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Why we have a new section added (4U2C)
I and many of my fellow writers are troubled by the laws currently being passed in Florida, my home state, and other at least 13 other states. Critical Race Theory (CRT) is a very complex belief that countries, states, and large organizations use racial discrimination to harm and discriminate against minority races. Governor Ron DeSantis pushed a bill in the Florida legislature that bans teaching anything related to CRT in schools.
What he is doing is
preventing teachers from telling anything that might
"embarrass" any nationality. Thus, make teaching of actual
history, when many acts committed by our county should
embarrass all of us, impossible. Not only the injustices
committed against African Americans like Jim Crow Laws,
lynchings, and segregation, but things such as the Trail of
Tears where their land was taken from Native Americans and
they were marched to reservations in Oklahoma, the Japanese
Americans and German Americans who were both placed in
internment camps during WWII. These are facts. Not teaching
them in school will not change them, just create a nation of
citizens who are ignorant of history.
Another bill
recently passed is
the Parental Rights in Education bill better known as the
"Don’t Say Gay bill." Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, a gay
Democrat
said, "We are in distress because this bill is yet another
attack on our community. This bill goes way beyond the text on
its page. It sends a terrible message to our youth that there
is something so wrong, so inappropriate, so dangerous about
this topic that we have to censor it from classroom
instruction."
Although proponents
of the bill say it doesn’t restrict teaching about events such
as the bombing of the gay nightclub in Orlando and similar, it
does prevent LGBTQ children from feeling they are okay. If gay
history makers are discussed in lessons, their sexual
orientation will never be mentioned. The suicide rate among
this group of youths is alarming. The Trevor Project, an LGBTQ
youth suicide prevention and intervention group, learned that
42 percent of LGBTQ young people considered suicide last year.
Why take away a possibility of giving them a positive role
model like themselves?
Yes, I know I am
rambling on, but the point here is that I want to do something
to give young people (and older ones too) stories of true
history. I am joining with some friends in presenting stories
that showcase minorities in history and LGBTQ people who have
contributed to society.
Some of the stories
may cast our country and our ancestors in a bad light. So be
it. If our country made mistakes, it makes us bigger and
better to own up, rather than cover up. If seeing our nation as
less than perfect bothers you, don’t visit the
4U2C page. If you want to
learn the truth, head there. If you are a writer and want to
post a true history story
with a travel angle,
send it to me.
Colonial Williamsburg
Where Past and Present Meet
Kathleen Walls
Published 5-19-2022
Published 5-19-2022
Williamsburg
is one of those magic places where history is ever present.
Williamsburg was founded between 1630 and 1633 when some
Jamestown settlers moved there. Jamestown's capital building
burned twice, the second time In 1698. The locals in Jamestown
were tired of the unhealthy climagte and decided to
permanently move the capital Williamsburg. The once small
community grew and prospered until a later governor, Thomas
Jefferson, moved the capital to Richmond. Williamsburg retuned
to its early small village status.
Auburn, New York: The Spirit of Tubman
Renée S. Gordon
Published 5-18-2022
Published 5-18-2022
Harriet
Tubman was born 200-years ago in Maryland and embarked on an
extraordinary journey that continues to resonate throughout US
history. Her story serves as an example of courage and
perseverance against seemingly insurmountable odds. She
employed her uncanny ability to conquer any situation
enslaved.
Buffalo Soldiers In the Heart
of America
Renée S. Gordon
Published 4-10-2022
There
have been no American military engagements in which African
Americans have participated at some level. In the 1600s
British colonies blacks were used to defend against Indian
attacks. Massachusetts’ 1636 law was one of the earliest
documented laws to state that “all able-bodied Negroes” had to
report to serve in the militia. Enslaved and freedmen were
among the 9,000 African Americans serving in the Continental
Army as Patriots, largely in integrated units. During the War
of 1812 it is estimated that 15% of the soldiers and sailors
were of African descent and General Andrew Jackson called for
“free colored inhabitants of Louisiana” to enlist in the US
Army on Sept. 21, 1814 with the promise of equal pay. The
Civil War witnessed Union enlistment of approximately 200,000
African Americans, an estimated 100,000 once enslaved,
resulting in a death toll of nearly 40,000.
Experience Southeast
Texas
Renee S. Gordon
Published 3-30-2022
Published 3-30-2022
Native Americans settled along the shores of Sabine Lake in
what was to become East Texas more than 1,500-years ago. In
1528 Spanish explorer Cabeza de Vaca and three of his men,
including Estevanico an African, became the first Europeans to
travel into the interior of Texas. They were followed, nearly
200-years later, by transient Spanish, French and Englishmen.
In the 17th-century the lake became a draw for traders of legal
and illegal goods, settlers and pirates like Jean Laffite.
The Not Too
Little Zoo That Can
Kathleen Walls
Published 3-29-2022
Published 3-29-2022
Gulf Shores Zoo became a household word as "The Little Zoo That
Could" when a prime-time documentary told how the zoo's saved
its animals in 2004 before Hurricane Ivan struck Gulf Shores.
It all began in 1989 when Joey Ward built a small, community
zoo on his family's land just a mile from the beach. He named
it Zooland Animal Park. By 2000 it had grown and was renamed
The Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo.
Shelby: Land of Rythym
and Roots
Kathleen Walls
published 3-34-3033
published 3-34-3033
Shelby in Cleveland
County is just 45 minutes west of Charlotte but a completely
different world. Creativity reigns here. Two music legends were
born in Cleveland County, Earl Scruggs and Don Gibson. Art is
all over Cleveland County. Museums are unique. Shopping and
dining is laid back and individually owned not chains.
Virginia Beach: The First Resort
Renee S. Gordon
published 3-20-2022
Native Americans, namely the Chesepians, inhabited the South
Hampton Roads region of Virginia for thousands of years prior
to first contact with English colonists on April 26, 1607.
Three British Ships sent by the Virginia Company, sailed for 4
months, landed on Cape Henry and erected a wooden cross on the
spot where they came ashore. Captain Christopher Newport, the
