One of the great icons of American History will observe its 125th anniversary on January 1, 2017; Ellis Island. During its period of operation from 1892 till 1954, over 12 million immigrants entered through the immigration station that was to become synonymous with the “Golden Door” and the “American Dream”. It is estimated that today over forty percent of the United States … [Read more...] about Annie Moore, First Through the Golden Door
Thomas Osborne Davis and the birth of “The A Nation”
The often heard lament when people are faced with injustice or frustrated with the apparent state of affairs of society is “What can one person do?” Yet, if history teaches us anything it is that great events or movements rarely spring out of the ground fully formed; they can usually be trace back to one man or woman with a vision. Sadly and unjustly these great individuals are … [Read more...] about Thomas Osborne Davis and the birth of “The A Nation”
The Burning of the Ursuline Convent and the Power of Defaming Rumor
On a sweltering July night in 1834 Mr. and Mrs. Edward Cutter of Charlestown Massachusetts had just sat down to dinner when the family dog began barking incessantly at the front door. Mr. Cutter opened the door to find a young woman, Sr. Mary John (before her vows Elizabeth Harrison) of the neighboring Ursuline Convent School on the front steps in her nightgown talking … [Read more...] about The Burning of the Ursuline Convent and the Power of Defaming Rumor
The Green Flag that is a Historical Red Flag
In this centennial year of 1916, it has been interesting to note the extreme and factually flawed measures of some revisionist in their desperate attempts to undermine the courage and cause of the men and women of the revolutionary generation. One such example is the rewriting of WW I, which heretofore had usually been considered one of the greatest follies of mankind, into a … [Read more...] about The Green Flag that is a Historical Red Flag
The Childhood Friends Who Earned the Medal of Honor
In the historically Irish neighborhood of Woodside, Queens stands a monument to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country in the Vietnam War. On the monument is inscribed the names of 27 young men from the local Zip Code of 11377, more than from any other postal code in the nation to die in that conflict. However, the Irish community of Woodside has another … [Read more...] about The Childhood Friends Who Earned the Medal of Honor