BGES Seminars: Home Front, Battle Front-Brooks Simpson

In this excellent lecture from the 2003 Blue-Gray Education Society, Professor Brooks Simpson discusses the Home Front and the Battle Front and perceptions.

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Lincoln’s Last War Council

This panel discussion from the Lincoln Forum focuses on the River Queen conference between Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, and David Dixon Porter. It ranges from there. The video's description reads, "Historians Anne Marshall, John Marszalek, Craig Symonds and Susannah Ural discussed the March 28, 1865, meeting between President Abraham Lincoln and Union generals Grant and Sherman aboard the River Queen steamer to discuss the end of the Civil War. This event was part the 2025 Lincoln Forum held in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania."

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Fauci Derangement Syndrome

We discuss why MAGA is suddenly relitigating one of Trump's signature failures.

publicnotice.co

The Week in Confederate Heritage

Bina Thorsen This week we begin with this opinion piece. "In a written statement on the anniversary of Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox, President Trump described the Confederacy’s defeat in 1865 as the end of 'four brutal years of suffering.' Rather than condemn the Confederacy’s treason or name slavery as the cause for which it fought, Mr. Trump quoted Ulysses Grant’s remarks to the vanquished army: 'The war is over. The rebels are our countrymen again.' Rebranding rebellion is nothing new. Americans take it for granted that the war between the Confederate states and the Union was always called the Civil War, but it was not.

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What Frederick Douglass Said About Lincoln

Professors Lucas Morel and Jonathan White discuss what Frederick Douglass wrote and said about Abraham Lincoln based on newly discovered Douglass letters. The video's description reads, "Authors Lucas Morel and Jonathan White discuss recently discovered letters from Frederick Douglass that allow historians to newly examine Douglass's relationship with President Lincoln during the Civil War. This event was part the 2025 Lincoln Forum held in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania."

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Here Are the Republicans’ Biggest Lies From Their Fauci Show Trial

In their retelling of the COVID story, the doctor was the bad guy, the vaccines were deadly, and Trump did everything right.

thebulwark.com

More Pushback Against Trump’s War on American History

The Smithsonian American History Museum on July 07, 2026 in Washington, DC.Finn Gomez—Getty Images Dr. Marc Stein, President of the Organization of American Historians, wrote this essay on the Pusillanimous Pedophile's attack on American History. "On the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Trump Administration attempted to declare independence from history with the release of 'Saving America’s Story.' Assigned an Orwellian title that obscures the effort to rewrite America’s story, the 162-page Domestic Policy Council report, published on the White House’s website on July 4, attacks the archivists, curators, educators, historians, and museum professionals who work at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

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The Prince

This classic book is in the form of a letter from Niccolo Machiavelli to Lorenzo the Magnificent, Son of Piero Di Medici, giving his advice on how to rule successfully. Lorenzo ruled Florence from December of 1469 to April of 1492. Beginning with a discussion of types of governments, he declares, "All states and dominions which hold or have held sway over mankind are either republics or monarchies. Monarchies are either hereditary in which the rulers have been for many years of the same family, or else they are of recent foundation." He writes, "Those states which on annexation are united to a previously existing state may or may not be of the same nationality and language.

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Pushing Back Against Trump’s War on American History

The Rancid Rapist's attacks on American History are not going unopposed. As this article shows, Lonnie Bunch of the Smithsonian is punching back. "In a memo addressed to staffers sent Tuesday, the secretary of the Smithsonian, Lonnie G. Bunch III, defended the institution after the White House issued a 162-page report that characterizes the National Museum of American History as a place which has become 'subject to institutional capture by a radical, activist ideology that is fundamentally opposed to telling the noble, honest story of the great country we know and love.' In his email, which NPR has obtained, Bunch wrote in part: 'While there will always be room for improvement, this report is not a fair characterization of the work and totality of the National Museum of American History.

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Born Equal

Professor Akhil Reed Amar appeared at the 2025 Lincoln Forum and delivered this excellent lecture. The video's description reads, "Author Akhil Reed Amar discusses constitutional developments from 1840 to 1920, inspired by President Lincoln's vision, that deal with the concept of equality in America. This event was part the 2025 Lincoln Forum held in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania."

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Murder on the Mississippi

Professor Saladin Ambar of Rutgers University delivered this excellent lecture at the 2025 Lincoln Forum. The video's description reads, "Author Saladin Ambar discusses racially motivated murders in the 1830s that shaped a young Abraham Lincoln's political views and inspired his Lyceum Address in 1838. This event was part the 2025 Lincoln Forum held in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania."

