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Credulity: A Cultural History of US Mesmerism (Class 200: New Studies in Religion)
By Emily Ogden. 2018
From the 1830s to the Civil War, Americans could be found putting each other into trances for fun and profit…
in parlors, on stage, and in medical consulting rooms. They were performing mesmerism. Surprisingly central to literature and culture of the period, mesmerism embraced a variety of phenomena, including mind control, spirit travel, and clairvoyance. Although it had been debunked by Benjamin Franklin in late eighteenth-century France, the practice nonetheless enjoyed a decades-long resurgence in the United States. Emily Ogden here offers the first comprehensive account of those boom years. Credulity tells the fascinating story of mesmerism’s spread from the plantations of the French Antilles to the textile factory cities of 1830s New England. As it proliferated along the Eastern seaboard, this occult movement attracted attention from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s circle and ignited the nineteenth-century equivalent of flame wars in the major newspapers. But mesmerism was not simply the last gasp of magic in modern times. Far from being magicians themselves, mesmerists claimed to provide the first rational means of manipulating the credulous human tendencies that had underwritten past superstitions. Now, rather than propping up the powers of oracles and false gods, these tendencies served modern ends such as labor supervision, education, and mediated communication. Neither an atavistic throwback nor a radical alternative, mesmerism was part and parcel of the modern. Credulity offers us a new way of understanding the place of enchantment in secularizing America.Reveals how the Rothschild Banking Dynasty fomented war and assassination attempts on 4 presidents in order to create the Federal…
Reserve Bank• Explains how the Rothschild family began the War of 1812 because Congress failed to renew a 20-year charter for their Central Bank as well as how the ensuing debt of the war forced Congress to renew the charter• Details Andrew Jackson’s anti-bank presidential campaigns, his war on Rothschild agents within the government, and his successful defeat of the Central Bank• Reveals how the Rothschilds spurred the Civil War and were behind the assassination of LincolnIn this startling investigation into the suppressed history of America in the 1800s, Xaviant Haze reveals how the powerful Rothschild banking family and the Central Banking System, now known as the Federal Reserve Bank, provide a continuous thread of connection between the War of 1812, the Civil War, the financial crises of the 1800s, and assassination attempts on Presidents Jackson and Lincoln.The author reveals how the War of 1812 began after Congress failed to renew a 20-year charter for the Central Bank. After the war, the ensuing debt forced Congress to grant the central banking scheme another 20-year charter. The author explains how this spurred General Andrew Jackson--fed up with the central bank system and Nathan Rothschild’s control of Congress--to enter politics and become president in 1828. Citing the financial crises engineered by the banks, Jackson spent his first term weeding out Rothschild agents from the government. After being re-elected to a 2nd term with the slogan “Jackson and No Bank,” he became the only president to ever pay off the national debt. When the Central Bank’s charter came up for renewal in 1836, he successfully rallied Congress to vote against it.The author explains how, after failing to regain their power politically, the Rothschilds plunged the country into Civil War. He shows how Lincoln created a system allowing the U.S. to furnish its own money, without need for a Central Bank, and how this led to his assassination by a Rothschild agent. With Lincoln out of the picture, the Rothschilds were able to wipe out his prosperous monetary system, which plunged the country into high unemployment and recession and laid the foundation for the later formation of the Federal Reserve Bank--a banking scheme still in place in America today.Going Public: New Strategies of Presidential Leadership
By Samuel H Kernell. 2005
Presidents are uniquely positioned to promote themselves and their polices directly to the public. Using sympathetic crowds as a backdrop,…
a president can rally public opinion to his side, along the way delivering a subtle yet unmistakable message to his intended audience in Congress. Samuel Kernell shows how “going public” remains a potent weapon in the president’s arsenal, both for advancing his own agenda and blocking initiatives from his political adversaries in Congress.In his highly anticipated fourth edition, Kernell delivers thorough analysis and detailed background on how this strategy continues to evolve given the intense polarization of Congress and the electorate as well as changes in communications technology. He considers the implications of both factors—especially in combination—on the future of presidential leadership and weighs the lessons of 9/11 on “going public” in foreign affairs.The Event of Charlie Hebdo
By Alessandro Zagato. 2015
The January 2015 shooting at the headquarters of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris and the subsequent attacks that took…
