The Historian's Archives

In my study of American history, or indeed in anyone's study, I have noticed a lot of facts which make the history of the American nation totally unique in the world. Many people have observed that of all the revolutions in the world, America's was the most successful and least atrocious (on the American side, anyway). Another unique trait of American history is that the “father of our country,” General George Washington, refused to accept absolute executive power, even when his countrymen freely offered it to him. American history is filled with “uniques,” but the uniqueness of American history which I would like to discuss here is a general pattern throughout our history, more exclusively, our early founding history.

Think for a moment about the Founding Fathers and the Founding Era. Both were extraordinary. Both are surrounded by legend and fiction, but such is not unique. The patriarchs and great heroes of other civilizations and nations, past and present, have such. What then is unique about the extraordinary men and events of early America?

When we examine the long-gone nations and cultures and civilizations of the past, we are constantly learning of the myths and superstitions believed about the rulers and great warriors of that nation by the people who lived centuries after those rulers had died. Many times fables that the hero was part divine, or was instructed, empowered, or miraculously protected by a god, were invented centuries after those men had died, and were used to inspire patriotism in the hearts and minds of the people (usually this was done when the civilization was declining or in a time of great crisis). Other fables and myths were created in order to make the history of that civilization more mystifying and therefore, to make it appear that that nation had a grand destiny appointed by the god of that nation.

America, even though our society has not been as superstitious as those ancient cultures in this regard, nevertheless has some “legends” that are reflective of these ancient myths -- only that these "legends" are actually historically provable facts. The following facts, if read in the context of some ancient culture, would probably be effortlessly dismissed as mythological and fictitious. And yet these facts are true. To my knowledge, none have questioned their accuracy or historicity. The fiction one would expect to find in ancient mythology, is actually true in the American case. For example:

• The Grand Patriarch of the nation was miraculously protected by the Deity in a perilous battle, and his enemies, no matter how skilled or cunning, could never hurt him. Years after one of these extraordinary instances of divine protection, this Grand Patriarch was visited by one of his former enemies, who prophesied to him that this man was indeed favored by God and would become the father of a great empire.
• Many times those who struggled in war to forge their nation's independence were protected or aided by Divine Providence. Once, a miraculous fog secured their escape from the enemy.
• Two men most responsible for the independence of that country being declared later became bitter enemies. Both lived to be unusually advanced in years, and were later reconciled to each other. Both passed away almost at the same time a full half century after they had given birth to the new nation. Their reconciliation, and the extraordinary deaths, were foretold in a dream of a man who helped reconcile these two patriarchs.

And these are only a few of the amazing miraculous circumstances which occurred during our founding. To sum up, the difference between the tales of ancient civilizations throughout history and those of our country is that ours can be proven true. Save the Hebrew nation, America is the only nation that can boldly assert the evidence of a divine hand in its early history. If America is unique in anything, it is unique because evidence of the "hand of Providence" is not only an evident, but a conspicuous part of our history.

OK, so I will be blogging about history. But why bother studying history? Isn't it such a boring subject, only fit for boring people who spend hours memorizing frivolous names, places, and dates, when they could be watching sports, playing video-games, or shopping at the mall? On the contrary, history is not boring, nor does it consist merely of memorizing facts, and (In My Humble Opinion), watching sports, playing video-games (for countless hours), and shopping at malls are boring! People have not changed the world or made their lives or others' lives better by watching sports, or doing other activities. I do not think that those who do those things are not leading worthy lives, but if such activities are one's priority, than one does not really have much to live for.

But why bother studying history? And why talk and write about it? Why blog about it?

Whether or not we realize it, history is indeed important. History, though it may not be the hobby of everyone, should nevertheless be respected and prized by the citizens of any great nation, such as the United States. And in a nation so unique in the world, how can American history possibly be boring? And when one realizes that much of our history has been ignored, hidden, and slighted by mainstream scholars over the past century, one realizes the treasure troves of historical knowledge yet undiscovered, unappreciated, and unrealized by several generations of Americans.

But there is more to history than just fascinating and new knowledge. The significance of that knowledge is what counts. And how is knowing historical facts significant? In America, we have something that almost no other nation in the history of the world has had or has now -- true liberty, a wonderful heritage, and a prosperous land. These things did not befall us by accident. Our ancestors labored to achieve them with their blood and their energy. But unfortunately we so ealisy become complacent, and think that liberty is not important, or that it does not require the same kind of care and vigilant protection that it did when Patrick Henry thundered "Give me liberty or give me death!" We so easily part with our liberty for the feeling of security or comfort, and then we wake up the next morning and wonder why the politicians can be so corrupt. No; liberty must be guarded by all the generations who wish to enjoy it. Thomas Jefferson once said that "eternal vigilance is the cost of liberty." In comparison to what our forefathers paid on the fields of the Revolutionary War and afterwards, this "eternal vigilance" is nothing. It is the least we could do. Part of this eternal vigilance is guided by the study of our history. Unless we know our history, and learn from it, we are not going to learn what made the American Experiment successful in the early years of our republic, and we are going to make the same failures that previous generations have made.

The Founding Fathers fervently desired that American children, from an early age, take the history of this country seriously.

Every child in America should be acquainted with the history of his own country. He should read books that furnish him with ideas that will be useful to him in life and practice. As soon as he opens his lips, he should rehearse the history of his own country; he should lisp the praise of liberty, and of those illustrious heroes and statesmen who have wrought a revolution in her favor.
Noah Webster, On the Education of Youth in America (1788)

As I continue to write posts, I hope that this will encourage any American youth reading it to do just that.

Thank you ladies and gentlemen for visiting my blog. I am Ms. Mecomber, "The Historian." I love to study American history, and, in particular, the writings of the Founding Fathers. I am also interested in the history of the Bible and the Christian church. I read about Christian heroes past and present -- missionaries, martyrs, evangelists, and apologists.

This blog will present my thoughts, reflections, and observations the great history of this country, and how we can follow the example of the "great cloud of witnesses" who have preceded us (Hebrews 12:1).

I hope that this blog proves to be educational and enjoyable.