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More on Trump’s War Against American History

The president’s executive order said signage outside the National Museum of American History should inform people of locations where American history is better presented. Credit...Eric Lee for The New York Times Let's start with this article about the Mango Moron's childish order to put signs outside the Smithsonian Institute's Museum of American History. "President Trump on Friday ordered warning signs and exhibits installed outside the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History to alert the public that the museum does not, in his view, accurately reflect American history. The unusual directive, made through an executive order, was a considerable escalation of…

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The Week in Confederate Heritage

We have this article about another repugnant politician. "When Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, took the stage during the recent July Fourth weekend to recite the Declaration of Independence, there was one notable image just steps away: the Confederate battle flag. Sullivan’s Senate campaign posted pictures on Facebook from the 'America Comes Alive' event, which took place on July 5 at Mountain City Church in Anchorage. But his team omitted sharing any images featuring the flag. A video of Sullivan’s remarks, obtained by MS NOW, shows he spoke glowingly about the Declaration of Independence and some of the 'core ideas' in the document — including that we are all 'created equal' and that everyone is guaranteed the right to 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.' But as he spoke about the Declaration of Independence and recited the Founding Fathers’ words, Sullivan was just a few feet away from an image that has come to represent racism, oppression and white supremacy.

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2026 Winter Lecture Series John Nicholas

Here's Ranger John Nicholas discussing foreign policy in the Civil War, concentrating on the Trent Affair. The video's description reads, "While battles raged across American soil, another struggle unfolded in quiet rooms and diplomatic courts across the ocean. Join Ranger John Nicholas to explore how Union leaders worked to prevent foreign recognition of the Confederacy, and how President Lincoln’s shrewd diplomatic strategy—summed up in his phrase 'One war at a time'—helped preserve the Union by keeping Europe out of America’s Civil War. Discover the high-stakes world of Civil War diplomacy and the international threads woven into the Gettysburg story."

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The Trump War on American History Continues

The Smithsonian American History Museum on July 07, 2026 in Washington, DC. Finn Gomez/Getty Images As this article shows, the effort has infected the Republican Party, which has really become the Stupid Party. "It was the Ignorance Hour on Tuesday in the House of Representatives, and yes, I know, the only time it isn’t the Ignorance Hour in the House of Representatives is when everyone in the Republican caucus is asleep. But this Ignorance Hour involves all the rest of us and our common history. Dr. Anthea Hartig, the director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, appeared before the ...

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Lincoln’s Peace

In this presentation from the 2025 Lincoln Forum, Professor Michael Vorenberg discusses Lincoln's efforts to end the Civil War. The video's description reads, "Author Michael Vorenberg discussed attempts to define the endpoint of the Civil War and what this says about the war's nature and legacy. This event was part the 2025 Lincoln Forum held in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania."

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Did the Anaconda Plan Win the War?

J.B. Elliott - This map is available from the United States Library of Congress's Geography & Map Division under the digital ID g3701s.cw0011000. Bottom Line Up Front: It didn't. Talk to or interact on the internet with Civil War "buffs" and sooner or later someone is going to claim that Winfield Scott's plan, dubbed the Anaconda Plan, is the strategy that won the war. Usually it's accompanied by a fantasy version of the plan concocted to fit their nonsensical claim into what actually happened. Case in point is…

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2026 Winter Lecture Series Matt Atkinson

In this excellent lecture, Matt Atkinson looks at James Longstreet on July 2, 1863, the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg. The video's description reads, "Join Ranger Matt Atkinson as he peels back the layers of myth to explore the actions of Lt. Gen. James Longstreet and his men in the attacks on July 2, 1863."

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Breaking: Federal judge questions Hegseth's "High-T" military plan in light of Trump's anti-trans ban

Judge Ana Reyes wants to know "the Department’s basis for treating trans men and other service members differently."

lawdork.com

Abraham Lincoln and the Promise of Equality

In this panel, Professors Jeffrey Rosen, Akhil Reed Amar, and Lucas Morel discuss Abraham Lincoln and the Declaration of Independence. The video's description reads, "Scholars gathered by the Abraham Lincoln Institute explored the promise of equality in the Declaration of Independence and how it shaped Lincoln's policy views. The event took place at Washington, D.C.'s Ford's Theatre."

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History Matters

This book is a collection of essays the late David McCullough wrote over his career of writing and commenting on history and historical matters. One of the two editors is his daughter, Dorie McCullough Lawson, who was his personal manager for almost thirty years. The other editor, Michael Hill, was his research assistant for about forty years. The book is divided into four parts: Why History?; Figures in a Landscape; Influences; and On Writing. The first essay, "Why History?" is worth the cost of the book all by itself. It's fantastic.

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Tell Me How the Iran War Ends

What are we fighting for?

thebulwark.com

The Week in Confederate Heritage

Edmund Kirby Smith Statue. Photo by the US Capitol's National Statuary Hall. This week we begin with this article from the Sunshine State. "For eight years, Bob Grenier has been chasing the statue of the Confederate general whose surrender marked the collapse of the Confederacy's last major field force in the Civil War. The 74-year-old vice mayor of Tavares has spent nearly a decade of his life in a battle with bureaucracy over a monument to General Edmund Kirby Smith. Grenier has written eight books about Florida pioneers, Civil War veterans, and World War II veterans.

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