The Overlooked Greatness of John Quincy Adams

Description

John Quincy Adams was, arguably, the greatest public servant in the history of the United States. Over his 50 year public career he served, consecutively, as Minister to the Netherlands, US Senator, Minister to Russia, negotiator of the Treaty of Ghent ending the War of 1812 and Minister to Great Britain.  He was a two-term Secretary of State and, in 1825, became the sixth President of the United States.  Two years after his 1828 defeat by Andrew Jackson, Adams won his seat in the House of Representatives.  Here he served for the next 18 years, until suffering a stroke on the House floor in 1848.

Adams benefited uniquely from his father’s insistence upon a first-hand education for him in the courts of Europe – at no little risk at a time when international travel was a daunting proposition. He also imbibed from his father a dedication to principle which transcended political considerations. His personality was austere and distant, and he never pandered to public opinion. He never received the public recognition or sustained popularity of Jefferson, Jackson, Monroe, Madison or others among America’s early political leaders, but his legacy is as enduring, if not greater, than any of his contemporaries.

Adams knew Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, Lafayette, Madison, Monroe as well as Jackson, Calhoun, Clay, Van Buren and Webster.  He was the last president with a direct link to The Founders and viewed politics as gentleman’s club.  In 1828, he lost to Andrew Jackson who used a sophisticated party machine to reach the broad masses.  “The politics of our time really began at this moment – a combination of parties directed by political professionals, vigorous, even raucous, campaigns, legions of voters demanding attention and candidates striving to connect with those same voters.”

This SDG, using as our guide, William Cooper’s The Lost Founding Father John Quincy Adams and the Transformation of American Politics, will view John Quincy Adams in the context of the his time and the great political and social changes from the birth of our nation to the eve of civil war.  

Weekly Topics

 Week 1 - 1767-1794: “To Bring Myself into Notice”, Chapter 1

Travel with John Adams to France, Spain, England and Holland.  At 14 to Court of Catherine the Great as French translator.  Paris with Lafayette and Jefferson.  Harvard.  Law studies.  Shay’s Rebellion.  The Constitution.  Publishing as Publicola.  Nomination as American minister to Netherlands.  Ambition, education, heritage and opportunity.

Week 2 – 1794-1808 – “Only Virtue and Fortitude”, Chapter 2

John Quincy begins a formal diplomatic service in a Europe convulsed by the French Revolution.  Marriage.  Prussia.  Fatherhood.  US Senator.  Louisiana Purchase.  Harvard professor.  “I find little to censure in what I did, nothing in what I intended.”

Week 3 – 1808-1817 – “Let There Be…No deficiency of Ernest Zeal”, Chapter 3

Supreme Court Argument.  Minister to Russian court of Tsar Alexander I.  Personal tragedy.  Nomination to Supreme Court.  War of 1812.  Treaty of Ghent.  Paris for Napoleon’s return.  Minister to Great Britain  “the continued consciousness of purity in my motives and, so far as it has been or may be deserved, the approbation of my countrymen.”

Week 4 – 1817-1820 – “Perhaps the Most Important Day of My Life”, Chapter 4 pp 143-177

Secretary of State.  Monroe’s Cabinet.  Adams-Onis Treaty.  Missouri Compromise.  “ My system of politics more and more inclines to strengthen the union and its government.”

Week 5 – 1820-1824 – “Perhaps the Most Important Day of My Life”, Chapter 4 pp 177-205

Transatlantic slave trade and Britain.  July 4th address.  Monroe Doctrine.  Weights and Measures.  Presidential Politics.  Clay, Crawford and Calhoun.  Louisa as dedicated hostess.  “[America] does not go abroad in search of monsters to destroy.”

Week 6 – 1824-1828 – “To Meet the Fate to Which I am Destined”, Chapter 5

Adams Ball for Jackson.  Bitter Presidential electioneering.  Election thrown to House.  The Corrupt Bargain.  First message to Congress and Adams’ vision for America.  Anti-Adams Alliance.  Texas.  Tariff of Abominations.  Patronage  Defeat. “The sun of my political life sets in the deepest gloom.”

Week 7 – 1829-1833 – “An Overruling Consciousness of Rectitude”, Chapter 6

A scholar’s life.  Election to House.  Antimasonry.  Congressional life.  Open opposition to Jackson.  The Bank War.  Nullification.  Compromise of 1833.  “[his] anxiety to be right upon every point is inexpressible.”

Week 8 – 1833-1838 – “The First and Holiest Rights of Humanity”, Chapter 7

Whig party.  More tragedy.  Election of 1836.  Abolition movement.  Presentation of petitions.   Racism.  Amalgamation.  Gag Rule.   Battle with Southerners.  Dueling.  Smithsonian.     “Am I gagged or am I not?”

Week 9 – 1838-1843 – “On the Edge of a Precipice Every Step That I Take”, Chapter 8

Amistad.  Latimer petition.  Abolitionist cause.  Anti-Texas campaign.  Elections of 1840 and the death of a President.  Charles Dickens.  Triumphant western tours.     “His spirit did not sink.”

Week 10 – 1843-1848 – “Our Country…Is No Longer the Same”, Chapter 9 and “Proceed – Persevere – Never Despair” Coda

Adams’ censure trial in House.  Texas annexation.  Election of 1844.  Gag rule rescinded.  Expansionist fervor.  Oregon question.  War with Mexico.  Wilmot Proviso.  Physical decline.  Death.  Massive outpouring of esteem.   “This is the end of earth, but I am composed.”

Bibliography

William J. Cooper, Jr., The Lost Founding Father: John Quincy Adams and the Transformation of American Politics (Liveright, 2017)

The August Wilson Cycle

Description

The ten plays, each representing a decade of the 20th Century. Week 1, biographical information about August Wilson and the Black writers who preceded him. Weeks 2-11, a play each week. Week 12, look at the future of Black writers for theater in the United States.

Weekly Topics

Week 1:  Gem of the Ocean  The shock of freedom at the beginning of the century. 

Week 2:  Joe Turners Come and Gone  Reassembling of identity – 1910-1919 

Week 3:  Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom  The struggle for power in urban America in the Twenties. 

Week 4:  The Piano Lesson  The dilemma of embracing their pasts as slaves in the Thirties. 

