A wonderful and important refresher course in U. S. History.
Introduction by Morgan Freeman – 14:24 minute video
History refresher: A reading of The Declaration of Independence
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Tag Archives: United States
Education contact information
With a little bit of work you can use this post to locate the name, address and telephone number of an actual person who should be willing to listen to the situation you are having problems with. They may be able to either do something about it, direct you to someone who can, or note it for discussion at their next problem-solving meeting. As a reminder for how this works, see my earlier post, Bitching Doesn’t Work. Continue reading
New Mexico History – ‘El Gringo’ by W. W. H. Davis
I have just finished reading El Gringo, by W. W. H. Davis. Davis’ 1853 description of New Mexico is one the earliest full-length accounts to appear in English. It provides a beautiful picture of a newly conquered land, its customs, languages, landscapes and histories. He really captures the protected and unique nature of New Mexico in this paragraph:
“There is no country protected by our flag and subject to our laws so little known to the people of the United States as the territory of New Mexico. Its very position precludes an intimate intercourse with other sections of the Union, and serves to lock up a knowledge of the country within its own limits. The natural features differ widely from the rest of the Union; and the inhabitants, with the manners and customs of their Moorish and Castilian ancestors are both new and strange to our people. For these reasons, reliable information on this hitherto almost unknown region can not fail to be interesting to the public.”
Davis was a veteran of the Mexican War of 1846-48, and returned to New Mexico in 1853 to become United States Attorney for the territory. He traveled with only a few changes of clothes, a two-book law library and a ravenous curiosity, and he thoroughly journaled his entire travels to and throughout New Mexico.
His thousand-mile journey from Independence, Missouri to Santa Fe would take 25 days by mule train, traveling in torrential rains and drifting blizzards. Many nights were spend sleeping on the ground under the wagons for shelter, and many meals were skipped due to inclement weather.
El Gringo was written by W. W. H. Davis (1820 – 1910) and first published in 1857. You can order from the Books page; enjoyi!
Welcome to the Albuquerque, New Mexico Timeline Blog
Welcome to the Albuquerque, New Mexico, Historical and Cultural Timeline blog.
The idea for the Albuquerque Historical and Cultural Timeline arose from a 2004 conversation with Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez. His mention of the upcoming 300th birthday of the founding and naming of Albuquerque stimulated me to put two years into creating the Albuquerque Historical and Cultural Timeline, correlating and displaying 600 years of historical and cultural events across New Mexico, the U.S., Mexico, Europe and Asia-Pacific.
I need to express deep appreciation here for the following individuals who very graciously provided information, assistance, support and guidance throughout:
- Elizabeth Chestnut – Historian, Indian Pueblo Cultural Center
- Dr. Linda Hall – History Professor, UNM
- Scott Meredith – History PhD candidate, UNM
- Dr. Cynthia Radding – Director of Latin American & Iberian Institute, UNM
- Rubén Saláz – Historian, author, Tri-Centennial History Task Force
- Dr. Joseph P. Sánchez – Superintendent of the Spanish Colonial Research Center, a partnership between the National Park Service and the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque
- Joe S. Sando – Historian, author, Archive Director for Indian Pueblo Cultural Center
- Deb Slaney – Curator of History – Albuquerque Museum of Art and History
- Dr. Jane Slaughter – Professor and Chair of History Department, UNM
- Juan M. Solana – Mexican Consul and Alberto Bernal Acero – Deputy Mexican Consul
- Claude Stephenson – State Folklorist and author of The Albuquerque Arts Alliance “Albuquerque Cultural Survey”
- Sandia Laboratories Graphic Arts Department
- Don Couchman – Historian and Chairman of the Tricentennial History Task Force
- Craig Newbill – Executive Director, New Mexico Humanities Council
- Jerry Geist and Vicky Osborne – El Jefe and La Jefecita of the Tricentennial Committee
Without their support and assistance, the Timeline would not be visible to the public in the East Wing of the Convention Center and in the passenger waiting area of the Albuquerque International Sunport.
I intend through this blog to explore and present interesting historical and cultural stories contained within the Timeline in a series of blog-post and video formats. I hope you enjoy the very first video, “5 Perspectives on Albuquerque,” which is an overview of the structure and ‘how to read’ the timeline.
Your comments, thoughts and suggestions are welcome.
Tom