I Think I'll Go to Boston

I recently went to Boston, Massachusettes for a day trip.  Now, there are a lot of wonderful historical sites to see in Boston, so how could I possibly do them all in one day?  The Freedom Trail is how!

The Freedom Trail is free, and it has 16 historical sites on it.  You start off in Boston Commons (which is like Boston's "Central Park").  You can pay to have a tour guide, or you can tour yourself for free.  There is a red line that you follow throughout the city.  The last stop is the Bunker Hill Monument.

To see all the famous sites of the Revolutionary War that I have studied in history books was wonderful.  I saw the site of the Boston Massacre, The Old North Church (where Paul Revere placed the lanterns to warn about the British), Paul Revere's house, places where the meetings took place that lead to the Boston Tea Party.  The oldest remaining pub in America is in Boston, and along the Freedom Trail are many historical pubs.  If I go there another day, I'll do the "Pub Crawl," but this time, I just went to one pub for lunch.  I had the New England Clam Chowder (since I was in New England).

However, my absolute favorite thing that I saw was the Granary Burial Grounds, in which the most recent grave is from 1826, which means it is an incredibly well preserved historical burying ground.  Samuel Adams and John Hancock are buried there as well as Benjamin Franklin's family.  It was amazing to stand over the corpses of great men. 

If you remember in my blog, Get Away! I mentioned that not all trips have to be incredibly expensive.  Look for places that have free attractions, such as the Freedom Trail in Boston.  St. Louis is another fun city to go to that has tons of free attractions.  So, continue to get out and have fun without spending a ton of money!

Massachusettes State House, which is on the freedom trail.  Also famously pictured in the movie The Departed

Granary Burying Ground, where the youngest grave is from 1826.

Nesting

This is the reason I haven't posted a Project of the Day  in a long time:

I have been working on this blanket for my son, Peter (due in November) for months.  It's one of those things that I pick up from time to time, work on it, then forget about it for a while.  However, lately, I've gotten more into working on it, so I hope to finish it soon.  In the middle, there will be another blue stripe, and then at the end, there will be another blue corner. 

If you would like to see a finished version of my baby blanket, go to this entry to view one that I made for a friend's child.  Also click on that link to see how the blanket was made.

If you are pregnant, I would definitely advocate making things for your baby.  It will be a special keep-sake for them in the future.  I intend to make Peter some baby socks as well.  I also feel like knitting Peter his blanket is a bonding time for me and the baby.  I listen to music I want him to hear and knit and talk to him.  Pregnant women go through a period of "nesting" which is a natural, instincful process of getting ready for the baby. Knitting is a wonderful way to release that "nesting" energy. 

My aunt is also talking about us making a quilt for Peter.  If you know me, you know quilting is not my thing, unless it's on a potholder, which is small.  So we'll see if I end up doing that.  :-)

Poor Whites

I really enjoyed my Jacksonian America class this summer.  I did my book review for the class on a book called Poor Whites of the Antebellum South.  I realized how little people know about poor whites in Antebellum times because history books focus on plantation owners and slaves.  So I am posting my entire book review on here (It was only 4 pages), behind the cut.  It is important for history not to ignore entire groups of people.

Southern Culture of Honor

I recently reviewed an article for a class on the Southern culture of honor and found it very interesting.  Most of you probably saw the Hatfields and McCoys series on the history channel.  Many of you are also aware of the male egotism that has been especially notable in the South.  I wrote a paper on this subject based on an article, and thought I would share an exerpt with you if you are interested in Southern chivalric society.

"The article "Andrew Jackson's Honor" by Bertram Wyatt-Brown focuses on a side of Andrew Jackson most historians do not focus on, which is the concept of Jackson making decisions in his life based on defending his honor an the honor of those close to him. In the Old South, many Southerners believed themselves to be heirs to the Middle Ages custom of chivalry, which emphasizes honor, societal standing, and allows a man to defend his honor through violence when it is brought into question. This tradition was extremely prevalent throughout the South and brought many Southern men, especially lawyers, to actual duels. Wyatt-Brown offers the notion of honor as the main reason behind many of Jackson's important life and presidential decisions.

