Friday, January 30, 2009

The Right to Right the Wrong...



Good day, class! Okay, maybe that's not the way to start this...this is my first attempt at a blog and I thought it might be best to introduce what I want to do here!

You all recognize the guy over here to your left there, right? Hey! He's smiling...and he's actually not on a one-dollar bill. The guy looks younger and a bit cooler then that guy...could it really be...? Hmm...Now read on -- I'm going to explain to you just why I started this blog.
Now if you'd set down your pencils and your I-Pods and listen up...or read up...nothing aggravates me more then hearing American history - or any history for that matter being incorrectly presented to the masses...a simple thing like the incorrect name of a person or a change of location of a major event could result in mis-information in years to come.

Heck, I'm not proud of my prowess in history class in high school or college but since then I've learned to check several different sources before admitting I know something or going to the original source if at all possible. In come cases, that may mean reading the actual person's version of what happened, who was there, when it happened, etc.
True, some of history's greatest figures tweaked things a bit...a bit...not a lot, I've found. Also -it helps to travel to the place where that figure in history lived, breathed, worked, loved, etc. It give you a real feel for who they were and what they really meant to others when they were alive and well and living day to day lives like the rest of us.
Surely, George Washington did not realize while he was living what an impact his actions would have on so many people. He knew he was living in extraordinary times...and was just part of it.
He was also....a regular guy! GASP!
I am hoping to give whoever is interested little tidbits of corrected historical information from time to time...especially when I get aggravated enough to share it! To me, nothing is worse when touring a historical site then seeing a park ranger or tour guides eyes glaze over because you stumped them or they were told something else. Nothing is better at a historical site then seeing a park ranger or tour guide light up because they know that you know the truth about something! I once spoke with a park ranger at Mount Vernon that was delighted that I knew darn well that Martha Washington wasn't always that cuddly old lady with white hair and the little cap and was actually considered one of the most attractive and vibrant women in the American colonies! (George always thought she KNEW she was...and knew how lucky he was to have her!)
Help me preserve the truth...if you know of any glaring mistakes that have been made...let's discuss them!

Okay?

Mary

(Inspired as always by one "who reads, writes and thinks too much"!)






3 comments:

  1. Pleased as punch to be the first person to offer a comment on your blog, Mary. IT is a nice concept you've offered us - a unique perspective on the history of America. Count on me to return again and again.

    Cheers!

    Tom Degan

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  2. Thanks for the vote of confidence. I'm looking forward to defending some of the women who have been "put down" by history, especially! Women too smart and too lovely all at the same time to be remembered the way they have been! There's a few men too that deserve much better then they've gotten, we'll check them out too!Don't worry!

    Mary

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  3. The study of history is so important that we need people like you to fill in the gaps and scrape off the crap. Personally my historical interests fall mostly in the 7th century, but early America is a close second interest. I enjoy the myths a great deal but I find the actual historical records to be many times more useful. I continue to point out in my own blog that the idea of a true democracy was not well thought of by our founding parents. I catch some heat for this assertion but just read the letters. Thanks much! Will Shirley

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