place in the Ile-de-France region were staggeringly violent events. They sparked an enormous discussion among citizens and intellectuals from around Europe and beyond. By analyzing the effects the attacks have had in various spheres of social life, including the political, ideology, collective imaginaries, the media, and education, this collection of essays aims to serve as a contribution as well as a critical response to that discussion. The volume observes that the events being attributed to Charlie Hebdo go beyond sensationalist reports of the mainstream media, transcend the spatial confines of nation states, and lend themselves to an ever-expanding number of mutating discursive formations.Rescuing the Vulnerable: Poverty, Welfare and Social Ties in Modern Europe
By Tamara Stazic-Wendt, Beate Althammer, Lutz Raphael. 2016
In many ways, the European welfare state constituted a response to the new forms of social fracture and economic turbulence…
that were born out of industrialization-challenges that were particularly acute for groups whose integration into society seemed the most tenuous. Covering a range of national cases, this volume explores the relationship of weak social ties to poverty and how ideas about this relationship informed welfare policies in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. By focusing on three representative populations-neglected children, the homeless, and the unemployed-it provides a rich, comparative consideration of the shifting perceptions, representations, and lived experiences of social vulnerability in modern Europe.The Billion Dollar Spy
By David E. Hoffman. 2015
From the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning history The Dead Hand comes the riveting story of a spy who cracked…
open the Soviet military research establishment and a penetrating portrait of the CIA's Moscow station, an outpost of daring espionage in the last years of the Cold War While driving out of the American embassy in Moscow on the evening of February 16, 1978, the chief of the CIA's Moscow station heard a knock on his car window. A man on the curb handed him an envelope whose contents stunned U.S. intelligence: details of top-secret Soviet research and developments in military technology that were totally unknown to the United States. In the years that followed, the man, Adolf Tolkachev, an engineer in a Soviet military design bureau, used his high-level access to hand over tens of thousands of pages of technical secrets. His revelations allowed America to reshape its weapons systems to defeat Soviet radar on the ground and in the air, giving the United States near total superiority in the skies over Europe. One of the most valuable spies to work for the United States in the four decades of global confrontation with the Soviet Union, Tolkachev took enormous personal risks--but so did the Americans. The CIA had long struggled to recruit and run agents in Moscow, and Tolkachev was a singular breakthrough. Using spy cameras and secret codes as well as face-to-face meetings in parks and on street corners, Tolkachev and his handlers succeeded for years in eluding the feared KGB in its own backyard, until the day came when a shocking betrayal put them all at risk. Drawing on previously secret documents obtained from the CIA and on interviews with participants, David Hoffman has created an unprecedented and poignant portrait of Tolkachev, a man motivated by the depredations of the Soviet state to master the craft of spying against his own country. Stirring, unpredictable, and at times unbearably tense, The Billion Dollar Spy is a brilliant feat of reporting that unfolds like an espionage thriller.New York Times Book of New York: Stories of the People, the Streets, and the Life of the City Past and Present
By Anna Quindlen, The New York Times, James Barron, Mitchel Levitas. 2009
This unique volume uncovers the most fascinating and compelling stories from The New York Times about the city the paper…
calls home.More than 200 articles and an abundance of photographs, illustrations, maps, and graphs from the preeminent newspaper in the world take a look at the history and personality of the world's most influential city. Read firsthand accounts of the subway opening in 1904 and the day the Metrocard was introduced; the fall of Tammany Hall and recurring corruption in city politics; the Son of Sam murders; jazz clubs in the 1920s and legendary performances at the Fillmore East; baseball's Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier at Brooklyn's storied Ebbets Field in 1947; the 1977 and 2004 blackouts; the openings and closings of the city's most beloved restaurants; and much more. Not just a historical account, this is a fascinating, sometimes funny, and often moving look at how people in New York live, eat, travel, mourn, fight, love, and celebrate.Organized by theme, the book includes original writings on all topics related to city life, including art, architecture, transportation, politics, neighborhoods, people, sports, business, food, and more. Includes articles from such well-known Times writers as Meyer Berger, Gay Talese, Anna Quindlen, Israel Shenker, Brooks Atkinson, Frank Rich, Ada Louise Huxtable, John Kieran, Russell Baker, and more. Special contributors who have written about New York for the Times include Paul Auster, Woody Allen, and E.B. White, among others.Plover (Images of America)
By Diane Lang, Brad Casselberry. 2017
Nestled on the Yellow Banks of the Wisconsin River, Plover was originally used by Native Americans for portaging between the…