Week 5:  Seven Guitars  The promises made and broken to those who served om World War II.

Week 6:  Fences  The fraught adaptation to the bourgeois values of the Fifties.

 Week 7: Two Trains Running – the stagnancy in the midst of the Sixties’ militancy.

Week 8:  Jitney – the disenfranchisement during the boom of the Seventies.

Week 9:  King Hedley II – continuing disenfranchisement in the Eighties.

Week 10 :  Radio Golf  -  the assimilation into the mainstream and the accompanying spiritual alienation of the Nineties

My hope is to integrate the biography of August Wilson into each presentation   

Bibliography

The ten plays, one for each decade of the 20th century, dealing with the  African-American experience in a racial divided United States.

There is  a collection of all 10 plays available, but all are available, individually, on Amazon and Samuel French.  L A libraries have them as well. 

Churchill: Walking with Destiny

Description

It has been almost nine years since Plato has offered a Churchill S/DG.  During that time another fine load of Churchill books has occurred on all phases of his life, including the recent one-volume biography by Andrew Roberts.  Churchill is truly walking through destiny and history.  We will use Roberts' book, recognized by British reviewers as one of the finest one-volume texts on this statesman, for our core book.

After giving a retreat session, "Are You a Churchillian Yet?, I realized there is still so much we don't know about this giant on the world stage.  Some writers and historians think that Churchill helped to save Western Civilization.  Certainly, after his failures in World War I, it would be impossible for most statesmen to come back and lead a nation through the Blitz, convince America to support England, help plan the greatest invasion on the continent of Europe, and handle the conferences at Casablanca, Tehran, and Yalta.

As I listened at the last Churchill International Society in Williamsburg, Virginia, I realized there is much more to this man and his ideas than most people realize.  The event commemorated the Armistice Celebration of World War I.  Think about how you might have felt as Churchill with the loss of Gallipoli and the loss of your position as Lord of the Admiralty.  You might have also experienced Churchill's dark sorrow and his onset of depression.  Would you have taken up painting to soothe your nerves?

Many of us have already seen the recently released films, Churchill and Darkest Hour.  Those films depicted the strength, character, and the power of words for Parliament, the English nation, and the world.  Think of the service of this man with eight government posts in the span of 30 years.  Winston served as prime minister twice.

We need to get to know the boy and the man.  Imagine a man fighting in Malakind in Afghanistan, the Sudan (River War), and the Boer War in South Africa.  Some of you have told me about reading the exploits of Winston and his being captured as a correspondent by the Boers.  Churchill ran as one of the youngest MP in his English/Scottish district.  Later Churchill won a Nobel Peace Prize for Literature for his biographies of Lord Marlborough and his father, Randolph, his exploits in numerous wars, and the ground-breaking volumes on History of the Second World War.  In this S/DG we will try to answer the question:  What in Churchill's background made him such a world leader and his ability to manage numerous crises?

It is time to learn even more about Churchill.  Winston affected history, and he wrote lucidly about history and the 19th and 20th centuries.  We will not disappoint with our S/DG delving into everything from Winston being turned down for the cavalry at Sandhurst to his budding and lifelong love of Clementine.  It is a story for the ages, because we will not readily see the likes of Winston Churchill on this earth again.  He was the man at the right time to save Britain and the world as it existed.  

Weekly Topics

Session 1.  Early Life of Churchill and Early Years Under Fire in Afghanistan and Sudan.

Session 2.  Omdurman to Pretoria; Free Trade Principles, and Randolph's Legacy.

Session 3.  The Boer Republics; Churchill Elections; Proposals to Clementine.

Session 4.  Home Secretary Performance; First Lord of Admiralty;  and Early First World War Years.

Session 5.  Dardanelles Debacle; Happiness in the Trenches and Minister of Munitions; Reaction to Versailles Treaty and Coalition Politics.

Session 6.  Renovating Chartwell and Into the Wilderness; Predictions of Future Bombings; Final Years As Chancellor of Exchequer; Churchill Accident on Black Thursday.

Session 7.  Publishing Marlborough Memoirs; Friendship of Lady Castlerosse; Warnings about Hitler.

Session 8.  Attacks on Chamberlain; Return to Admiralty; the Special 1940; Becoming PM.

Session 9.  Preparation of 65 Years; Adopting Minister of Defense; Fall of France; Battle of Britain.

Session 10. Experiencing the Blitz, Greece Expedition and North Africa, Atlantic Charter.

Session 11.  Fall of Singapore, Dealings with India, Persuasion for Operation Gymnast (Sicily), Cairo Conference and Appointment of Montgomery; El Alamein

Session 12.  Casablanca, Operation Husky, Tehran Conference, Anzio Landings and Fall of Rome, D-Day and Breakout, Yalta

Session 13.  Election Defeat, Honorary Degrees, Churchill Opposition to Current Government, Fulton "Iron Curtain" Speech, Writing The Gathering Storm and vols. of Second World War

Session 14.  Back to PM, Suez and Death of King George VI, Awarding of Nobel Prize for Literature, PM Handover to Eden, Publication of A History of the English-Speaking Peoples, Painting Last Pictures;  Many Lives of Churchill, Sense of History, Churchill's Spirit.

Bibliography

Core Book  

Roberts, Andrew.  Churchill:  Walking with Destiny.  New York:  Viking, 2018.

Selected Bibliography  

Apps, Peter,  Churchill in the Trenches.  n.p.:  CreateSpace Independent Publishers Platform, 2015.

Attenborough, Wilfred,  Churchill and the 'Black Dog' of Depression:  Reassessing the Biographical Evidence of Psychological Disorder.              New York:  Palgrave Macmillan, 2014.  

Bew, Paul.  Churchill & Ireland.  Oxford, England:  Oxford University Press, 2016.

Buchanan, Patrick J.  Churchill, Hitler, and the Unnecessary War:  How Britain Lost Its Empire and the West Lost the World.  New York:    \          Three Rivers Press, 2008. 

Cannadine, David, ed.  Churchill:  The Statesman As Artist.  London:  Bloomsburg Continuum, 2018.   

Carter, Violet Bonham.  Winston Churchill:  An Intimate Portrait.  New York:  Harbrace, Brace & World, Inc., 1965.

