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Horn of the Hunter: The Story of an African Hunt and other Robert Ruark African Journies
1916-1945
North Carolina author Robert Ruark gained national fame for his Washington Daily News, Saturday Evening Post, and Field & Stream columns and his classic, The Old Man and the Boy (1957). In addition, Ruark followed in the footsteps of his hero Ernest Hemingway and traveled, hunted, and wrote about the African continent. Ruark published Horn of the Hunter: The Story of an African Hunt in 1953. It details his two-month safari.
Five Things You Need To Know About James Madison (Jeff Broadwater)
The historian Irving Brant, who wrote a six-volume biography of James Madison, once complained about his subject’s modest place in America’s historical memory. “Among all the men who shaped the present government of the United States of America, the one who did the most is known the least.” In a modest effort to redress this Madisonian neglect, here are five things we should all know about America’s fourth president.
Five Things You Need To Know About James Madison (Kevin R. C. Gutzman)
Even if you are an expert, chances are that your idea of James Madison is highly skewed. He gets almost no credit for his most important accomplishment; two of his supposed chief achievements were less important than many think; he opposed another before he was for it; and he tried to reel one in after he cast it out.
Robert Ruark: More Than A “Hemingway Spin-Off”
Robert Ruark was one of North Carolina’s — and the nation’s — best-known writers of the 20th century. Some critics belittled the Wilmington native as simply a “Hemingway spin-off.” Ruark admired Hemingway’s lifestyle and work, true, but that’s a simplistic and unfair characterization of the nationally known columnist and novelist.
Horn of the Hunter: The Story of an African Hunt and other Robert Ruark African Journies
North Carolina author Robert Ruark gained national fame for his Washington Daily News, Saturday Evening Post, and Field & Stream columns and his classic, The Old Man and the Boy (1957). In addition, Ruark followed in the footsteps of his hero Ernest Hemingway and traveled, hunted, and wrote about the African continent. Ruark published Horn of the Hunter: The Story of an African Hunt in 1953. It details his two-month safari.
The War of 1812
The year 2012, marks the bicentennial of the beginning of the War of 1812, a three-year military conflict between the United States and Great Britain. Conventional wisdom tells us that the cause of war was rooted in violations of American rights including interference with trade and commerce bringing depression to the Ohio Valley. Other claims were Britain’s continued troop presence on American soil after the Revolutionary War, Britain’s prevention of American farmers from trading with France, and British naval ships seizing American sailors to be placed in their navy in the process of “impressment.” Yet, these alleged causes had existed for over a decade and many places including the New England colonies openly resisted another American foreign entanglement.
Overlooked Founders and the Key to The Constitution
Americans more often than not discuss the meaning of the Constitution through the lens of Supreme Court decisions and the famous Federalist essays of Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. That is only part of the story, and in the case of the Supreme Court, a subjective and politically tainted chapter.
Our Regulator Rebellion and Its Meaning for Today
America's difficult economic situation has generated often contradictory reactions and proposed solutions. One part of America blames the big banks. Another points to the government. Still others, with a more subtle insight, find fault with the combination of big government and big corporations. All this reminded me of the protests during the 1760s and early 1770s in Piedmont North Carolina called the Regulator Rebellion.
Questions About the Role of Original Intent: Antifederalists Played Important Role in Founding Era
Over the past year and a half, I have been traveling across North Carolina with my colleague Michael Sanera leading constitutional workshops. In them, we emphasize the federal nature of the American government and remind Tar Heels that knowledge of history is essential to understanding original intent and the Constitution’s meaning. The question-and-answer sessions are interesting, so I thought I’d share some of the oft- repeated questions with readers.
Keep the Focus Closer to Home
All the name-calling, finger-pointing, dealmaking, and hollow sound bites during the recent debt-ceiling debate led me to conclude this: If Americans keep looking to Washington for all the answers, we shouldn't expect anything better from politicians who seem more worried about the 2012 election than the nation's future.
The Halifax Resolves Signaled a Victory for the Grassroots
First, there was the Halifax Resolves. Then there was the Declaration of Independence.
2011 General Assembly Was More Momentous Than You May Think
In January 2011, the Republican Party of North Carolina took control of both houses in the General Assembly. Many have stated that Republicans haven't been in this position since the 1890s. Truth be told, the last time was the late 1860s.
“Senator Sam” Continues to Offer Lessons of Authenticity
"Yes, I was born right over there. You can see I haven't gotten very far in life," remarked former Sen. Sam Ervin while pointing to his birthplace, a white house across the street from his residence in Morganton.