveyard is in Sumter County.
Thing
While Eli Whitney filed a patent for the cotton gin, he failed to get rich off the invention, even though it was a transformative moment in American history. It finally made cotton a viable and extremely lucrative crop, making *King Cotton" the most important product in the antebellum American economy. Unfortunately, it also led to the spread of cotton plantations, the need for a large labor force, and the creation of a monoculture economy in the South.
Meanwhile, Whitney was forced to spend any profits he made in court, both suing others who produced their own versions in violation of his patent and defending himself against dozens of people who sued him, claiming that they had come up with the idea first.
While Eli Whitney filed a patent for the cotton gin, he failed to get rich off the invention, even though it was a transformative moment in American history. It finally made cotton a viable and extremely lucrative crop, making *King Cotton" the most important product in the antebellum American economy. Unfortunately, it also led to the spread of cotton plantations, the need for a large labor force, and the creation of a monoculture economy in the South.
Meanwhile, Whitney was forced to spend any profits he made in court, both suing others who produced their own versions in violation of his patent and defending himself against dozens of people who sued him, claiming that they had come up with the idea first.
Persons
I haven't read Red Famine yet; it's on the way. Anne Applebaum is an historian who specializes on 20th century eastern Europe and communism. Red Famine is about an event that few Americans are taught about, the Holomodor, or Great Famine.
As Stalin introduced his 5-year plan and collectivization if farms, Ukrainians rebelled. In response, Stalin engineered a famine in 1932 and 1933 designed to punish and break Ukraine. Desperate Ukrainians ate grass, bark, dogs, cats, and even resorted to cannibalism in some instances. Death estimates range from 2.5 to 5 million.
The Soviet government denied any and all reports of famine for its entire history. A Welsh journalist named Gareth Jones was the first Western reporter of the famine, seeing it himself and publishing his experiences in The Times newspaper. In 1935, while covering Japanese activities in Mongolia, he was kidnapped and killed by the Soviet secret police, the NKVD.
Today's most prominent Ukrainian hero is President Volodymyr Zelensky, a comic actor elected president in 2019, after playing the role in a tv comedy. He immediately began popular and successful reforms and initiatives in the young independent Ukraine, which had been labeled the third most corrupt European government after Russia and Azerbaijan.
Considered a lightweight in politics when elected, he is a hero on the world stage today.
I haven't read Red Famine yet; it's on the way. Anne Applebaum is an historian who specializes on 20th century eastern Europe and communism. Red Famine is about an event that few Americans are taught about, the Holomodor, or Great Famine.
As Stalin introduced his 5-year plan and collectivization if farms, Ukrainians rebelled. In response, Stalin engineered a famine in 1932 and 1933 designed to punish and break Ukraine. Desperate Ukrainians ate grass, bark, dogs, cats, and even resorted to cannibalism in some instances. Death estimates range from 2.5 to 5 million.
The Soviet government denied any and all reports of famine for its entire history. A Welsh journalist named Gareth Jones was the first Western reporter of the famine, seeing it himself and publishing his experiences in The Times newspaper. In 1935, while covering Japanese activities in Mongolia, he was kidnapped and killed by the Soviet secret police, the NKVD.
Today's most prominent Ukrainian hero is President Volodymyr Zelensky, a comic actor elected president in 2019, after playing the role in a tv comedy. He immediately began popular and successful reforms and initiatives in the young independent Ukraine, which had been labeled the third most corrupt European government after Russia and Azerbaijan.
Considered a lightweight in politics when elected, he is a hero on the world stage today.
Place
Ukraine is the second largest country in Europe in area, after Russia. Its population of 44million ranks it the eighth most populous country in Europe. The territory has been occupied by humans since 32,000 BC, and over its history, it has been ruled, divided, and contested by Mongols, Poles, Austro-Hungarians, Ottomans, and Russians, gaining independence in 1991.
The young democracy ranks 74th in the Human Development Index, marking it as developing. It suffers from a high poverty rate and rampant corruption, but it is one of the largest exporters of grain in the world.
And, if you're wondering why the media have stopped calling the country "THE Ukraine", and its capital is now Kyiv (keev) instead of Kiev (ki -ev), it's the official request of Ukrainians. The former pronunciations were Russian, forced on the country as Soviets attempted to crush Ukrainian nationalism.
Ukraine is the second largest country in Europe in area, after Russia. Its population of 44million ranks it the eighth most populous country in Europe. The territory has been occupied by humans since 32,000 BC, and over its history, it has been ruled, divided, and contested by Mongols, Poles, Austro-Hungarians, Ottomans, and Russians, gaining independence in 1991.
The young democracy ranks 74th in the Human Development Index, marking it as developing. It suffers from a high poverty rate and rampant corruption, but it is one of the largest exporters of grain in the world.
And, if you're wondering why the media have stopped calling the country "THE Ukraine", and its capital is now Kyiv (keev) instead of Kiev (ki -ev), it's the official request of Ukrainians. The former pronunciations were Russian, forced on the country as Soviets attempted to crush Ukrainian nationalism.
Things
These photos document the death and starvation if the Holomodor, the manufactured and intentional famine created by Stalin in 1932 and 1933 to punish Ukrainians who were rebelling against his farm collectivization. Estimates of the dead range from 2.5 to 5 million.
These photos document the death and starvation if the Holomodor, the manufactured and intentional famine created by Stalin in 1932 and 1933 to punish Ukrainians who were rebelling against his farm collectivization. Estimates of the dead range from 2.5 to 5 million.