Catherwood, Christopher.  Churchill's Folly:  How Winston Churchill Created Modern Iraq.  New York:  Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2004.

Churchill, Sir Winston S.  The Story of the Malakand Field Force:  An Episode of Frontier War 1898.   Champaign, Illinois:  Book Jungle,               n.d..

Churchill, Winston and Intro by William Manchester,  My Early Life 1874-1904.  New York:  A Touchstone Book, 1930, 1956, 1996.

Gilbert, Martin (selectedm edited, and introduced).  Churchill:  The Power of Words.  Philadelphia:  Da Capo Press, 2012.  

Giles, Milton.  Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare:  The Mavericks Who Plotted Hitler's Defeat.  New York:  Picador, 2016.  

Jenkins, Roy.  Churchill:  A Biography.  New York:  A Plume Book (Penguin), 2001.  

Johnson, Boris.  The Churchill Factor:  How One Man Made History.  New York:  Riverhead Books, 2017,  

Kelly, C. Brian.  Best Little Stories from the Life and Times of Winston Churchill.  Nashville, Tennessee:  Cumberland House, 2008.  

Lavery, Brian.  Churchill Warrior:  How a Military Life Guided Winston's Finest Hours.  Oxford and Philadelphia:  Casemate Publishers,                2017.  

Lee, John and Celia.  Winston & Jack:  The Churchill Brothers.  London:  "Middlemarch," 2007.  

Lehrman, Lewis E.  Churchill, Roosevelt & Company:  Studies in Character and Statecraft.  Guilford, Conneticut:  Stackpole Books, 2017.

Manchester, William, and Paul Reid.  The Last Lion:  Winston Spencer Churchill, Defender of the Realm, 1940-1965.  New York:  Little,                 Brown and Company, 2012. 

Millard, Candice.  Hero of the Empire:  The Boer War, a Daring Escape and the Making of Winston Churchill.  New York:  Doubleday, 2016.

Olson, Lynne.  Citizens of London:  The Americans Who Stood with Britain in Its Darkest, Finest Hour.  New York:  Random House, 2010.

Purnell, Sonia. Clementine:  The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill.  New York:  Penguin Books, 2015.  

Read, Simon.  Winston Churchill Reporting:  Adventures of a Young War Correspondent.  Philadelphia:  Da Capo Press, 2015

Scott, Brough.  Churchill at the Gallop.  Newbury, Berkshire, England:  Racing Post Books, 2017.  .   

Shelden, Michael.  Young Titan:  The Making of Winston Churchill.  New York:  Simon and Schuster Paperbacks, 2013,

Of course, one already knows about the six volumes of World War II, five volumes of World War I, The River War, the biography of Marlborough:  His Life and Times , four volumes of A History of English-Speaking Peoples,   and Painting As a Pastime..

Some Baffling Scientific Mysteries of Our Time

Description

The core book published in 2008 lists a number of science based questions which at the time, or even now, do not have a satisfying answer. Since the publication of the book, some of the problems (questions) have been "solved", but some of the answers seem unsatisfactory to a number of scientists. The core book describes the thirteen different topics that intrigued the Author. However, in some cases the amount of research in these areas have exploded, while some new ones, almost as intriguing have arisen and will be given more emphasis. In order to make this SD/G more relevant some additional topics have been added and some deleted. Some topics are based on hard science, but others are more philosophical. For example: Does AI have Free Will or What is Life, biologically speaking? This is one of those SD/Gs that will end with more questions than answers because we just don't know.

This SD/G designed for those not only with a science background, and is based on what you can find in the newspapers (what are those?), cinema, TV or in simple computer searches. 

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Weekly Topics

1. The Missing Universe or How to Account for the Entire Mass of the Universe and is Dark Matter an integral part of this? Can the Standard Model explain this?

2. What is Time? When did Time Start? Do we understand Time?

3. Matter-antimatter asymmetry problem. Why is there more matter than anti-matter in the Universe? Has that question really been answered?

4. Quantum Weirdness -  a proven fact or reality? Schrodinger's Cat in the Box thought problem.

5. String Theory, Many Worlds and Dimensions - Fact or Fiction? 

6. Do Black Holes Exist? Facts and theory?  How does Hawkins recent proposal fit the theory?

7. Cold Fusion - Was a scientific hoax committed or poor experimental design? If hoax, why is research still ongoing? Is it similar to Polywater?

8. Viking - NASA scientists found evidence of life on Mars, then changed their minds. What are the possibilities of life outside our Solar System?

9. Has ET already been in touch? Is the Wow Signal real or an artifact?

10. Life or are you more than just a container for chemicals? How to define life, e.g. a virus?

11. Sexual reproduction: Is it an advantage over asexual reproduction? What can go wrong or right? What would the world look like if there was only asexual reproduction?

12. What is natural Death? Is self-destruction an advantage for evolution? Never mind Malthus!

13. What is Free Will in a living being. Is it real? Do the recent advances in brain chemistry and testing shed light on the issue?

14. The Placebo Effect and Homeopathy. How do they work and are they connected to free will?

Bibliography

Core Book: 13 things that Don't make Sense, Michael Brooks, Doubleday, New York, 2005. Available on Amazon for about $5 used.

The 18 Biggest Unsolved Mysteries in Physics:

https://www.livescience.com/34052-unsolved-mysteries-physics.html

1. A Short History of the Missing Universe: 

https://www.quantamagazine.org/a-short-history-of-the-missing-universe-20180919/

https://medium.com/starts-with-a-bang/we-just-found-the-missing-matter-in-the-universe-and-still-need-dark-matter-a7a627b9fac2

At Last, Physicists Understand Where Matter's Mass Comes From: https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2018/11/07/at-last-physicists-understand-where-matters-mass-comes-from/#4db248245bf9

Bizarre 'Dark Fluid' With Negative Mass Could Dominate The Universe: https://phys.org/news/2018-12-bizarre-dark-fluid-negative-mass.html

Dark Energy, Dark Matter: https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/what-is-dark-energy

Mapping Dark Matter: https://www.space.com/42820-mapping-dark-matter-hubble-space-telescope.html

Our Universe Has Antimatter Partner On The Other Side Of The Big Bang, Say Physicists: https://physicsworld.com/a/our-universe-has-antimatter-partner-on-the-other-side-of-the-big-bang-say-physicists/