Wisconsin and Wolf Rivers. After being established as the Portage County seat in 1844, the area grew rapidly. Soon, mills sprang up, farmers worked the land, businesses flourished, and lodging could not be built fast enough to keep up with the demand. By 1857, Plover boasted 500 residents and 112 buildings, with 40 more under construction. In 1868, the county seat was moved out of Plover, and by the mid-1880s, Plover had begun to decline. Despite this, and the fact that the village has been dissolved twice, incorporated three separate times, and gone by four different names, Plover has proved resilient. Since being reincorporated in 1971, Plover has thrived and grown at an impressive rate. Today, the main businesses are part of the industrial, agricultural, and retail sectors.Joint Base Langley-Eustis (Images of Modern America)
By Mark A. Chambers. 2017
Joint Base Langley-Eustis (JBLE) has served for over 100 years as a cornerstone of American military aviation. The base has…
served as a flight test center for US Navy seaplanes and observation/spotter aircraft, as well as the ill-fated Roma airship. Additionally, JBLE was one of the first US Air Force (USAF) bases to operate the advanced Lockheed F-22 Raptor. In 1921, Langley Field served as the launching point for Gen. William “Billy” Mitchell’s US Army Air Service efforts in historic battleship bombing flight experiments. Prior to World War II, Langley Field became the first US Army Air Corps base to operate the Boeing YB-17, prototype of the famous B-17 Flying Fortress. During the latter half of the 20th century, Langley Air Force Base served as the headquarters for the Tactical Air Command (TAC) and the Air Combat Command (ACC). JBLE still serves as ACC headquarters.South Windsor (Images of America)
By Claire Lobdell for Wood Memorial Library & Museum. 2017
South Windsor owes its location to the Connecticut River, whose periodic floods created fertile lowlands that nourished livestock and crops.…
Tobacco became a mainstay of South Windsor’s agricultural life in the early to mid-19th century, as it did throughout the Connecticut River valley. To this day, tobacco sheds dot the town, and farmers still grow broadleaf for use in cigars. Small industry also flourished here during the 18th and 19th centuries, with mills on the Scantic and Podunk Rivers, tributaries of the Connecticut. Well into the 20th century, South Windsor’s children still attended some of the one- and two-room schoolhouses around town until the post–World War II baby boom and influx of new residents necessitated new buildings. South Windsor guides the reader through the history of Wapping, Main Street, and more.Mystic (Postcard History Series)
By M. Earl Smith, J. Huguenin. 2017
On the banks of the Mystic River, the Connecticut community of Mystic has a maritime history that stretches back beyond…
the founding of the nation. Starting as a Native American settlement, the area switched hands—first to the Dutch, then to the English—before finally becoming a part of the United States after the Revolutionary War. Mystic’s location made it an ideal port for coastal commerce. As the nation grew, so did Mystic, with the village using its unique location to serve both the coastal fishing industry and the US Navy. The Mystic drawbridge serves as a reminder of the community’s maritime heritage. In its current state, Mystic serves as both a cradle to some of Connecticut’s oldest families and a tourist attraction for those wanting to sample vintage New England life.Legendary Locals of Amelia Island (Legendary Locals)
By Rob Hicks. 2017
Amelia Island has been host to remarkable people throughout its 500-year history. These people are responsible for giving Amelia the…
distinction as the only place in the United States to have seen eight different flags. A new railroad followed the Civil War and brought those who sought to take advantage of the burgeoning shipping center. As opportunities waned, the island became a sleepy, blue collar community supported by the local paper mills. Prior to civil rights legislation desegregating the South, Fernandina’s American Beach flourished as an African American coastal community. Meanwhile, local visionaries oversaw tight-knit communities and set the stage for the large resorts that came to the island’s south end in the 1970s. Today, Amelia Island is a national tourist destination and home to a diverse of community of longtime residents and newcomers, both with remarkable talents and interesting stories to tell.Fountain Inn (Images of America)
By Caroline Smith Sherman, Dianne Gault Bailey. 2017
Before there was an inn and a fountain, the present town of Fountain Inn was half Indian Territory bisected by…
the “Old Indian Boundary Line.” It was established in 1766 by a treaty made between Old Hop, the head of the Cherokees, and Gov. James Glen of the province of South Carolina. The Cherokees used this area—a region of dense forests, canebrakes, and springs of water—for hunting deer, turkeys, panthers, bears, wolves, wildcats, and even buffalo. Only a few settlers had moved to the territory prior to the Revolutionary War. The Fairview Presbyterian Church community was not settled until 1786. Around 1830, a stagecoach stop was established where there was not only an inn but also a spring of water that gushed two feet in the air like a fountain. In time, the stop became known as Fountain Inn. After the War Between the States, Noah Cannon, a resident of the Greer area, bought up huge tracts of land, and so began the village that was chartered in 1886.Early Santa Fe (Images of America)
By Ana Pacheco. 2017
The history of Santa Fe is encapsulated in imagery. Remnants of unearthed Native American artifacts from eons ago shed light…
