Hi Blog! Every few years I pop on here and see people read this thing and leave comments. Crazy!
After watching Hamilton on Disney like the rest of America, I've been on a US History kick. It's long been my first love, and I taught social studies for 10 years.
Just finished Bunker Hill by Nathanial Philbrick. He's a great author. His book Mayflower is a must read, same with Essex, which is the true story behind Moby Dick.
It's always fun to learn you knew nothing about something you thought you knew. So it was with me and Bunker Hill. A few highlights:
- Joseph Warren. My god, that man might have been the George Washington if he hadn't foolishly died. I did not know he was the de facto leader of the Revolution. Even John Adams and others played second fiddle to him.
- I've known for awhile the grievances behind the Revolution were a bit... 'moneyed.' I did not know the extent to which Sam Adams and crew controlled and twisted the narrative.
- The play-by-play of Lexington and Concord, and Bunker Hill, is utterly fascinating. Did you know the rebels were not supposed to build a fort on Bunker Hill, but on the much more defensible Breeds Hill? I did not.
- George Washington was kind of a dick apparently. Didn't like the New England rebels he was charged with leading. Didn't like the plan that ultimately drove the British from Boston (and that he got credit for). But his redeeming quality was his willingness to learn and adapt.
All in all it was a great read. Couldn't put it down at times.