first English tourist, was first to go ashore to reconnoiter
and found “freshwaters, faire meadowes," and “goodly tall
trees”. A second party built a small boat and visited the
areas’ land and waterways. On May 14, the ships relocated to
Jamestown and established the first permanent English
settlement.
Norfolk, Virginia, Home of the Brave
Renee S. Gordon
Published 3-9-2022
Native
Americans inhabited
the Norfolk region,
in a settlement
known as Skicoak,
for thousands
of years prior to
the establishment of
a European colony in
1636 and in 1682
Nicholas Wise sold
50 acres of
riverfront
property to the
Virginia General
Assembly to found
Norfolk.
Fifty years later it
was the largest town
in the colony.
During
the American
Revolution the busy
port, shipbuilding
industry and
transportation of
goods made Norfolk a
prime target for a
British attack and
on January 1, 1776
they destroyed
two-thirds of the
city. Citizens
torched what
remained to prevent
confiscation by the
British. The city
was rapidly rebuilt
and again
established
prominence as a port
linking
transportation
between North and
South
Cape Henry Lighthouse's Unique Keeper
Kathleen Walls
Published 3-9-2022
Cape
Henry Lighthouse,
the 4th oldest
lighthouse in the
United States, was
authorized by
President George
Washington in 1792.
In 1881, the
government
constructed a second
lighthouse 350 feet
from the first. The
lighthouses are a
fun place to visit
but there is
something more in
their story.
Lighthouses are
beacons of hope, and
Cape Henry
Lighthouse offers a
story of one man's
hopes. From May 10
to July 26, 1870.
Willis Augustus
Hodges served as the
first African
American lighthouse
keeper at the Cape
Henry Lighthouse.
Winston-Salem, Where Two Cultures
Collide
Kathleen Walls
published 3-6-2022
Can you imagine a culture of socialistic
church members in a society where the church controlled all
aspects of life and owned all property in the settlement and
smoking, drinking and partying was forbidden ever finding
common ground with capitalistic tobacco manufactures?
Seek the Exceptional
in Clearfield County, PA
Renée S. Gordon
Published 2-3-2022
Western
Pennsylvania’s Clearfield County is as close to a recreational
paradise, replete with natural wonders, numerous outdoor
activities, unique tasting trails and culinary delights, as
any traveler can imagine. All season recreational offerings
make any time opportune for a trip to the county’s wild side.
More than 100,000-acres of State Forest and Game Lands allow
sport hunting and game viewing. Those who prefer water-based
experiences can choose from more than 250 lakes and rivers in
which to fish, swim, boat or canoe.
Amelia Island:Like No Place Else on Earth
Kathleen Walls
Published 2-1-2022
It's
no wonder Amelia Island is such an interesting place to visit.
The blend of cultures that have created this special place
differs from any other place on earth. It lived under eight
flags. It was special to people from pre-Columbian Timucuans
to pirates and con men, as well as hardworking settlers from
many countries. Today, it's a wonderful vacation spot with
fewer crowds than the better-known Florida beach towns. Here
are just some of the best things to do on Amelia Island.
Discover Aiken, South Carolina
Renée S. Gordon
published 1-30-2022
The
city of Aiken, named after William Aiken, SC Railroad’s first
president, was founded in 1835 after railroads entered the
area in 1833 and the world’s longest line, 136-miles,
connected the Savannah River with Charleston. In 1871 Aiken
County was formed from portions of four existing counties.
Ball’s Bluff Battlefield
Story by Tom Straka
Photographs by Pat Straka
Published 1-6-2022
Published 1-6-2022
The
Battle of Ball’s Bluff was a small one by Civil War standards,
but a consequential one. It occurred early in the War on
October 21,1861, by accident, just a couple of months after
Bull Run (or First Manassas). The battlefield is on U.S. 15 in
Leesburg, Virginia, just before the highway crosses into
Maryland on to the Antietam and Gettysburg battlefields. We’ve
passed it many times and recently had the time to visit. It
turned out to be a well worth the stop; it is a small
battlefield, but an interesting one that abuts the Potomac
River. The 300-foot bluff is surprising, while being so close
to the ocean, it contains 100-foot cliffs, is covered with
outcroppings, and only a single steep trail led up to the top.
Union troops had to cross the Potomac River twice to reach the
battlefield, as Harrison Island stood in the middle of the
river. Union pickets protected the island during the crossing,
taking cover behind entrenchments for protection from hostile
Confederate fire.
Tampa Bay:The Place to Play
Kathleen Walls
Published 12-17-2021
Tampa Bay is one of Florida’s most
popular playground areas. It has such a variety of attractions
even a picky group will find something each party will enjoy.
Horne
Creek Living Historical Farm
Story by Tom Straka
Photo by Pat Straka
published 12-16-2021
Photo by Pat Straka
published 12-16-2021
Horne Creek Farm is a living history farm, a
North Carolina Historic Site, and
the actual Hauser family farm (as opposed to many
living history farms that are relocated farm buildings or
rebuilt farm buildings). This is the real thing, allowing
visitors to experience farm life in North Carolina’s
northwestern Piedmont circa 1900. The site features the
family’s original farmhouse (with original furnishings), a
tobacco curing barn, a corn crib, adjacent fields under
cultivation, and even a heritage apple orchard. The Site also
offers programs ranging from old fashioned ice cream socials
to an annual corn shucking frolic. There is a visitors' center
with exhibits and a gift shop. This living history is a chance
to learn about the rural past, a chance to see, smell, touch,
and hear things once common in rural North Carolina.
Fort Dobbs State
Historic Site
Story by
Tom Straka
Photo by Pat Straka
published 12-5-2021
Photo by Pat Straka
published 12-5-2021
During
the COVID-19 pandemic we have visited attractions that were primarily out-of-doors and generally not that far
off the highway.Fort Dobbs State Historic Site meets those
requirements, being nearly at the intersection of Interstates
40 and 77, just north of Statesville, North
Carolina. Most forts in the South were associated with
the Revolutionary or Civil Wars. Fort Dobbs is a French and
Indian War fort. It is the only state historic site associated
with that period in North Carolina. The site is similar to
Oconee Station in South Carolina, visited last October and
described in an
ARGH article, in that it is mainly a blockhouse and it is
situated on what was back then the frontier, the foothills of
the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Enjoy the Holidays on Jekyll Island with a Holly Jolly Christmas
Kathleen WallsPublished 11-29-2021