Scientists Find the 'Missing' Dark Matter from the Early Universe: https://www.livescience.com/64389-dark-matter-around-galaxies-constant.html

2. What is Time? When Did Time Start?

Did anything exist 10 Billion years before that Big Bang happened?: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/WhctKJVJZlJfnDlXPHDNVZwKLWvmGBLbQDqtvCpmcRsrHJzcsxsSSsxrnXsBGzcLVrbrsSq

The Beginning of Time: http://www.hawking.org.uk/the-beginning-of-time.html

 The Galaxy That Challenged Dark Matter (And Failed): https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2018/12/27/the-galaxy-that-challenged-dark-matter-and-failed/#4eae3ed5613c

Quantum Fields: The Real Building Blocks of the Universe - with David Tong: https://youtu.be/zNVQfWC_evg

Dark Energy May Be Incompatible With String Theory: https://www.quantamagazine.org/dark-energy-may-be-incompatible-with-string-theory-20180809/

Dark Matter and Particle Physics: http://www.slac.stanford.edu/cgi-wrap/getdoc/slac-pub-12493.pdf

 Ancient Dark-Matter Storm –“Heading Towards Our Sun” (A 2018 Most Viewed): https://dailygalaxy.com/2018/12/ancient-dark-matter-storm-heading-directly-towards-our-sun-a-2018-most-viewed/

The Myth Of The Beginning Of Time: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-myth-of-the-beginning-of-time-2006-02/

42 sec. explanation of time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JusBwjDigbs

Pre-bang physics: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre%E2%80%93Big_Bang_physics

What Existed Before the Big Bang?: https://science.howstuffworks.com/dictionary/astronomy-terms/before-big-bang.htm

This New Study Suggests That Time Existed Before The Big Bang: https://www.ktvb.com/video/tech/science/amaze-lab/this-new-study-suggests-that-time-existed-before-the-big-bang/609-8d6b2971-6f24-49ad-98ec-d3273cda71a8

Mind-Bending Study Suggests Time Did Actually Exist Before The Big Bang: https://www.sciencealert.com/mind-bending-study-suggests-time-did-actually-exist-before-the-big-bang

3. Matter Versus Antimatter

The Matter of Antimatter: Answering the Cosmic Riddle Of Existence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMMgsjnI1is

The Matter-Antimatter Asymmetry Problem: https://home.cern/science/physics/matter-antimatter-asymmetry-problem

Neutrinos Hint of Matter-Antimatter Rift: https://www.quantamagazine.org/do-neutrinos-explain-matter-antimatter-asymmetry-20160728/

http://www-public.slac.stanford.edu/babar/antimatter.aspx

Why is there more matter than antimatter?: http://www.physics.org/article-questions.asp?id=121

Case weakens for antimatter sign of dark matter: https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/03/case-weakens-antimatter-sign-dark-matter

4. Quantum Weirdness

Experiment Reaffirms Quantum Weirdness: https://www.quantamagazine.org/physicists-are-closing-the-bell-test-loophole-20170207/

Famous Experiment Dooms Alternative to Quantum Weirdness: https://www.quantamagazine.org/famous-experiment-dooms-pilot-wave-alternative-to-quantum-weirdness-20181011/

Quantum Weirdness Now a Matter of Time: https://www.quantamagazine.org/time-entanglement-raises-quantum-mysteries-20160119/

Our universe may be sitting on a bubble within an extra dimension: https://www.techexplorist.com/universe-sitting-bubble-within-an-extra-dimension/19806/

Quantum Weirdness May Seem to Outrun Light — Here's Why It Can't: https://www.space.com/41968-quantum-entanglement-faster-than-light.html

The Universe Is Always Looking: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/10/beyond-weird-decoherence-quantum-weirdness-schrodingers-cat/573448/

Five Weird Quantum Effects: https://cosmosmagazine.com/physics/five-weird-quantum-effects

5. String Theory, Many Worlds and Dimensions

String Theory May Create Far Fewer Universes Than Thought: https://www.livescience.com/63204-string-theory-multiverse.html

The theory of parallel universes is not just maths – it is science that can be tested: https://phys.org/news/2015-09-theory-parallel-universes-maths-science.html

The Multiverse and String Theory - Michio Kaku: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omIc_VLNHfo

The Many Worlds of the Quantum Multiverse | Space Time | PBS Digital Studios: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzKWfw68M5U&vl=en

What is the relation between String Theory and Multiverse?: https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-relation-between-String-Theory-and-Multiverse

Taming The Multiverse—Stephen Hawking's Final Theory About The Big Bang: https://phys.org/news/2018-05-multiversestephen-hawking-theory-big.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiA37HhBRC8ARIsAPWoO0y51dGXpj7D035MPGnCqvwvVKOMMh2u5HQkyhjrsaT8Wjitu8z-mnkaAk-VEALw_wcB

Deriving General Relativity From String Theory: http://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/11116/1/Huggett-Vistarini.pdf

String Theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_theory

6. Black Holes

On the Existence of Black Holes: https://www.space.com/38091-the-existence-of-black-holes.html

No Black Holes Exist, Says Stephen Hawking—At Least Not Like We Think: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/01/140127-black-hole-stephen-hawking-firewall-space-astronomy/

How Stephen Hawking Transformed Our Understanding of Black Holes: https://www.space.com/39988-black-hole-mysteries-stephen-hawking.html

Why Stephen Hawking’s Black Hole Puzzle Keeps Puzzling: https://www.quantamagazine.org/stephen-hawkings-black-hole-paradox-keeps-physicists-puzzled-20180314/

The Milky Way’s Center Is a Cornucopia of Black Holes: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/04/black-holes-milky-way-galaxy/557333/

Black Holes, Explained: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/space/universe/black-holes/

Black Hole: http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/B/Black+Hole

7. Cold Fusion

Cold Fusion: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_fusion

'Hey Bill Nye, Is Cold Fusion Possible?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Xyb2lPcyT0

Cold Fusion: How It Works?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6d2q-YxVvk

Is Cold Fusion Feasible? Or Is It A Fraud?: https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2016/09/23/is-cold-fusion-feasible-or-is-it-a-fraud/#11ab35907a05

