A second letter from Jasper Bement, on a business and political trip to western New York and Detroit.

The creepy story of why we once used lead in our cars, rather than ethanol.

To a great extent, the fight over Thomas Paine's legacy = United States History.

Robert Owen was an early textile mill owner in England, who inspired the men who built the New England textile industry. He was also a socialist who worked to insure the health and welfare of his community of workers.  

Chapter Six of my Modern World History course for Bemidji State University, Fall 2020. This one focuses on the changing nature of imperialism, which never really goes away, but shifts from military and political to economic neo-imperialism. 

Henry's friend and fellow abolitionist, Jasper Bement, writes from a trip west where he conducted both business and "Liberty" politics. 

I like to talk about the environments of cities when I teach Environmental History. Here are a couple of things about water and stray pigs in 19th-century New York City.

I've reached the place in my Modern World History course where I talk about socialism. Here are some thoughts about talking to students about this contentious topic.

How did the Aztecs feed the 200,000 people living in their capital, Tenochtitlán? Using floating gardens called chinampas, which still exist today -- but just barely.

Lewis writes to Henry on his return home to Florence, Michigan.