Samuel Chapman Armstrong was the founder of Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute (now Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia). A native of Hawaii, he fought with the Union Army during the Civil War and was eventually awarded the brevet rank of brigadier general of volunteers. After working for the Freedmen’s Bureau in Virginia, he recognized that…
Remembering Samuel Chapman, the Civil War General Who Became an Educator for Freed Slaves
August 12, 2022
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African AmericansAmerican EssenceArts & CultureBrightCivil WareducationHampton InstituteHistorySamuel Chapman Armstrong
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From Car Parts to Machine Guns: An American Company’s Ingenuity Propelled the Allied Forces Toward Victory
We laud as heroes men and women who fight for a cause, or speak moving words, or stand up for timeless ideals—and rightly so. Yet some of the greatest heroes of World War II were the men and women on the home front, who applied their cleverness, tenacity, and famous American entrepreneurial innovation to equip…
Training the Virginia Regiment: How Colonel George Washington’s Military Prowess Primed Him for Success in the Revolutionary War
August 12, 2022
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American EssenceAmerican RevolutionArts & CultureBrightFrench and Indian WarGeorge WashingtonHistoryVirginia Regiment
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The unparalleled events of George Washington’s life could fill half a dozen biographies of men with standard accomplishments. It is natural that his exploits as a revolutionary general and president would overshadow his early experiences in the French and Indian War. But without these initial achievements, the later ones would not have been possible. During…
How Mark Twain Discovered His Wit and Style as a Reporter Working in America’s Rough and Tumble West
Twentieth-century American author William Faulkner called him “the father of American literature.” But few of his compatriots today know of his raucous literary upbringing in a silver-mining boomtown. Unaccomplished and undecided as to his future, he first took up writing as a career in Nevada, and there he adopted a pen name and attracted a…
Richer Than a King: Valuable Life Lessons from a Grandfather Who Was Everything Henry VIII Was Not
The summer I turned 13, my parents put me on a plane and sent me across the Atlantic for a week at my grandparents’ bungalow in Haddenham, England. I was thrilled: as one of four children and nine grandchildren, one-on-one time with my grandparents was hard to come by. I would have an entire week…
Legendary Tennessee Pitmaster Pat Martin Shares His Must-Know Tips for a Perfect Summer Barbecue
Not many recipes call for a pair of broken-in running shoes, 93 cinder blocks, and somewhere to sleep as part of their prep list. Then again, not many recipes compare to Pat Martin’s 33-page manifesto on West Tennessee-style whole hog barbecue that describes each step from building the pit; to slow-smoking a 185-pound pig; to…
Dry Bar Comedy: Stand-Up Comedian Keith Stubbs’s Family-Friendly Platform is Working to Keep America’s Humor Clean
Today’s stand-up comedy is filled with F-bombs and N-words. The monologues in late-night shows have turned into profanity-laced political rants that Standards & Practices would need to censor. If he were alive today, Steve Allen—the very first late-night TV host—would be appalled at what comedy has become. However, it appears that Americans are eager to…
Amateur Astronomy Gains Fans Who Bond Through Their Shared Love of the Starry Night
One evening, viewers of a virtual “star party” hosted from central Illinois got a glimpse of their host’s passion for the night sky when the patterned group of stars known as the constellation Orion the Hunter came into view. The regular Friday night gatherings of amateur astronomers observing celestial objects are hosted by Dr. John…
Meet Nainoa Thompson, the Hawaiian Navigator Who’s Preserving the Ancient Art of Ocean Wayfinding
Nainoa Thompson did not set out to rewrite history. He just wanted to go for an adventure. But he accomplished both. Decades later, he’s now the most famous person in Hawaii and an icon to seafaring people around the world. Along the way, he learned a few things: Intense preparation surmounts risk. The riskiest action…
On Duty: A Peek into the Life of a Police Officer Working to Keep America Safe
Officer Ashley Poellnitz spotted the brown Toyota run a stop sign and take off in a hurry. She sped after the offender and flashed her blue lights on Green Springs Avenue. When the car came to a stop in front of her, she called in the tag number with confidence mixed with anticipation. Pulling over…
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