Over the last few months, I've been working my way through a mountain of research, and I've come to several conclusions which I would like to share with you. Here are the Top Ten Things my research has taught me.
1. My eyes are getting too old for books with small print. Am I really supposed to be able to read this without getting an eye-strain headache?
1. My eyes are getting too old for books with small print. Am I really supposed to be able to read this without getting an eye-strain headache?
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2. Before TV, ITunes, Game Apps, and Texting, people had much longer attention spans and didn't feel the same pressure to be concise as modern day writers. They weren't afraid to use a lot of words.
3. In those days of limited technology, people also had much more expansive vocabularies. Writers didn't have to question whether the general public would know what "exigencies" mean. (What does it mean?)
4. In general, there was little thought to "political correctness." People were more direct and forthright in their speech, and weren't afraid to take a stand for what they believed. Today, even with our emphasis on politically correct speech, we're just as divided as they were.
5. The Civil War was avoidable. There was at least a full decade of dissent leading up to it, during which time peaceable compromise could have been achieved and war averted. The Civil War was the result of inflexible pride on both sides. Let's learn from history and strive for unity within our great nation.
6. The Civil War was also the beginning of "Big Government," with the Federal Government gaining more control over individual states and citizens. This issue was, in fact, the original reason why states began to secede.
7. Politics have always been messy. It's nothing new.
8. While the Civil War is an example of mankind's inclination to violence in order to resolve disagreement, it is also a tribute to the resilience of the human spirit to rise above and rebuild in the aftermath of atrocity and destruction.
9. Pit Bulls are more interested in the details of history than the average modern person. Jenna is very content to read Jefferson Davis' "The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government" with me for hours at a time.
10. "The only thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history." -- Friedrich Hegel
3. In those days of limited technology, people also had much more expansive vocabularies. Writers didn't have to question whether the general public would know what "exigencies" mean. (What does it mean?)
4. In general, there was little thought to "political correctness." People were more direct and forthright in their speech, and weren't afraid to take a stand for what they believed. Today, even with our emphasis on politically correct speech, we're just as divided as they were.
5. The Civil War was avoidable. There was at least a full decade of dissent leading up to it, during which time peaceable compromise could have been achieved and war averted. The Civil War was the result of inflexible pride on both sides. Let's learn from history and strive for unity within our great nation.
6. The Civil War was also the beginning of "Big Government," with the Federal Government gaining more control over individual states and citizens. This issue was, in fact, the original reason why states began to secede.
7. Politics have always been messy. It's nothing new.
8. While the Civil War is an example of mankind's inclination to violence in order to resolve disagreement, it is also a tribute to the resilience of the human spirit to rise above and rebuild in the aftermath of atrocity and destruction.
9. Pit Bulls are more interested in the details of history than the average modern person. Jenna is very content to read Jefferson Davis' "The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government" with me for hours at a time.
10. "The only thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history." -- Friedrich Hegel
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