For my friends who have never visited Jekyll Island, the
holiday season is the perfect time to visit. Take a ride on
Jekyll’s Holly Jolly Trolley to see over half a million lights
around the island. There are lights from the Historic District
to Beach Village. Trolley riders will enjoy festive holiday
beverages, and sing along to Jingle Bells and other carols. For older stories click here
Public Disclosure--
Please Read
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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Global Highways may contain affiliate links or ads. Further, as
their bios show, most of the feature writers are
professional travel writers. As such we are frequently
invited on press trips, also called fam trips. On these
trips most of our lodging, dining, admissions fees and
often plane fare are covered by the city or firm hosting
the trip. It is an opportunity to visit places we might
not otherwise be able to visit. However, no one tells us
what to write about those places. All opinions are 100%
those of the author of that feature column. .
Fort Smith, Wild, Wild West Arkansas-Part Two
Renée S. Gordon
Published 11-28-2021
Cherokee
Bill was born Crawford Goldsby in 1876 to a Buffalo Soldier and
a mixed Cherokee and black mother. Bill’s father abandoned the
family but at the age of 10 his mother managed to send him to
Pennsylvania’s Carlisle Industrial School for two years. Stories
differ but it is generally believed that he shot his first man
at age 12 and soon after joined up with the Cook Brothers for a
string of robberies and murders. During his brief career he both
led his own gang and rode with other notorious felons such as
Billy the Kid.
A North Carolina Grist Mill Tour
Story by Tom Straka
Photographs by Pat Straka
Published 11-28-2021

Fort Smith, Wild, Wild West Arkansas-Part One
Renée S. Gordon
Published 11-14-2021
Published 11-14-2021

Ghost of Ybor City
Kathleen Walls

Maybellene's First Camping Trip
Kathleen Walls

For more abouit Maybellene's begiinings.
Chattanooga Dining
Kathleen Walls

Amazing St. Augustine, Florida
Warren Resen

"Ain't it Grand!"
Kathleen Walls

A Pennsylvania Pretzel
Bakery Tour
Story by Tom Straka
Photographs by Pat Straka

The
right factory tour can be a ton of fun and a great learning
experience. One of the right ones is the Julius Sturgis
Pretzel Bakery in Lititz, Pennsylvania. It isn't a long tour,
at just under a half hour (tours are offered every half hour).
However, the bakery is located in the middle of Pennsylvania
Dutch Country, with plenty of other attractions to fill out a
day. The claim is that in 1861 Julius Sturgis opened America's
first commercial pretzel bakery in Lititz. More than 150 years
later the Sturgis family continues to make pretzels, and the
original bakery is now used to give visitors a unique view
into the history of pretzel making in America.
Remember The Forgotten Coast
Kathleen Walls
