Résultats lu par "Larry G Jones" dans Toutes les catégories

Pauite leader Wovoka founded the Ghost Dance movement in the late 1880s as conditions for Native Americans became increasingly hopeless. Wovoka declared himself the messiah and spread the news that Indians were to prepare themselves for salvation through this spiritual practice. In this message, also called “The Messiah Letter”, Wovoka provides instructions for the Ghost Dance. He promises, “When the time comes there will be no more sickness and everyone will be young again.”

It may seem odd that Mark Twain delivered a 4th of July speech in London in 1907. Aside from poking fun at the American obsession with fireworks and drunken revelry, however, the brilliant Twain knew just how to tie the topic of American independence with his British audience. He recounts how the Revolutionary War was fought between Brits over a Declaration of Independence written by Brits before the United States officially formed as a nation.

Jesse James grew up in Clay County, Missouri, a place where north and south conflicted over the issue of slavery. Tensions grew in the lead-up to the Civil War, and James’ Southern loyalties meant he had to make a decision. When war broke out, Jesse and his brother Frank joined the Confederate guerrillas known as “bushwhackers” alongside other notorious characters like “Bloody Bill”. By the age of 17, Jesse had escaped death twice and gained a reputation as a ruthless killer.

Billy the Kid was a real-life outlaw, a cattle rustler in the Southwest who was wanted - dead or alive. One fateful night in 1881, he was shot and killed in a darkened room by nemesis Sheriff Pat Garrett. With this account, the sheriff aimed to set the record straight about his final showdown with the Kid. Since its publication, The Authentic Life of Billy, the Kid has served as a primary source on this legendary outlaw’s life for historians and storytellers alike.

Mark Twain was commissioned to deliver this speech before the virgin voyage of the St. Paul steamship. On the day of its scheduled departure from Philadelphia to England, however, it could not be moved. Had Twain delivered it, this is among the charming witticisms he would have shared: “I have gone over the same road so many times now that I know all the whales that belong along the route, and latterly it is an embarrassment to me to meet them, for they do not look glad to see me, but annoyed, and they seem to say: ‘Here is this old derelict again.’”

With this biting speech, Mark Twain dissects the damaging role newspapers can play in society. He argues that America’s public opinion is formed “by a horde of ignorant, self-complacent simpletons who failed at ditching and shoemaking and fetched up in journalism on their way to the poorhouse.” Twain accompanies these criticisms with personal anecdotes and tales of libel both humorous and disheartening. He concludes by saying that there are virtues to newspapers, but such remarks would not have made for such an interesting speech.

One of Edgar Allen Poe’s more lighthearted stories, this details the investigation of a mummy named Allamistakeo. After finding the body of the mummy in good condition, the mummy researchers use electricity to bring him back to life. Allamistakeo then proceeds to have a conversation with the crew - from what ancient Egypt was like to what religion was like. The conversation ends abruptly when the researchers ask him a question about the beginning of the universe, calling to play the reigning religion at the time.

Poe brings the reality of life and death to the forefront as he weaves a story within a story. When the narrator runs into an old man, the man begins to tell the tale of how he aged so rapidly. Only a day before, he was young - but lost his shipmates into a vicious maelstrom and the powers of the sea. After the initial terror of the event has subsided, he is able to examine the beauty and the power of the forces that can both provide life and take it away without note.

Ever want to blame the worst thing you’ve ever done on someone (or something) else? Edgar Allan Poe believes you don’t have to, and that each time someone does something that is against their best interest, they are being visited by the Imp of the Perverse. The narrator of this story, in fact, is visited by this imp after he murders a man via poisonous candle. After thinking he got away with it, he gets a visit from the imp on the streets of his town - and begins to question whether he can hold his secret in any longer.

As the Revolutionary War came to an end, Congress had failed to pay many of its soldiers. In response, a group of officers from the Continental Army planned a mutiny. When they met to discuss their plans, George Washington arrived on the scene to have his say. In this emotional speech, he acknowledged their concerns but condemned their methods.