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Mexican War

The End of the Whigs: Thurlow Weed & The Birth of the Republican Party

October 13, 2021 by Peter Hess Leave a Comment

Thurlow Weed ca 1865 photo by Matthew Brady from the National Portrait GalleryFollowing his political successes in the disputed Election of 1824, Thurlow Weed was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1825 and again in 1830.

In the 1820s, like many in Upstate New York with populist, anti-elite feelings, Weed strongly believed the Masons were trying to control government using secret means. He felt that political affairs should be conducted publicly and particularly opposed the fraternal secrecy of Freemasonry.  An alleged conspiracy by Masons to murder William Morgan in Western New York in September, 1826 sparked the anti-Freemasonry movement. Weed began publishing the Anti-Masonic Enquirer in Rochester, NY in February, 1828.

Soon Weed was hired as editor of the newly formed Anti-Masonic Albany Evening Journal, which began publication on March 22, 1830. The move to Albany made him a statewide leader of the fledgling Anti-Masonic Party. [Read more…] about The End of the Whigs: Thurlow Weed & The Birth of the Republican Party

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, History, Mohawk Valley, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: Abe Lincoln, Abolition, Albany, Anti-Masonic Party, Compromise of 1850, Free Soil Party, Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, Kansas-Nebraska Act, Mexican War, Millard Fillmore, Missouri Compromise, Political History, politics, Slavery, Thurlow Weed, William Seward

A Brief History of Governors Island

May 11, 2020 by Judith Berdy Leave a Comment

1860 Map showing the Governors Island Manhattan and BrooklynAn island at the tip of Lower Manhattan provided a stage where a local military community participated in national and international events.

From its military beginnings as a colonial militia in 1755, Governors Island became a major headquarters for the U.S. Army and Coast Guard, making it one of the longest continually operated military installations in the country until its closure in 1996. [Read more…] about A Brief History of Governors Island

Filed Under: History, New York City Tagged With: American Revolution, Civil War, Governors Island, Manhattan, Maritime History, Mexican War, Military History, New York City, New York Harbor

A Historical Novel of the Mexican War

May 10, 2019 by Bob Cudmore Leave a Comment

The Historians LogoOn The Historians Podcast with Bob Cudmore, Roger Higgins, author of Billy Gogan Gone Fer Soldier, tells about his historical novel concerning an Irish immigrant to America and his experiences in the Intervención estadounidense en México, the Mexican War, in the 1840s. [Read more…] about A Historical Novel of the Mexican War

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Books, Irish History, Irish Immigrants, Mexican War, Military History, Podcasts

Knickerbocker Commodore: Life and Times of John Drake Sloat

August 21, 2016 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

knickerbocker commodoreBruce Castleman’s new book, Knickerbocker Commodore: The Life and Times of John Drake Sloat 1781-1867 (SUNY Press, 2016) chronicles the life of Rear Admiral John Drake Sloat, an important but understudied naval figure in US history.

Born and raised by a slave-owning gentry family in New York’s Hudson Valley, Sloat moved to New York City at age nineteen.

Castleman explores Sloat’s forty-five-year career in the Navy, from his initial appointment as midshipman in the conflicts with revolutionary France to his service as commodore during the country’s war with Mexico. [Read more…] about Knickerbocker Commodore: Life and Times of John Drake Sloat

Filed Under: Books, History Tagged With: Maritime History, Mexican War, Military History, Navy

The Churubusco Live-In: Clinton County’s ‘Woodstock’

December 18, 2012 by Lawrence P. Gooley 3 Comments

We’ve all heard of Woodstock at one time or another—that famous (or infamous) concert held in August 1969. It was scheduled at different venues, but the final location was actually in Bethel, New York, about 60 miles from Woodstock. For many who lived through three major homeland assassinations, the Vietnam War, and the racial riots of the turbulent 1960s, Woodstock was an event representing peace, love, and freedom. It’s considered a defining moment of that generation, and a great memory for those who attended (estimated at 400,000). [Read more…] about The Churubusco Live-In: Clinton County’s ‘Woodstock’

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, History Tagged With: Adirondacks, Churubusco, Clinton County, Cultural History, Mexican War, Music, Musical History, Pop Culture History

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