The Vietnam war remains a controversial topic in American history, but as time has marched forward research has covered many aspects of the war. Research into the causes of war, the victories, and losses, as well as memoirs and the lasting effects of exposure to war are covered extensively. There are even studies that have... Continue Reading →
Death by Railroad
Family histories have a way of taking unexpected twists and turns and sometimes unearthing interesting facts. Years ago, I started to try and map my family tree. There are several family historians in my family, so one branch had almost been thoroughly explored and can be traced back to Wales before landing in Maryland. My... Continue Reading →
Two Weeks With Rowena
I started my 100 day dress challenge and so far have found it to be a simple habit. I admit I’m not generally very adventurous in my fashion and mostly stick to a different cardigan over the dress and leggings underneath. Simplicity. It has been a little over fourteen days and I have washed the... Continue Reading →
Thoughts on American Christianity
America is a Christian nation. This sentence leads to one of two probable reactions, a hearty amen, or a knee-jerk rejection of the statement. Yet, when a look at pre-revolutionary writings as well as those that were written after the Civil War is taken, they both have one thing in common—in-depth knowledge of the Bible... Continue Reading →
Lifestyles of the Not so Fashionable
It cannot be said that I am the most fashionable person...anywhere. I am a creature of comfort and have pictorial evidence of many of my fashion fails. I am most often found- courtesy of 2020- in sweats. Like many people, this past year has brought about lockdown induced boredom and stress. Many adjustments have been... Continue Reading →
Ratchet Phenomenon
In “Crisis, Bigger Government, and Ideological Change: Two Hypotheses on the Ratchet Phenomenon,” Robert Higgs discusses his theory of ratchet phenomenon. He studied the economic growth after the Great Depression and leading up to World War II. He posits that a great crisis will result in the rapid extreme growth of the government which remains... Continue Reading →
Kate Gleason
Figure 1 Kate Gleason at Alhambra Catherine Anselm Gleason, or Kate as she was better known, was born November 25, 1865 and died January 9, 1933. She left an estate estimated at $1.5 million. There are several remarkable things about Kate Gleason, first is that she succeeded as a woman in a male dominated market,... Continue Reading →
The Establishment of National Banking
After the Civil War, the United States entered a period of reconstruction and worked on re-unifying the country. Many areas of the country saw change in the post-war years, including the banking system. State banks issued currency but during the Civil War, a need for a national currency was recognized. The division of the Union... Continue Reading →
Blog Purpose
This blog was started as a way to meet the requirements of blog assignments while in pursuit of a PhD in History. It also will include personal narrative writing with historic interest or relevance. Hope you enjoy! ~Carmen Latvis
Lady of History 