What Is The Current Scientific Thinking On Cold Fusion? Is There Any Possible Validity To This Phenomenon?: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-the-current-scien/

The Curious Case of Polywater: https://slate.com/technology/2013/11/polywater-history-and-science-mistakes-the-u-s-and-ussr-raced-to-create-a-new-form-of-water.html

Polywater And The Role Of Skepticism: https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/ATG/polywater.html

Polywater, the Soviet Scientific Secret That Made the World Gulp: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/polywater-the-soviet-scientific-secret-that-made-the-world-gulp

8. Life on Mars and Our Universe

Did 40-year-old Viking experiment discover life on Mars?: https://phys.org/news/2016-10-year-old-viking-life-mars.html

Life on Mars Found by NASA's Viking Mission?: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/04/120413-nasa-viking-program-mars-life-space-science/

Life on Mars, from Viking to Curiosity: http://nautil.us/issue/57/communities/life-on-mars-from-viking-to-curiosity

40 years since Viking, scientists still on the hunt for life on Mars: https://spaceflightnow.com/2016/07/25/40-years-since-viking-scientists-still-on-the-hunt-for-life-on-mars/

What Is the Statistical Probability Of Life On Other Planets?: https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2018/06/19/what-is-the-statistical-probability-of-life-on-other-planets/#288b22fe6fdf

Drake Equation: Estimating the Odds of Finding E.T.: https://www.space.com/25219-drake-equation.html

Looking For Life In All The Right Places: https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/the-search-for-life/life-signs/

The Search for Life in the Universe: https://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/starsgalaxies/search_life_I.html

9. Was ET Here and Called Home?

The Search for Life in the Universe: https://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/starsgalaxies/search_life_I.html

Wow! Signal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wow!_signal

The Alien Wow Signal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkycNvrpjCs

What Was The Wow Signal? The Most Interesting Signal SETI Has Ever Seen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDT8xDtliS8

Comet Likely Didn't Cause Bizarre 'Wow!' Signal (But Aliens Might Have): https://www.livescience.com/59442-astronomers-skeptical-about-wow-signal.html

Was the Wow! Signal Alien?: https://skeptoid.com/episodes/4342

SETI: https://www.seti.org/

Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_for_extraterrestrial_intelligence

10. Life or a Bag of Chemicals

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life

Life's Working Definition: Does It Work?: https://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/starsgalaxies/life's_working_definition.html

What Defines a Stem Cell? Scientists Rethink the Answer: https://www.quantamagazine.org/what-defines-a-stem-cell-scientists-rethink-the-answer-20181204/

This May Be Life's 'Missing Ingredient': https://www.livescience.com/64355-missing-ingredient-in-origin-of-life.html

Fossil Discoveries Challenge Ideas About Earth’s Start: https://www.quantamagazine.org/fossil-discoveries-challenge-ideas-about-earths-start-20180122/

Quantum Physicists in The 1920s Helped Found Field Of Quantum Biology: https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/01/quantum-physicists-in-the-1920s-helped-found-field-of-quantum-biology/

GENOME THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A SPECIES IN 23 CHAPTERS, MATT RIDLEY

Ridley, Matt. Genome . Harper Perennial. Kindle Edition.

A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived, Adam Rutherford, The Experiment, NY 2017

What Is Life?: https://philosophynow.org/issues/101/What_Is_Life: 

What is Life?: https://www.khanacademy.org/science/high-school-biology/hs-biology-foundations/hs-biology-and-the-scientific-method/a/what-is-life

There are Over 100 Definitions for “life” and All Are Wrong: http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20170101-there-are-over-100-definitions-for-life-and-all-are-wrong

Are Viruses Alive?: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/are-viruses-alive-2004/

11. Sexual Reproduction

Asexual vs. Sexual Reproduction: https://www.diffen.com/difference/Asexual_Reproduction_vs_Sexual_Reproduction

22 Advantages And Disadvantages Of Asexual Reproduction: https://vittana.org/22-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-asexual-reproduction

Advantages of Asexual Reproduction: https://biologywise.com/advantages-of-asexual-reproduction

Advantages and Disadvantages of Asexual and Sexual Reproduction: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Advantages-and-disadvantages-of-a-sexual-or-an-asexual-life-cycle_fig2_51607862

7 Advantages and Disadvantages of Asexual Reproduction: https://thenextgalaxy.com/7-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-asexual-reproduction/

Advantages and Disadvantages of Sexual: eproduction: https://bio.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_and_General_Biology/Book%3A_General_Biology_(Boundless)/11%3A_Meiosis_and_Sexual_Reproduction/11.2%3A_Sexual_Reproduction/11.2A%3A_Advantages_and_Disadvantages_of_Sexual_Reproduction

Biological Advantages of Sexual Reproduction: https://study.com/academy/lesson/biological-advantages-of-sexual-reproduction.html

12. What Is Natural Death?

What Is the Evolutionary Advantage Of Death?: https://io9.gizmodo.com/what-is-the-evolutionary-advantage-of-death-743044300

Biology of Death: https://evmedreview.com/biology-of-death-2/

Biologically Speaking, This Is Why Humans Are Born To Die: https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2016/07/13/biologically-speaking-this-is-why-humans-are-born-to-die/#3e5fb7b74a48

Evolution by Means of Death: https://evolutionnews.org/2012/11/evolution_by_me/

Adaptive evolution without natural selection: https://academic.oup.com/biolinnean/article/112/2/287/2415796

Why Life Needs Death: https://bigthink.com/videos/why-life-needs-death

13. Free Will

Free Will Exists and Is Measurable: https://www.theatlantic.com/notes/2016/06/free-will-exists-and-is-measurable/486551/

There’s No Such Thing as Free Will: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/06/theres-no-such-thing-as-free-will/480750/

Five Arguments For Free Will: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/one-among-many/201803/five-arguments-free-will

Can A.I. Ever Have Free Will?: https://becominghuman.ai/can-a-i-ever-have-free-will-c18b4f489b45

Sam Harris on Free Will, Spirituality, and Artificial Intelligence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfpq_CIFDjg

Free Will versus the Programmed Brain: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/free-will-vs-programmed-brain/

We Just Found The Part Of The Brain Responsible For Free Will: https://www.iflscience.com/brain/we-just-found-the-part-of-the-brain-responsible-for-free-will/

14. Homeopathy

Homeopathy: https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/reference/homeopathy/

The Debate About Homeopathy Is Over. These Verdicts Prove It: https://health.spectator.co.uk/the-debate-about-homeopathy-is-over-these-verdicts-prove-it/

Harvard Study Has Good News for Homeopathic Medicine: https://www.integrativepractitioner.com/topics/news/harvard-study-has-good-news-for-homeopathic-medicine

Why I Changed My Mind About Homeopathy: https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2012/apr/03/homeopathy-why-i-changed-my-mind

1,800 Studies Later, Scientists Conclude Homeopathy Doesn’t Work: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/1800-studies-later-scientists-conclude-homeopathy-doesnt-work-180954534/

Why Do We Still Believe in Homeopathy?: http://www.publicseminar.org/2018/01/why-do-we-still-believe-in-homeopathy/

Why Do We Believe In Homeopathy? Ten Tricks The Brain Plays On Us: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/11012900/Why-do-we-believe-in-homeopathy-Ten-tricks-the-brain-plays-on-us.html

Confronting Homeopathy, Naturopathy, Homeopathy, And Other Quackademic Medicine At My Alma Mater: https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/confronting-homeopathy-naturopathy-homeopathy-and-other-quackademic-medicine-at-my-alma-mater/

 Placebos as Medicine: The Ethics of Homeopathy: https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/placebos-as-medicine-the-ethics-of-homeopathy/

Are The Clinical Effects Of Homoeopathy Placebo Effects? Comparative Study Of Placebo-Controlled Trials Of Homoeopathy And Allopathy: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16125589

Sisters in Law: Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Description

The backgrounds and experiences of the first two women to sit on the Supreme court, Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, were for the most part totally different. In addition to looking at their disparate background and experiences, this SDG will focus on whether they also differed on the hot-button legal issues that came before the Court. By examining their decisions, we will consider their views on such issues as legislative classifications on the basis of sex, the height of the wall separating church and state, a woman's right to control her reproductive function,voting rights and the limitations on gerrymandering, and Bush v. Gore. Our catalogue of issues will also include the extent to which governments and educational institutions can take race into account, the standards to determine whether actionable sexual harassment occurred, and the relative powers of the states and the federal government in our constitutional system. As we go through these cases, we will consider their fundamental views of the Constitution and decision making.

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Weekly Topics

1. Background and experience of O'Connor prior to elevation to the Supreme court

2. Background and experience of Ginsburg prior to elevation to the Supreme Court

3. Constitutional law in the schoolhouse

4. Roe v. Wade and its progeny

5.  Voting rights, gerrymandering and Bush v. Gore

6. Affirmative action 

7. Searches, seizures and the 4th amendment

8.  Cruel and unusual punishment and other issues affecting the criminal justice system

9. Classifications in the law based on gender

10.Discrimination against women in the workplace 

11.The limitations, if any, on the power of Congress under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution

12. The separation of church and state under both the Constitution and the Restoration of Religious Freedom Act 

13. Classifications based on sexual orientation

14. Free speech and money in politics 

Bibliography

Sisters in Law by Linda Hirshman, First-Sandra Day O'Connor by Evan Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Jane Sherron De Hart and Notorious RBG by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik

The Marshall Plan: A Re-Evaluation

Description

The Marshall Plan has assumed a mythical status in the American consciousness.  It was proposed in 1947 and implemented 1948-52, despite opposition in Congress and European skepticism.  It is generally thought to be represent America at its best, exemplifying American altruism and innovation, championing democracy against the impending Communist challenge, bringing the European economy and institutions back to life after the devastation of World War II and helping the Europeans move toward the concepts of the EU.  Are each of these elements of self-congratulation warranted?  Was the Plan really just American self-interest cloaked as generosity?  Was it, perversely, a factor contributing to the Cold War?  Was it actually a substantial factor in European recovery?  In short how should we now view the Marshall Plan and its legacy? 

This SDG will deal with (1) the origins of the Plan, the importance of George Marshall, the contributions of President Truman and other officials crucial to adoption and implementation of the Plan, the attitudes of the European countries (2) all of the questions raised above and (3) evaluation of the short-term and long-term effects of the Plan viewed after the passage of more than 65 years.

Weekly Topics

1.   Condition of Europe at End of World War II

2.   Ideas of George Kennan and Charles Bohlen

3.   Marshall Speech and Ideas for European Recovery

4.   Truman’s Acceptance of Recommendations of Marshall, Kennan & Bohlen

5.   Comparison of Plan with World War I Peace Treaty and Actions of Countries Between Wars

6.   Congressional Debate

7.   Appointment of General Clay and Formation of His Staff

8.   Reaction of Soviet Union

9.   Operation of Plan in Germany

10. Operation of Plan in Great Britain

11. Operation of Plan in France

12. Operation of Plan in Other Countries

13. Marshall Plan Influence on Organizations for European Unity

14. Evaluation of Marshall Plan

Bibliography

The core book will be “The Marshall Plan: Dawn of the Cold War” by Benn Steil.  It was published in 2018 and has received excellent reviews.  Sufficient time has elapsed since the operation of the Plan for Steil to have had access to records and time to make objective evaluations.  There are many books and materials on the subject.  Some of the books are the following:

Dean Acheson, “Present at the Creation”

Charles Mee, “Saving a Continent: The Untold Story of the Marshall Plan”

Nicolaus Mills, “Winning the Peace: The Marshall Plan and America’s Coming of Age as a  Superpower”

Still Connected? Has Social Life Declined or Expanded in the Internet Age?

