Tag Archives: History

Civil Rights and the History of Party Platforms. And Ann Coulter.

Posted on September 24, 2012 at 7:19 am by Bob Cesca

My rather long Monday column covers the ideological and platform shifts of the parties from 1860 to present day, and how Republicans like Ann Coulter and Glenn Beck are lying about it. While I was reviewing some of my Civil … Continue reading →

Posted in History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

On This Day in History, Something Truly Great Happened

Posted on September 22, 2012 at 6:27 pm by Bob Cesca

Seriously. On Sept. 22, 1862 — 150 years ago today — Abraham Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation, promising to free the slaves in any state still in rebellion on Jan. 1, 1863. Americans have celebrated Lincoln’s proclamation, and argued about … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil War | Tagged , , , , , | 13 Comments

The Remarkable Casting of Daniel Day-Lewis as Lincoln

Posted on September 14, 2012 at 5:33 pm by Bob Cesca

Not only is DDL one of the top three or four greatest living actors, but he’s a meticulous researcher who absorbs himself in a character, both during and prior to filming. This is clearly the case with his portrayal of … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

The New Trailer for Spielberg’s “Lincoln”

Posted on September 14, 2012 at 9:28 am by Bob Cesca

Not only does it look and sound historically accurate (eerily so), but Daniel Day-Lewis is totally immersed in Lincoln. Not surprising, but it’s so easy to do a boardwalk caricature of Lincoln instead of becoming him. DDL is Lincoln. And … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Genealogists: POTUS is Descended From Slaves

Posted on July 31, 2012 at 10:00 am by JM Ashby

According to a team of genealogists working for Ancestry.com, President Obama’s ancestral roots can be traced back to one of the first documented slaves in America. And this connection is on his mother’s side of the family, not his father’s. … Continue reading →

Posted in History | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Conan O'Brien Loves Abraham Lincoln

Posted on June 15, 2012 at 1:02 pm by Bob Cesca

This is brilliant. Conan visits Springfield, Illinois and various Lincoln landmarks:

Posted in History | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

JFK's Government-Run Death Panel

Posted on May 21, 2012 at 11:53 am by Bob Cesca

TPM dug up a fantastically hilarious anti-JFK coloring book produced by the GOP during the 1960 election. The following page is nearly the exact same attack that was used against President Obama during the healthcare reform debate. Here we see … Continue reading →

Posted in Healthcare | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

The Most Racist Items from the Jim Crow Museum

Posted on April 28, 2012 at 1:35 pm by Bob Cesca

American Exceptionalism and all that. Buzzfeed assembled photos of the most horrendous bits of memorabilia from Ferris State University’s Jim Crow Museum in Big Rapids, MI. While awful, it’s important to remember that this stuff was part of the evolution … Continue reading →

Posted in Racism | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Various Presidents on Late Night Television

Posted on April 26, 2012 at 1:29 pm by Bob Cesca

While far-right screechers (and Jon Stewart for some reason — a host of a late night show) bust on the president for appear on Jimmy Fallon, Lawrence put everything into proper perspective by showing various television appearances by former presidents. … Continue reading →

Posted in President Obama | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Slavery By Another Name

Posted on March 3, 2012 at 9:39 am by Bob Cesca

43 years after Appomattox and the end of the Civil War… On March 30, 1908, Green Cottenham was arrested by the sheriff of Shelby County, Alabama, and charged with “vagrancy.”1 Cottenham had committed no true crime. Vagrancy, the offense of … Continue reading →

Posted in History | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments