Monday, July 4, 2011

This 4th

I've read some stuff online about Hemingway this weekend. It's been 50 years since he took his own life on July 2, 1961. I suppose the fascination with Ernest Hemingway will continue in some circles for years to come. However, I do suspect that his popularity will decline in the coming decades. He's had his time, and his time is coming to an end.

Harold Holzer, one our leading Lincoln scholars, presents an entertaining article on Lincoln's overlooked message to Congress on July 4, 1861. Abraham Lincoln used words better than any U.S. president in history, and here is a good example of a President rallying the country to the proper task at hand.

Gordon S. Wood writes on the signficance of the Declaration of Independence. We can hardly overstate the historical importance of this incredible document. The origin of our country is of supreme importance and I can never know enough about it.

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