Lying politicians, disinformation, foreign threats, riots in the street, deadly epidemics, sex scandals in high places, open debates about the president’s competence, war threats, government censorship, fights on the floor of Congress, and a society split in half by partisan politics. Sound famliar? That was politics in the United States in the 1790s, says John Sweeney, editor of “Delaware’s John …
New history trail documents Iron Hill’s free Black families
A new history trail at Iron Hill Museum documents the existence and lives of free Black families who began settling there in the 1930s. No one knows if any of those who lived there had been slaves, although it’s certainly possible, historians said after the trail’s ribbon cutting on a gloriously sunny afternoon. The families included the Congos, Websters, Earls, …
Town Square LIVE Weekly Review – Year End Review – Dec. 29, 2022
Click on the image below to view the PDF This Week’s Top Headlines Include: January A perfect storm for schools, teachers: No subs, bus woes, COVID Wilmington residents sign petition in support of police chief February Restaurants wrestle with pricing to cover industry cost hikes Before the Battle of Brandywine, Washington was in Wilmington March Pike Creek church’s drive-thru ash …
Hale Byrnes House to unveil painting of witness tree
The Hale Brynes House this weekend will unveil a painting featuring an American sycamore tree under which George Washington once held a council of war with the Marquis de Lafayette. The Newark nonprofit commissioned the painting because the 300-plus-year-old witness tree — called that because it was alive during a historical moment — may soon die or be removed. …
Founder’s Folio: On education, virtue and civic engagement
As the Great American experiment continues to explore what works in education for communities, parents and their children across the 50 states, one fact is certain: Education is a critical component of our society. Knowledge through education creates an enlightened people, and an enlightened people are most equipped with the necessary tools to govern collectively. The Founding Fathers agreed on …
Before the Battle of Brandywine, Washington was in Wilmington
Washington watches the Continental Army pass the Crooked Billet Tavern at Centre Road and Kennett Pike on Sept. 9, 1777. A Wilmington history buff has uncovered many of the roads and paths General George Washington marched Continental Army troops along en route to Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania for the 1777 Battle of Brandywine. Retired Army officer and University of Delaware graduate …
Founder’s Folio: Bias and influence in American news media
Courtesy of the New York Public LIbrary We are faced with the difficult challenge of finding truth and the public narrative in a news landscape dominated by special interests, weaponized reactionary culture and media manipulation. In the digital media era where fast-moving news, opinion and narrative are constantly being influenced by outside interests, we must look for ways to …