Talking to America

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Which Side Are You On: Unions in American History
Labor unions in the United States began as craft guilds, organizations of workers, like shoemakers or tailors, who could leverage particular skills to…
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Jack Kelly
2
I Hope You Are of Our Party: Fidelity and Betrayal
NOTE: On SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1, I will be giving a talk at the New York State Museum about Benedict Arnold, his achievements and his treason. One of the…
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Jack Kelly
The Great Gatsby Rubout: Cut to the Car Chase
“The old Metropole. I can't forget so long as I live the night they shot Rosy Rosenthal there . . . he went out on the sidewalk and they shot him three…
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Jack Kelly
4
Words of Wondrous Import: A Voice in the American Wilderness
She refused to be called by her given name. She would not use gender-specific pronouns. She said she was neither male nor female. She was an agent of…
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Jack Kelly
2
George Washington and the Dream of Flying
We’ve all dreamed of swooping skyward. The fantasy became reality in America during George Washington’s first term in office. Frenchman Jean-Pierre…
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Jack Kelly
3
August 2023
For Jobs and Freedom: A. Philip Randolph’s March
In 1898, nine-year-old Asa Philip Randolph watched his mother patrol the front room of their Jacksonville, Florida, home with a loaded shotgun. His…
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Jack Kelly
7
Revolutionary Bad Boy: Benedict Arnold, Treason, and Trust
It was said about Benedict Arnold that he never did anything by halves. Was he a traitor? Yes. But not just any traitor. He was the renegade of all…
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Jack Kelly
5
The Resurrection Machine: Death Deferred
On January 2 of this year, Buffalo Bills defensive player Damar Hamlin tackled a Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver, stood up, then fell to the ground…
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Jack Kelly
4
I’ll Hold Out My Hand: The Art and Heart of Music
Two recent losses in the music world left me thinking of a third talented performer who shared characteristics with both. Like Tony Bennett, Susannah…
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Jack Kelly
5
July 2023
We Came Here to Play: Baseball Meets History
The sports pages usually offer a refuge from politics. Not always. Saturday, July 25, 1959, was one of those occasions when history intruded on the…
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Jack Kelly
6
What to Do with Captain Molly: War Hero
Margaret Cochran knew violence early. When she was four years and seven months old, the Pennsylvania frontier, where she had been born in 1751, turned…
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Jack Kelly
2
The Strong Boy and the Seventy-five Red Rounds
Few names in any sport have endured like that of John L. Sullivan. Even to those with little interest in boxing, “The Great John L.” still evokes a…
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Jack Kelly
3
© 2023 Jack Kelly
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