Wyatt-Brown notes how easy it is for modern students of Jacksonian history to focus in on Jackson's faults, such as Indian Removal and also when Jackson tried to prohibit the delivery of anti-slavery materials by law. However, he argues that even those things could be representative of Jackson defending his honor. After he took so much land from the Creek Indians, Jackson said it was because the Creeks didn't respect the American's strength since they sided with the British. Jackson also believed in the sovereignty of the American government and true abolitionists could cause a rift, so even that was threatening to his honor.

Wyatt-Brown also discusses how the desire for honor was a very typical reflection of the American South culture. Customs such as dueling were prevalent in this South as a result of this cultural desire for honor and dignity. In the American South, many Southerners felt they were heirs to European chilvalric times such as the Middle Ages. Thus, there was a tradition of code duello in which a man could defend his honor if it was question, even through violent means. Jackson was in several duels in his lifetime.

Wyatt-Brown recalls the time that Jackson killed Charles Dickinson, and notes that Jackson was the only American president to kill a man in a duel. Jackson preferred to handle his conflict with Dickinson over a horse gambling debt (and also insults toward Jackson's wife) in a "gentlemanly" way, by having a "proper" duel. To Jackson, the only thing worse than someone offending his honor was offending the honor of a woman. He staunchly defended the honor of his wife, which was repeatedly questioned since she had married Jackson without having been divorced from her first husband. Jackson thought that it was extremely inappropriate and appalling how men insulted his wife throughout her lifetime and even blamed one of her insulters, Henry Clay, for her death.

However, Wyatt-Brown also points out that many men went into these duels hoping their honor would be restored to them by winning, but much of the time the duels ended up having negative consequences to the victor's reputation. For instance, Wyatt Brown notes that Aaron Burr's career was damaged by killing Alexander Hamilton. Also, Jackson would not have been able to win an elected position in the years following the duel. Not until his victory in the Battle of New Orleans was Jackson's reputation restored."

Ancient Aliens?

I have been watching the History Channel show, Ancient Aliens and decided I had a lot to say about it, much like I did on my previous entry on the show Doomsday Preppers  .  Basically, this show is incredibly speculative.  Speculation is sometimes fun, but some historians can take it too far and I feel as though that is what this show does.  Now, I cannot say 100% for sure that they are wrong, since there is no proof that aliens do or do not exist.  But I can say for sure that in all of the scenarios they mention, there are far more likely explanations that aliens.

The ancient Sumerians believed that a superior race came from above from another planet and mixed with Neanderthals and that is how modern humans were formed.  The "historians/scientists" on the show believe this formation was from ancient genetic engineering and that the "superior race from above" is an ancient proof of aliens.  Now, the latest evolutionary theories suggest that modern humans, or homo sapiens, did not come after Neanderthals, but existed with them simultaneously.  The best theory is that both homo sapiens and Neanderthals descended from homo heidelbergensis, so they are actually thought to be "brother" species.  There is no proof that homo sapiens were able to interbreed with Neanderthals, however.  So before you could prove that we were genetically engineered into one species by aliens, you would first have to prove that homo sapiens could interbreed with Neanderthals, which is impossible to prove. 

The show also proposed that the beasts mentioned in ancient mythology such as the Minotaur (half man, half bull), Centaur (half man, half horse), and Cerberus (three headed dog) were all proof of ancient genetic engineering by aliens.  There are many reasons hybrids existed in ancient mythology.  One reason was that many ancient religions practiced animal worship.  Another reason is that many of these creatures were being punished by the gods by being turned into a hideous creature (such as Medusa).  Many times, hybrids made a philosophical statement about the inner battle humans have between going on their "animal" or base instincts, and being civilized.  Aliens is not the most logical solution that comes to mind. 

The show also proposes the aliens caused plagues.  The 430 B.C. Plague of Athens, the Justinian Plague, and the Black Plague were all events accompanied by reports of seeing glowing gold shields in the sky.  The "historians/scientists" on the show believe that ancient aliens had somehow weaponized airborne diseases that they used to wipe out the human race at certain points.  I would point out that many intense diseases, especially some as severe as plagues, are accompanied by hallucinations. 

The people on the show also find proof of aliens in plagues by saying that "In all ancient time periods, many humans believed that diseases and bad fortune came from above."  Well that doesn't necessarily mean aliens.  The ancient Greece called it fate.  The ancient Hindus called it karma.  Many other pagan religions thought it to be the wrath of the gods.  I don't know how you can pull "this means aliens exist" out of that. 

