History

The efforts of the state of Florida to control the history curriculum being taught in its schools have been much in the news lately. With that in mind, it’s reasonable to ask, why does history change over time? Isn’t it just an account of what happened in the past? Historians…

The Battle of Gettysburg was fought from July 1-3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The United States Army was commanded by Major General George G. Meade. The Confederate Army was commanded by General Robert E. Lee. Before the battle, Lee tried to capitalize on the momentum…

This weekend, 160 years ago, America was in the midst of its Civil War. On July 4, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln received word of two great victories by the United States Army. The first was the better-known battle at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The other the more obscure, but perhaps more strategically…

Juneteenth traces its roots to June 19, 1865, when United States Army General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce the emancipation of enslaved African Americans, a full two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Abraham Lincoln. With General Order No. 3, Granger…

Today is the 248th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill. Dozens of volunteer soldiers from the towns in this vicinity – Lowell didn’t receive its town charter for another 50 years – took place in the battle. The Battle of Bunker Hill is largely forgotten in our popular culture,…

On June 5th, 1944, one day prior to the largest seaborne invasion in history, General Dwight D. Eisenhower penned a brief, potent letter. With great trepidation and acceptance of the burden of leadership, Eisenhower composed a note that would only see the light of day if the D-Day invasion failed.…

Remembering D-Day which took place 79 years ago today.  On June 6, 1944, a pivotal event unfolded on the shores of Normandy, France, forever altering the course of World War II. D-Day, also known as Operation Overlord, was the largest amphibious assault in history, initiated by the Allied forces to…

Earlier today I traveled to UMass Lowell’s South Campus for a program presented by the school’s Saab Center for Portuguese Studies. “North of Boston: The Portugues American Experience Beyond the Hub”, included presentations by academics and researchers from Lowell, Somerville, and Portugal. I was among the speakers. I promoted the…

While doing historical tours of downtown, I’ve often said that Lowell was the Silicon Valley of 19th century America. Back on September 16 & 17, 2017, I provided some evidence for that assertion during the Creaticity Art and Maker Festival in Downtown Lowell when I joined with Olu Ibrahim, the…