August 2010

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Fort Clatsop National Memorial

Back in July, my family and I spent a few days in Astoria, Oregon. One of the places we made sure to visit was the Fort Clatsop National Memorial, which is part of the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park. There are several sites in that part of Oregon and nearby Washington state are to related the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The Fort Clatsop replica, with many activities and good information about the journey, is great place to start exploring!

Top Ten Favorite Historical Quotes

Every once in a while, I find myself pondering quotes about history or quotes from certain historical figures. Here are my top ten favorite historical quotes:

"War is sorrowful, but there is one thing infinitely more horrible than the worst horrors of war, and that is the feeling that nothing is worth fighting for..." - Harper's Weekly, December 31, 1864
"History does not repeat itself. The historians repeat one another." - Max Beerbohm
"If you're going through hell, keep going!" - Winston Churchill
"Speak softly and carry a big stick." - Theodore Roosevelt
"History repeats itself, and that's one of the things that's wrong with history." - Clarence Darrow
"History will be kind to me for I intend to write it." - Winston Churchill
"You will never be alone with a poet in your pocket." - John Adams
"Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't." - Margaret Thatcher
"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." - Thomas Jefferson
[A] ny fool can make history, but it takes a genius to write it. - Oscar Wilde

Do you have a favorite quote about history or from a historical figure? Let me know what it is! Leave a comment!

Book Review -The Death of Meriwether Lewis: A Historic Crime Scene Investigation

The mysterious death of Meriwether Lewis, of the famous Lewis and Clark Expedition, has been hotly debated for many decades. Most historians have believed that Lewis committed suicide while traveling along the infamous Natchez Trace in 1809. However, this book, The Death of Meriwether Lewis: A Historic Crime Scene Investigation by James E. Starrs and Kira Gale, presents compelling evidence as to why his death might have been murder instead. It demonstrates that the much of the evidence used for the suicide theory is questionable and why there were possible motives for his assassination.

This book is divided into three parts. The first part, and the most interesting to me, is the transcript of a Coroner's Inquest that took place in 1996 in Holdenwald, Tennessee. This inquest was held to determine if more evidence was needed to resolve the case of Lewis' death with many leading experts and forensic scientists testifying to the circumstances surrounding it. Several descendants of the Lewis family were also in attendance. The second part is a reprint and explanation of several important documents related to Lewis' last days. The third part makes the case for murder by describing events that took place after the expedition up to the time of his death.

The Good: This book is incredibly similar to a crime drama! It really does make a compelling case for why the death of Meriwether Lewis could well have been murder and not suicide. The testimony of the various forensic scientists at the inquest, including firearms experts and psychologists, shows that more evidence is needed if this case is ever to be solved. I also found the last part about the political circumstances around his death very informative. I had not heard many of those details before, not knowing much about the controversy. It is safe to say that not many of these details are widely known because many historians assume suicide as the cause of death.

The Bad: I dove into this book not knowing much about the murder or suicide question, so when I started reading the transcript of the Coroner's Inquest, I was somewhat confused. It would have been helpful to know more about the theories beforehand. Because of that, I would recommend this book for those who already know much about this subject. For those just beginning to get their feet wet in researching the death of Meriwether Lewis, I would recommend reading another book to get a more general idea before reading this one. Also, some of the testimonies and documents are a bit tedious to read.

The Ugly: None to mention

Conclusion: I really enjoyed this book because of it's similarity to a crime novel. The subject of Meriwether Lewis' death is fascinating! It has perplexed historians for years and remains the object of intense debate. It piqued my interest for sure, and I hope to read more books about his death in the next few months. Furthermore, as a result of the inquest, the jury ruled that there is little evidence to determine murder or suicide and an exhumation of the remains of Meriwether Lewis is needed to bring closure. The Lewis family descendants and others are currently fighting for this to take place. I am interested to see what happens!

Links to Learn More:

The Anne Frank Memorial in Boise, Idaho

The Anne Frank Memorial located in downtown Boise, Idaho is a familiar sight. Thousands of people pass it on their way to popular destinations nearby, such as Boise State University and the Boise Public Library. Yet, most do not take the time to get a closer look at this beautiful memorial. I recently had the opportunity to explore this monument to human rights in greater detail, and it truly is one of those hidden treasures of downtown Boise.

For those not familiar with her story, Anne Frank was one of millions of Jews killed by the Nazis during the Holocaust of World War II. She was born in Germany, but he and her family fled to the Netherlands after the Nazis took control. Her family hid in a secret attic apartment with several friends and colleagues helping them survive at great risk. In 1944, the Gestapo was tipped off and discovered them. The family was arrested and sent to concentration camps. Anne died in March of 1945 at Bergen-Belsen just weeks before it was liberated. Anne Frank's most enduring legacy is her diary, which was found and has been published in many languages since then.

However, the Anne Frank Memorial in Boise is about much more than just about Anne Frank herself. The purpose of this memorial is also to motivate each of us to contemplate the issue of human rights and wrestle with the current issues we face in our community and world. A large part of the memorial includes two enormous walls of marble inscribed with quotes and images. These quotes and images honor such champions as Martin Luther King, Jr., Eleanor Roosevelt, Cesar Chavez, and Mother Theresa. The walls are against a backdrop of spacious amphitheaters and sparkling waterfalls.

I would recommend stopping by on a beautiful day and taking time to reflect on the meaning of the memorial and what people such as Anne Frank have taught us throughout history. I personally took some time to sit and reflect on the meanings of some of the quotes since I enjoy historical quotes. Overall, I especially admired this one from Anne Frank: "In spite of everything, I still believe people are truly good at heart." The Anne Frank Memorial is located behind the Boise Public Library on South 8th St.

Links to Learn More:

Boise Vacations

What Makes a Good President?

This last spring semester I remember having an interesting conversation in my U.S. history class about how we evaluate history. My professor pointed out specifically that many historians do not consider something as "historical" until about 50 years later because of the bias of people living through those events. I have been considering this point lately in terms of how we evaluate American presidents. Whether you or I like or dislike President Obama, can we be objective in evaluating his current performance and his positive or negative impact on the country?

This point can be demonstrated with several examples of past presidents. I remember my professor mentioning Ronald Reagan in one of our lectures. Historians are still divided over how much influence he had on the country. From interviewing someone who lived during his time for an assignment, it seems to me that Reagan took a lot of credit for the economic recovery in the 1980's and for the fall of the Berlin Wall and collapse of the Soviet Union. Still, how much of that credit does he deserve?

American history is rife with examples of presidents who people now consider to be the greatest, yet during their own time or shortly after, they were criticized and derided. Much of their impact on history is now deemed as positive by the public. Some specific examples are:

Abraham Lincoln - Lincoln was severely mocked and criticized during his presidency. Yet, we consider him to be the greatest president in American history according to C-SPAN's 2009 Survey of Presidential Leadership.
John F. Kennedy - President Kennedy came under fire for his extramarital affairs, the Bay of Pigs disaster, and his inability to get civil rights legislation passed though Congress. If he had not been assassinated, would he still be listed among the greats?
Harry Truman - Truman was seen as failure after his time in office. Yet, historians have taken a second look at his presidency and reevaluated his contribution to American history as being mostly positive.

So what makes a good president? Is their personal qualities, or how history evaluates them? Politics aside, it is difficult to theorize how history (and the public) will judge a president's actions 50 or even 100 years after their terms. Presidents are largely victims of what events take place during their presidencies. However, there are personal qualities that many of the greatest have had in common. In any case, time always has a way of telling how our presidents will be remembered.

What do you think makes a good president? How do you think our current president will rank among the presidents? Please leave a comment!