I don't think that anyone can say either way for sure that aliens exist or aliens do not exist.  However, this show seems to blame everything that ever happened in history on aliens.  And while you can't prove aliens do not exist, there are much more likely scenarios other than "the aliens caused this." 

 

Breasts

I have decided to write a blog about a subject that should not be a controversial subject, but for some sad reason is:  breasts.

The reason breasts are controversial is mostly due to humanity oversexualizing this part of the female anatomy.  I hate it when people look down on or talk bad about women who breastfeed in public.  I always want to ask them, "Do you eat in public?"  Babies are usually in public against their will.  Don't punish a child because you're embarrassed by seeing a naked breast.  Babies are people that need to eat and the breast is how they do that.

Now many people might agree with me on the point I just mentioned, but they may not agree with me on my next point, because it is a bit extreme to some.  I think that if it is socially acceptable for men to have their upper bodies completely exposed, it should be the same for women too.  Why are we covered just for having a lot more fat and tissue there?  Unfortunately, a lot of it is due to men, who because they are sexually attracted to women, are the ones unnecessarily oversexualizing breasts.  Therefore, breasts make men think of sex instead of nurturing.  Therefore breasts must be covered, I suppose.  I don't agree with that

Now, in regard to bras:  As much as I hate wearing them myself, I recognize there are benefits to them.  Bras keep your breasts stationary when you are moving, which prevents chest pain and reduces ligament tears in your breasts which can make them sag.  Bras also help your breasts look more aesthetically appealing.  I like both of those benefits of wearing bras, but let me tell you, I hate wearing bras.  To me, there is no such thing as a comfortable bra.  I really don't like how it's not socially acceptable to go bra less.  If I am modestly dressed, it should be no one's business what is under my clothes. 

This is one of those subjects that I would like to hear other people's opinions on.  I would love to hear what others think, even if they disagree with me.     

Love Being a Woman

It is absolutely a huge, major pet peeve to me when women diss other women just for being women.  You know what I mean; when you hear girls or women saying "I prefer to hang out with guys because women have way too much drama" or worse "Women are just so bitchy; guys are chill."  This grates on my nerves so bad. 

Offensive generalizations aside, most people you meet have the capacity to do good and the capacity to do bad.  Therefore, men are equally prone to having undesirable characteristics.  I could now use examples by naming characteristics men stereotypically have, but I am under the impression that individuals are different from one another and am not comfortable with profiling, stereotyping or generalizing all men into one sweeping, ignorant assumption. 

The most annoying part of women making these generalizations about one another is that I sense they are doing it to seem "cooler."  Seriously.  Like their mind-set is that, "I will seem more appealing to men if they believe I'm not like the stereotype of the way most people perceive women to be.  Therefore, if I let men know I am more like them, they will think I'm cool."  Whenever I hear women calling their own gender "bitches" or "dramatic" what I am hearing is "I'm insecure." 

It's wrong to generalize a large group of people.  That is why racism is wrong.  That is why sexism is wrong.  Just because you are dissing your own sex doesn't mean that makes it okay. 

Furthermore, I think it is important to love yourself.  If you are a man, I'm sure there are many things you love about being a man such as not bleeding every month, not having to bear children, having a higher income potential.  I hope that men will love themselves just as well.  But guys, being a woman is pretty awesome too and I'm really happy I was born one.  Women get much MUCH more freedom of dress.  Women can dress in pretty much anything and it will be socially acceptable (as long as it covers everything).  Men have very limited wardrobe options.  For women, it is socially acceptable to work a full time job, or stay at home, whereas men have much higher expectations to be the primary break-winner, and while some men can choose to stay at home it is not the social norm. 

My favorite thing about being a woman is feeling my unborn baby moving inside me.  Nothing can match that. 

I'm sure there are things you love about yourself.  Take pride in those things.  You don't have to hurt others or tear others down in order to feel better about yourself.  You can feel better about yourself by being confident in who you are.

I'm not going to be able to post a Project of the Day for a while, because I'm working on an extended project, making a blanket for my son, Peter who will be arriving in November.  I am knitting this blanket, much like one I posted about a few entries ago that I made for a friend.  I apologize for the lack of a project of the day for a while.