Constitution Convention Absentees

I always like to show my students a copy of the Constitution and ask them who is missing from the signature list.  They spot right away that Thomas Jefferson and John Adams are absent and ask how can this be when they are considered founding fathers.  My reply is that we were not yet considered a nation that would definitely last.  For a nation to have firm stability and a future it must have international recognition and connections such as the US recognizing the state of Israel, which was a major turning point in the 20th Century.  The need for a new form of government showed the vulnerability of the US, and the fact that America was also once a developing nation.  During this time Jefferson was minister to France and Adams to Britain.  Sam Adams, John Hancock, and Patrick Henry were also absent.  Jefferson called the convention an "assembly of demigods." 

Teddy in Asia

President Teddy has always represented to me a larger than life figure whose actions mirror the rise of America to world power status.  His extroverted personality is also that of America spreading its ideals and melting pot culture.  He did not sit back and wait for the world to come to him, but grabbed it for himself.  Much is known of his international endeavors such as leading the Rough Riders in the Spanish-American War or sailing the Great White fleet around the world, and he firmly planted the US in Latin America with the building of the Panama Canal.  One of his most surprising actions to my students his how he put an American presence in an Asia affair.  Over the past 100 years America has often played the mediator in world conflict, and in my opinion the foundation was laid by Teddy.  On Sept. 5, 1905, Teddy earned his Nobel Peace prize when his efforts paid off with the signing of the Treaty of Portsmouth that ended the Russo-Japanese War.  The political cartoons depicting his involvement are particularly interesting and show the new role the United States would play internationally in the future.

The Kiss Seen Around the World

There are many moments in history that I would like to go back to just to expenience the emotion in real life.  One of those would be Victory over Japan Day in Times Square (Aug. 14th, 1945). The Kiss or VJ Day in Times Square from Life magazine is one of the most famous photographs in American history and captures the emotion of this event and draws the onlooker into the scene.  After almost four years of war, I can only imagine the exhuberation and relief brought by the end of the conflict.  I never want to have to experience world war but the joy of these two strangers celebrating something that ended halfway around the globe is something that all should find in their lives.

The S'more: An International Creation

As a former girl scout and daughter of an eagle scout, I fell in love with the s'more at an early age.  When I saw on the Today show that it is National S'more Day I decided to do a little research.  I found that I am not the only one who has a nostalgic love for the campfire favorite that came from the phase I want "some more".  There are numerous sites about the s'more, which seems to be as American as the hot dog.  What I mean by this is that their final forms are credited to Americans and are mostly enjoyed in just the US (and Canada) but the ingredients are definitely international.  The frankfurter is of course German but was sold on buns and popularized on Coney Island in the 1870s.  The same is true of the s'more.  The ancient Egyptians made the first candy from the marsh mallow plant and then the French mass produced marshmallow in its modern form in the 1850s.  Chocolate as a luxury food evolved in MesoAmerica then spread to Europe.  Even though the graham cracker is American (created by a Presbyterian Minister from New Jersey), I do not like them without their international fillers.  The creator of the first s'more is unknown but please thank the girl scouts for publishing the first recipe in 1927.  Now they just need to make a cookie like the s'more.

Ben and Jerry Say Thanks to TJ!

Happy National Ice Cream Day and Thank you TJ!  No, Thomas Jefferson was not the first to introduce ice cream to America, but it can be argued that he generated the first popular obsession with the cold dessert.  The Library of Congress even has his hand written recipe that was served at the President's House in Washington DC and at Monticello.  The President found many pleasures during his time spent in France, but ice cream spreading through the well to do households of the 18th and early 19th centuries led to a new and lasting American craving.  Here is the overview from the Jefferson Library.

Americans and the RAF

A highlight of our Warriors on the Western Front trip to Europe this year was visiting the RAF museum north of London.  Of course with everything else on this trip, we did not have near enough time to fully explore the museum.  Many Americans are aware that men from the US did join the RAF during the Battle of Britain prior to Pearl Harbor.  The sad part is that they learned this from the sappy Ben Affleck film Pearl Harbor.   These American pilots braved not only the German Luftwaffe, but lost their American citizenship for doing so.  They were later pardoned.  Letters they sent home were America's first up close look at World War II.  It always amazes me that just 160 years before Americans were giving their lives to defeat the British, but these men took it upon themselves to prevent the British from being defeated.

Royal Air Force Museum - Eagle Squadrons

Teddy Roosevelt's Grave Overlooking Omaha Beach

Well maybe not the President Teddy Roosevelt, but his son Ted Roosevelt.   After serving in North Africa and helping to lead the Normandy invasions as a Brigadier General his efforts were rewarded with a Medal of Honor and a promotion to Major General on July 12th, 1944.  However, on this same day he was struck down by a heart attack.  It was decided that he would be buried in Normandy with his men and is today one of the most visited graves at the American Cemetery.  He truly embodied the spirit of his father by being the highest ranking and oldest soldier  on Utah Beach on D-Day.  The Roosevelts (along with the MacArthurs) are one of only two fathers and sons awarded the Medal of Honor.