By Nancy Spannaus Aug. 27, 2021—Come September, I will be teaching two classes at local colleges on “Why American Slavery Persisted.” They will be offered, for a fee, at both the Institute for Learning in Retirement at Frederick Community College in Maryland, and the Lifelong Learning Program at Shepherd University […]
By Nancy Spannaus June 25, 2021—As the Whig Party geared up for the presidential elections of 1840, the United States was mired in a deep depression. While that depression had been brought on by the Jackson Administration’s dismantling of the Second Bank of the United States, there was not broad […]
By Nancy Spannaus June 21, 2021–“By virtue of the power, and for the purpose aforesaid, I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free; and that the Executive government of the United States, including […]
The third article in the series Funding Infrastructure the American System Way. See articles one and two on this site. By Nancy Spannaus March 29, 2021—When Abraham Lincoln launched his first political campaign in 1832, he encapsulated his political principles in his typically folksy way: My politics are short and […]
by Nancy Spannaus Feb. 14, 2021—Being born enslaved, Frederick Augustus Bailey never could be sure of his birth day, or even year. Ultimately, as he chose a new last name, Frederick Douglass also chose the date of his birth to be February 14, 1818. Thus, today it is appropriate to […]
In honor of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday By Nancy Spannaus February 11, 2021–“Let us have faith that right makes might, and, in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it.” Those were the words with which presidential aspirant Abraham Lincoln concluded his speech […]
By Nancy Spannaus[1] Jan. 8, 2021—In the midst of escalating racial and mob violence in the late 1830s, Abraham Lincoln raised the very same question which stands before us today: How can we save the institutions of our republic? His remarks were made in 1838, in an address at the […]
By Nancy Spannaus November 26, 2020—Contrary to popular culture, Thanksgiving Day in the United States was never just about family. From the time of the Pilgrims, to George Washington, to Abraham Lincoln, it was about humbly expressing our gratitude for surviving as a nation (or a community), and committing ourselves […]
The Growth and Collapse of One American Nation, The Early Republic 1790-1861 By Donald J. Fraser Fraser & Associates, Roseville, California, 2020, 605 pp. A Book Review by Nancy Spannaus June 21, 2020—In examining the question of what defines an American identity, author Donald Fraser has chosen one of […]
Sept. 26, 2021—While Congress continues deadlocked in a battle over inadequate infrastructure spending bills, support is growing for establishing a Hamiltonian Infrastructure Bank. A campaign by local officials determined to meet the full needs of the nation is spreading across the country. The focus of their efforts is H.R. 3339 […]
By Nancy Spannaus Aug. 27, 2021—Come September, I will be teaching two classes at local colleges on “Why American Slavery Persisted.” They will be offered, for a fee, at both the Institute for Learning in Retirement at Frederick Community College in Maryland, and the Lifelong Learning Program at Shepherd University […]
Memorial Day and the Road to Reconciliation
By Edward and Nancy Spannaus May 30, 2021—In his Second Inaugural Address, which occurred only 41 days before his assassination, President Abraham Lincoln concluded with an appeal for bringing the nation together: With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to […]