America
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The History of Money
The objects of value that have served as forms of currency, have gone through considerable change over the past 10,000 years. We began with a barter system, where traded services and resources resulted in an agreed upon exchange of mutual advantage. In fact, individuals, organizations, and governments still prefer to use the barter system of exchange in some cases. In 9000 – 6000 B.C with agricultural based communities, cattle and other livestock (sheep, camels, etc.) are the first and oldest forms of money. The use of grain and other vegetable or plant products became standard forms of barter in many cultures. The first use of cowries, the shells of a…
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First Veterans Day Proclamation
On October 8th, 1954 President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first Veterans Day Proclamation. It was on June 4, 1926, that Congress passed a resolution to observe the anniversary of the end of World War I, Nov. 11, 1918. In 1938, before the holiday was known as Veterans Day, Congress made Nov. 11 a legal holiday called Armistice Day.
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Veterans Affairs Goal of Updating IT Infrastructures
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs’, Eric. K. Shinseki, message for Veterans Day 2012 can be viewed on the VA website. In his message he talks about the VA “renewing our country’s historic covenant with its Veterans”. He spoke about how, with 21st century technology and a committed workforce, the VA is dedicated to making strides in its efficiency of providing benefits for those who have served in the armed forces. An article on the Rock Hill Herald Online states that Nelson Enterprise Technology Services (NETS), has been awarded a contract having a start day of Oct. 15, 2012. The NETS job is the modernization of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs large IT infrastructures. It is a huge undertaking in that the…
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History of VA Home Loan Program
On October 26, 2012 the 20 Millionth VA Home Loan was purchased by the spouse of an Iraq War Veteran who passed away in 2010. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) home loan program first got its start as part of the GI Bill of Rights in June of 1944. The GI Bill, officially named the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act, was established to provide benefits for those returning home after serving in World War II. Besides the government backed, low interest home loans, the bill also served to provide veterans with college scholarships. The legislation was of such immense influence it is credited with helping to establish the American middle class. Source: VA Website ,…
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Second Term Presidents
There were 17 elected two term presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Jackson, Lincoln, Grant, Cleveland, McKinley, Wilson, F. Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Nixon, Reagan, Clinton, Bush43, Obama There were four presidents who served two terms, but one term was not from election, but from serving after their deceased predecessors. After finishing out the term of other Presidents, they were then re-elected: Teddy Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Harry Truman, and LBJ There were three presidents that were elected to a second term, but did not finish the second term: Lincoln and McKinley were assassinated Nixon resigned from office
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List of United States Presidents
18th Century 1. George Washington 2. John Adams 19th Century 3. Thomas Jefferson 4. James Madison 5. James Monroe 6. John Quincy Adams 7. Andrew Jackson 8. Martin Van Buren 9. William Henry Harrison 10. John Tyler 11. James K. Polk 12. Zachary Taylor 13. Millard Fillmore 14. Franklin Pierce 15. James Buchanan 16. Abraham Lincoln 17. Andrew Johnson 18. Ulysses S. Grant 19. Rutherford B. Hayes 20. James Garfield 21. Chester A. Arthur 22. Grover Cleveland 23. Benjamin Harrison 24. Grover Cleveland 25. William McKinley 20th Century 26. Theodore Roosevelt 27. William Howard Taft 28. Woodrow Wilson 29. Warren G. Harding 30. Calvin Coolidge 31. Herbert Hoover 32. Franklin…
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Understanding The Electoral College
THE NEW YORK TIMES FOR KIDS So … How Does the Electoral College Work, Again? It’s weird. It’s confusing. It’s how we elect the president. The Electoral College is a process, not a place. The founding fathers established it in the Constitution as a compromise between election of the President by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens. The Electoral College process consists of the selection of the electors, the meeting of the electors where they vote for President and Vice President, and the counting of the electoral votes by Congress. The Electoral College consists of 538 electors. A majority of…
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American Flag’s History & Proper Display
Congress first approved the flag on June 14, 1777. Link to PDF This date is now observed as Flag Day throughout America. It was first stated that there be a star and stripe for each state, making thirteen of both. Over the years, the number of stars has been changed to include one star for each of the 50 states, while the stripes remained the same to represent the 13 original colonies. Later, the colors of the flag were given special meaning. The red is for valor and zeal – white is for hope, purity, and cleanliness of life – and blue, the color of heaven, loyalty, sincerity, justice,…
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Levitt Houses
A Brief History of Levittown, New York Few communities in America are as easily recognizable by name as Levittown, New York. In addition to its distinction as the childhood home of world famous singer/songwriter, Billy Joel, (who was actually raised in a Levitt home in nearby Hicksville) Levittown is the model on which scores of post World War II suburban communities were based – a place that started out as an experiment in low-cost, mass-produced housing and became, perhaps, the most famous suburban development in the world. Many volumes have been written which provide comprehensive histories of Levittown, including its “pre-history” as a center of early Long Island aviation and…
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First American Flag
Five myths about the American flag By Marc Leepson, Published: June 10, 2011 1. Betsy Ross made the first American flag. The Betsy Ross story is the most tenacious piece of fiction involving the flag. There simply is no credible historical evidence — letters, diaries, newspaper accounts, bills of sale — that Ross (then known as Elizabeth Claypoole) either made or had a hand in designing the American flag before it made its debut in 1777. The story cropped up in 1870, almost 100 years after the first flag was supposedly sewn, when William Canby, Ross’s grandson, told the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia that his grandmother made the…
