Progressivism was partly a reaction against laissez-faire economics and its emphasis on an unregulated market. Progressives generally believed that industrialization and urbanization had created many social problems. What were crusading journalist who investigated social conditions and political corruption called? Among the first people to articulate Progressive ideas was a group…
A singular collective noun (like “slew”) at the head of a phrase ending in a plural (“a slew of court filings”) is often accompanied these days by a plural noun. a slew of (something) A very large number or amount of something; a lot of something. We’ve been coming up…
From 1755 until 1763, about 10,000 Acadians were forced to leave. The British sent thousands of them to the 13 Colonies. A large percentage of them died of diseases or starved. Others were sent to the Caribbean. In the first wave of the expulsion, Acadians were deported to other British…
None, although the scenes of horses being wounded were so real it is said that Mel Gibson was investigated by an animal welfare organization. The ISPCA is looking into the production of the 1993 film Braveheart, and it has received complaints about horse mistreatment. Mel Gibson, who played the part…
John Hannah appeared in the film as Matthew, Gareth’s partner. Gareth’s quiet, reserved partner Matthew has one of the more moving scenes in the film, when he reads a poem at Gareth’s funeral. At the end of “Four Weddings,” Matthew is able to find love again, while still honoring Gareth’s…
Archaeological surveys show that Angles settled the lands north of the River Thames by the 6th century. The name “Mercia” is Old English for “boundary folk” (see Welsh Marches), and the traditional interpretation is that the kingdom originated along the frontier between the native Welsh and the Anglo-Saxon invaders. Were…
Mason was constantly plagued with health issues during his life, and remained out of the spotlight after the inauguration of his old friend George Washington. Were George Mason and George Washington Friends? This question has posed itself for generations, but it never received an answer until now. Despite their great…
Slaves soon made up the majority of Antiguan population—85 percent by 1736, when there were 24,400 of them on the island. But while sheer weight of numbers made rebellion possible, it also made the planters cautious. There are conflicting accounts of the existence of slaves in Antigua. A 19th century…
In 1619 the first black Africans came to Virginia. With no slave lawsslave lawsThe slave codes were laws relating to slavery and enslaved people, specifically regarding the Atlantic slave trade and chattel slavery in the Americas. Most slave codes were concerned with the rights and duties of free people in…
Suffragettes: Emily Davison’s death at Epsom Derby.Suffragettes: Emily Davison’s death at Epsom DerbyEpsom DerbyA derby (UK: /ˈdɑːrbi/ DAR-bee, US: /ˈdɜːrbi/ DUR-bee) is a type of horse race named after the Derby Stakes run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in England. That was in turn named after Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of…