Description 

There has been much popular and scientific concern over the past few decades about a possible decline in American civil and social life.  We don’t participate in groups or have as many friends as we used to.  This decline has been blamed on television, social media and the internet, and the increases in women’s labor force participation.  More recently there has been debate and concern about the role of social media in coarsening and polarizing political attitudes.  Finally, we look at the growing role of “Big Data” collected from the internet by Google and others and used to help us and to influence us.   We will look at the various sides of these debates

Weekly Topics

Week 1

• Network Dictionary

• “Retirees Turn to Virtual Villlages for Mutual Support,” NYT

• “Italian Neighbors Build a Social Network, First Online, Then Off,” NYT

• “New Item on the College Submission Checklist: LinkedIn Profile,” NYT

• “How One Stupid Tweet Blew Up Justine Sacco’s Life,” NYT

Week 2

• Robert Putnam, “Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital”

• Miller McPherson et al, “Social Isolation in America: Changes In Core discussion Networks Over Two Decades”

• Claude S. Fischer, “The 2004 GSS Finding of Shrunken Social Networks: An Artifact?”

Week 3

• Mark Granovetter, “The Strength of Weak Ties”

• Mark Zukerberg’s IPO Letter Describing Facebook’s Purpose, Values & Social Mission

Week 4

• “The Flight from Conversation,” Sherry Turkle 

• “Alone Together,” Sherry Turkle

Week 5

• “Smartphones are bad for some adolescents, not all”

• “The big myth about teenage anxiety”

• “Have smartphones destroyed a generation?”, The Atlantic

Week 6-7

• “The IRA, Social Media and Political Polarization in the United States, 2012-2018”

• “The Tactics & Tropes of the Internet Research Agency”

Week 8

• “Facebook helped foment anti-Muslim violence in Sri Lanka”

• “Revealed: Facebook hate speech exploded in Myanmar during Rohingya crisis”

• “Where Countries Are Tinderboxes and Facebook Is a Match”

Week 9

• “Perspectives on Harmful Speech Online: A Collection of Essays”, Harvard University

Week 10

• SC, Chapters 1-2

Week 11

• SC, Chapters 3-4

Week 12

• SC, Chapters 5-6

Week 13

• SC, Chapters 7-8

Week 14

• SC, Chapters 9-10 

Bibliography

The Age of Surveilance Capitalism, Shosshana  Zuboff, 2019

First nine weeks readings will be distributed by email

Presidents of War

Description

Presidents of War (by Michael Beschloss) is a fresh, intimate look at a procession of American leaders as they took the nation into conflict and mobilized their country for victory. It brings us into the room as they make the most difficult decisions that face any President, at times sending hundreds of thousands of American men and women to their deaths.

From James Madison and the War of 1812 to recent times, we see them struggling with Congress, the courts, the press, their own advisers and antiwar protesters; seeking comfort from their spouses, families and friends, and dropping to their knees in prayer. We come to understand how these Presidents were able to withstand the pressures of war—both physically and emotionally—or were broken by them.

Beschloss’s interviews with surviving participants and his findings in original letters, diaries, once-classified national security documents, and other sources help him to tell this story in a way it has not been told before. Presidents of War combines the sense of being there with the overarching context of two centuries of American history. This SDG will show how far we have traveled from the time of our Founders, who tried to constrain presidential power, to our modern day, when a single leader has the potential to launch nuclear weapons that can destroy much of the human race.

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Weekly Topics

1. The War of 1812 - James Madison Chapters 1,2,3

James Madison was president when the U.S. next challenged Great Britain in 1812. The British did not graciously accept American independence after the Revolutionary War. Britain was seizing American sailors and doing its best to interrupt American trade. The War of 1812 has been called the "Second War of Independence." It lasted until 1815.

2.The Mexican-American War- James K . Polk Chapters 4, 5

The U.S. clashed with Mexico in 1846 when Mexico resisted James K. Polk's vision of a "manifest destiny" for America. War was declared as part of America's effort to forge westward. The first battle took place on the Rio Grande. By 1848, America had taken possession of a huge swath of land including the modern-day states of Utah, Nevada, California, New Mexico and Arizona.

3. The Civil War - Abraham Lincoln Chapters 6, 7

From 1861 until 1865. Abraham Lincoln was president. Lincoln's opposition to slavery was well known and seven southern states promptly seceded from the union when he was elected., The Civil War broke out as Lincoln took steps to bring them back into the fold – and to emancipate their slaves in the process.

4. The Spanish American War - William McKinley Chapters 8, 9

This was a brief one, lasting less than a year in 1898. Tensions first began escalating between the U.S. and Spain in 1895 as Cuba fought back against Spain's dominance and the U.S. supported its efforts. Spain declared war against America on April 24, 1898. McKinley responded by declaring war as well on April 25. The whole thing was over by December, with Spain relinquishing Cuba, and ceding the territories of Guam and Puerto Rico to the U.S.

5. World War I - Woodrow Wilson Chapters 10, 11

World War I broke out in 1914. It pitted the Central Powers – Germany, Bulgaria, Austria, Hungary and the Ottoman Empire – against the formidable Allied Powers of the U.S., Great Britain, Japan, Italy, Romania, France, and Russia. United States entered World War I by declaring war on Germany in 1917.

6. World War II - Franklin Roosevelt Chapters 12, 13

Raging from 1939 until 1945, World War II actually monopolized the time and attention of two presidents. It began when Hitler invaded Poland and France and Great Britain declared war on Germany two days later. Soon more than 30 countries were involved, with Japan – among several other countries – joining forces with Germany. Roosevelt was president when the U.S. entered the war in 1941.

7. The Korean War - Harry Truman Chapters 14,15

The Korean War broke out in 1950 when North Korean soldiers invaded other Soviet-backed Korean territories in June. The U.S. got involved to support South Korea in August. Before Harry Truman left office, he had his conflict with General Douglas MacArthur over how to end the war.

8. The Vietnam War - Lyndon Johnson Chapters 16, 17

It's been called the most unpopular war in American history, and four presidents inherited its nightmare. It lasted 15 years from 1960 through 1975. Eisenhower was president when the war began, and Jack Kennedy inherited it during his abbreviated term in office.

9. The Persian Gulf War/The Iraq War- George W. Bush (41) and Barack Obama

This one landed in Bush's lap in 1990 when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and thumbed his nose at the United Nations Security Council when it instructed him to withdraw his forces. Operation Desert Storm raged for 42 days until a cease fire in February 1991. Peace or something like it settled over the Persian Gulf until 2003 when Iraq again prompted hostilities in the region. The U.S., aided by Great Britain, successfully invaded Iraq (George W. Bush), then insurgents took exception to this state of affairs and hostilities broke out again. The conflict didn't resolve until Barack Obama's presidency.

