Sparks Commentary

“Whereupon the Citty and Fort Amsterdam and Province of the New Netherlands were surrendered under His Most Exct. Mat’s. Obedience, made and...

“Don’t know the manners of good society, eh? Well, I guess I know enough to turn you inside out, old gal – you sockdologizing old man-trap!...

In 1898, President William McKinley sent American troops to fight in Cuba and the Philippines . This conflict is now known as the  “Spanis...

An anecdote about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth … On April 14th, 1865,  President   Abraham Lincoln  was  assass...

A miniseries covering Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and Eleanor Roosevelt Just as the Americans remember  Mr. Churchill , so do t...

On July 2nd, 1881, Charles J. Guiteau shot the 20th President of the United States . The president was  James A. Garfield , the predecessor...

Reconstruction had been going on for twelve years, when Mr. Hayes became president When the Civil War ended in 1865, it was followed by ano...

Benjamin Harrison’s grandfather was  William Henry Harrison , who was the ninth president of the United States. This grandfather had served ...

At the time that I write this, Grover Cleveland is the only  president  to serve two non-consecutive presidential terms. That is, he was bo...

A portrait of capitalism (and some other things) in late nineteenth-century America This film is a portrait of capitalism (and some other th...

It might seem strange to say it today, but the “Bill of Rights” amendments were once understood to apply only to the federal government, ...

“I conceived of the idea of removing the President four weeks ago. Not a soul knew of my purpose. I conceived the idea myself. I read the...

"The Men Who Built America" is something of a rarity in the world of documentaries , because it is one of the few history progra...

"If there is not the war, you don't get the great general; if there is not a great occasion, you don't get a great statesman;...

"[The Congress shall have the power] To establish post-offices and post-roads ..." - The United States Constitution, Article 1, S...

"The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounti...

I just finished watching "Crucible of Empire: The Spanish-American War," PBS's two-hour documentary about this time. I wa...

"The war between the States was a very bloody and a very costly war. One side or the other had to yield principles they deemed dearer...