on its first inhabitants. By the 17th century, Spanish settlers were capturing everyday life with brushstrokes on canvas. In the 1850s, the epic of this ancient land was brought to life through the camera’s lens. These early images, which tell the story of the convergence of humanity, are as varied as the people themselves. They arrived at different times on the four major arteries that connect in the heart of the city: the Camino Real (from Mexico City), the Santa Fe Trail (from Independence, Missouri), the Old Spanish Trail (from Los Angeles), and the Mother Road, Route 66, which began in Chicago.Supreme Decisions, Volume 1
By Melvin I. Urofsky. 1975
Supreme Decisions: Great Constitutional Cases and Their Impact, Volumes 1 and 2, covers twenty-four Supreme Court cases (twelve per volume)…
that have shaped American constitutional law. Interpretive chapters shed light on the nuances of each case, the individuals involved, and the social, political, and cultural context at that particular moment in history. Discussing cases from nearly every decade in a two-hundred-year span, Melvin I. Urofsky expounds on the political climate of the United States from the country's infancy through the new millennium. Featuring Marbury v. Madison, Dred Scott v. Sandford, Miranda v. Arizona, Brown v. Board of Education, and many more, this text covers foundational rulings and more recent decisions. Written with students in mind, Melvin I. Urofsky's voice offers compelling and fascinating accounts of American legal milestones.Supreme Decisions can be purchased as a single combined volume or conveniently split into two volumes, providing a breadth of information for survey courses in U.S. Constitutional History.Great Northern Railway in Marias Pass, The (Images of Rail)
By Dale W. Jones. 2017
Montana’s Marias Pass is the lowest rail crossing through the Rocky Mountains. The tracks snake through narrow canyons, traverse the…
swift Middle Fork of the Flathead River, and twist through numerous snowsheds and tunnels to crest the 5,213-foot Continental Divide. James Jerome Hill was the driving force behind Great Northern Railway’s mission to find the most economical route to the Pacific coast, with surveyor John F. Stevens taking a major role in locating the pass. Browning is the eastern gateway into Marias Pass as the railroad approaches the Rocky Mountain Front; continuing west from Summit, the tracks parallel Bear Creek and the Middle Fork of the Flathead River downgrade through Essex to Glacier National Park and into the Flathead Valley.Baraboo (Postcard History Series)
By Sauk County Historical Society. 2004
Like many small Midwestern cities, Baraboo has had the usual share of postcards printed featuring its buildings and landscapes. However,…
Baraboo’s unique place in Wisconsin history provided for a much richer array of subject matter. As the original winter quarters of the Ringling Brothers Circus, along with its proximity to Devil’s Lake and its place as a division headquarters for the Chicago & North Western railroad, Baraboo has always provided an interesting setting for postcard images.Who Was Betsy Ross? (Who was?)
By John O'Brien, Nancy Harrison, James Buckley. 2014
Born the eighth of seventeen children in Philadelphia, Betsy Ross lived in a time when the American colonies were yearning…
for independence from British rule. Ross worked as a seamstress and was eager to contribute to the cause, making tents and repairing uniforms when the colonies declared war. By 1779 she was filling cartridges for the Continental Army. Did she sew the first flag? That's up for debate, but Who Was Betsy Ross? tells the story of a fierce patriot who certainly helped create the flag of a new nation.Woodstock (Images of America)
By Frank J.. 2017
Set in outstanding natural beauty, many Vermont communities have a unique sense of history and place, and Woodstock has long…
been considered among the most vibrant and beautiful of them all. Nestled within the eastern foothills of the Green Mountains and the Ottauquechee River valley, from the time of its founding in 1761, the story of Woodstock has been a tapestry rich with culture, architecture, and events. Early in the town’s development, Woodstock was designated by Vermont as the seat of government for Windsor County, and in turn, this brought an influx of lawyers and other professionals together with business and real estate entrepreneurs. The joining of several early turnpikes in Woodstock meant more travelers through town. In years after 1875, when the Woodstock Railway opened, the town became an even greater hub for tourists and those on business. By the early 20th century, Woodstock with its great scenic beauty was recognized as a premier destination for year-round recreation.Norwalk (Images of America)
By Mary Carabin, Richard Kostoff. 2017
Established in 1817 by the “Sufferers” from Connecticut, Norwalk was founded by settlers who had their homes destroyed by British…
troops during the Revolutionary War. As restitution, the federal government provided the land grant known as the Firelands. Located in North Central Ohio on gently rolling plains just south of Lake Erie, the settlement prospered with the spread of the railroads and quickly developed into a robust industrial community. From 1870 to 1970, Norwalk experienced a golden age filled with tragedy and triumph. It sat at the crossroads of transportation, which drove its economy. Starting with the stagecoach and continuing with the railroads, interurban lines, and trucking, the city served as a hub for traffic in all directions. Yankee ingenuity met Ohio opportunity as the city combined its New England–village charm with industrial power. Its historic Main Street features businesses, churches, and homes that are a source of curiosity for tourists in this place where the past coexists with the present. Indeed, Norwalk still thrives as an ideal small town.