10. The Afghanistan War/Syrian War - George W. Bush/Barack Obama/ Donald Trump.

The attacks of September 11, 2001 surprised many Americans. The decision a month later to wage a war in Afghanistan, to end the ability of the government to offer safe haven to Al Qaeda, may have seemed equally surprising. Barack Obama sent American troops to Syria in 2015 as part of a coalition against the Islamic State, or ISIS. The main role of the U.S. has been fighting Islamic State. It began an air campaign against the group in 2014 and then the U.S. sent in ground troops the next year to assist Kurdish forces fighting the jihadists. President Donald Trump inherited the war and now has ordered the withdrawal of the U.S. troops in Syria,

Bibliography

Core Book – Presidents of War by Michael Beschloss

While there is a core book, we can also rely on substantive internet articles

Frederick Douglass- Prophet of Freedom

Description

Douglass, born a slave, would become the most important African American of the nineteenth century.and one of the great writers of his era. He first made his reputation as the most celebrated orator of the abolitionist movement. Drawing from his personal experience, he developed a genius with words and held audiences spellbound for hours. This former slave met with Lincoln at the White House and rejoiced in the victory of emancipation. He would become a loyal Republican for the rest of his life, steadfast in his commitment even when challenged by younger men who accused him of blind allegiance to his party. He saw the promise of Reconstruction dashed by the resistance of former slaveholders, and he fought this betrayal ferociously. As a lecturer, he likely reached more listeners than any American in the century, as he moved around the country by train, a marathon traveler for the abolitionist cause. The activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton saw him at Boston's Faneuil Hall and spoke for many white women when she wrote, "He stood there like an African prince, conscious of his dignity and power, grand in his physical proportions, majestic in his wrath, as with keen wit, satire, and indignation he portrayed the bitterness of slavery." Douglass's private life was complicated. His children were financially dependent on him even as adults. His second marriage to a white woman scandalized even some of his supporters.

Blight's well written tome of more than 750 pages is full of richness on the life of this towering figure in nineteenth-century American history.

Weekly Topics

1.    Intro + Chapters 1-3:  Birth (1818) & early life as a child slave on a Maryland plantation; exposure to city life in the bustling port of Baltimore

2.    Chapters 4-7:  Back on the plantation, as a teenager, resisted the abuse of a brutal overseer, he became a man; escape to New England with the help of friends; marriage to Anna and arrival in New Bedford, Mass. as penniless newlyweds to start a new life; Douglass took the abolitionists traveling circuit by storm (early 1840's)

3.    Chapters 8-10:  Douglass became a Garrisonian in body & mind; words became a source of influence and power; writing for publication in other than newspapers; tour in British Isles, joined by William Lloyd Garrison (1845-6)

4.    Chapters 11, 12:  On his return home, facing the challenge of finding balance between public and private demands; intense debate over slavery in 1850's Washington, D.C.; close working relationship with Julia Griffiths and rumors of an affair; the struggle to feed his family and support his newspaper; public split with Garrison

5.    Chapters 13, 14:  The Old Testament, an inspiring source of intellectual and emotional control; delivery of one of the greatest speeches in American history (1852); divisive issues of the Fugitive Slave Act and colonization outside the US; political activism (1850's); friendship with the writer James McCune Smith; Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), repeal of the Missouri Compromise & Dred Scott decision

6.    Chapters 15, 16:  Douglass met John Brown.  Their 12-year relationship - a good lens through which to view both men; when news broke of Brown's 1859 raid, he realized he was in dire trouble; escape into exile; seismic breaks (Brown's raid, the 1860 election & secession) when people are taught by events

7.    Chapters 17, 18:  His long rehearsal as a war propagandist reached it final phase, as he yearned for war (spring 1861); in 1862 he preached unapologetically, "These cloudless skies, this balmy air, this brilliant sunshine (making December as pleasant as May), are in harmony with the glorious morning of liberty about to dawn upon us."

8.    Chapters 19, 20:  Civil War became a family affair, two sons enlisted and a third became a recruiter of black troops; the Emancipation Proclamation - everyone is liberated; Gettysburg Address, as Lincoln and Douglass spoke from the same script; with the death of one America, out of the ashes came a second American republic; "our work is not done"

9.    Chapters 21, 22:  Sacred efforts to achieve "freedom, progress, elevation, and perfect enfranchisement of the entire colored people;" search for meaning in Lincoln's death; antislavery had done its work - what would become of Douglass and family after abolition?; he identified with Othello

10.    Chapters 23, 24:  Reunion with brother Perry and family, illiterate with values bred in decades of slavery (1867); challenges of supporting his growing clan; domestic discord; campaign for Grant and hope for a presidential appointment (1868); ratification of Fifteenth Amendment (1870); maintained a breathtaking speaking schedule; financial strain as family enterprises failed (1874)

11.    Chapters 25, 26:  Questions of what peace among the whites would bring; frustration and anger from recent personal losses & professional failures (1875); unraveling of Reconstruction; disputed election of 1876; consultations with Pres. Hayes and appointment as marshal of the District of Columbia, an important & lucrative office

12.    Chapters 27, 28:  Joys and sorrows with family; campaign for Garfield (1880); death of first wife, Anna (1882); opposed voices calling for blacks to seek independence from (white) political parties; recorder of deeds for the District; the aging man could still write and speak with brilliance and vigor; ebb and flow of hope and despair; Democrats won back the White House (1884); marriage to Helen Pitts, a white woman

13.    Chapters 29, 30:  Full-throated jeremiad against the depressing state of American race relations; charged both political parties with immoral inaction; escaped to vacation in Europe with Helen (1886); appointed US minister to Haiti by Pres. Harrison (1889); controversy over the character of US interest in Caribbean; he understood realpolitik but preferred enlightened self interest

14.    Chapters 31 + Epilogue:  Douglass met Booker T. Washington (1892) - differences in leadership styles and purposes of two men; support for renomination of Pres. Harrison; suffered health problems but remained astonishingly active; death came suddenly (1895);  if slavery and race were centerpieces of American history in nineteenth century, no one represented that saga quite like Douglass

Bibliography

Blight, David W., Frederick Douglass, Prophet of Freedom, Simon & Schuster, 2018