Author Archives: The Solitary Historian
Happy Independence Day!!
On this day in 1776, the Continental Congress published the Declaration of Independence. This sacred document was drafted primarily by Thomas Jefferson, with influence from George Mason’s Declaration of Rights. As Jefferson remembered in a letter to Henry Lee in … Continue reading
Hurricane Helene and the Musing of a Pre-Modern Historian
As a little girl, I loved nothing more than curling up on the couch with a pillow and a blanket and watching David O. Selznick’s vision of Gone with the Wind starring the incomparable Clark Gable (my first crush) and … Continue reading
Quick Update
As of March 2024, I successfully defended my dissertation on the Lieber Code and Prisoners of War! I am now employed full-time at South Georgia State College, teaching history while trying to prepare my dissertation for publication. Over the next … Continue reading
In Enemy Hands: Prisoners of War and Dr. Lieber’s Code
“So it is to the United States of North America and to President Lincoln that belongs the honor of having taken the initiative in defining with precision the customs and laws of war. This first official attempt to codify the … Continue reading
Old Cemeteries and Historians
Most people think of cemeteries as a place you visit to bury a loved one, and maybe visit their grave occasionally. Historians, on the other hand, see history and not just any history but local history. When others are avoiding … Continue reading
2020 and the Impact on History!
This past March while I was away with a group of students participating in a Civil War travel course, things got hectic. While we were busily traveling through Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama and back to Tennessee the world was hit with … Continue reading
Panics at the Bank: A Theory of the Great Depression
To better understand the economic theories behind the Great Depression, one must first know about the Great Depression. The Great Depression was the worst economic fall in the industrial world. It initiated in the Stock Market crash of October 1929. … Continue reading
Milton S. Hershey: Chocolate and the Philanthropist
It is hard to imagine when chocolate was handmade and a luxury only the rich could afford. However, it was not all that long ago. Chocolate was not Hershey’s first foray into candy-making. In 1883, he started the Lancaster Caramel … Continue reading
The War is Over!
One Hundred and Two years ago on November 11, 1918, at 5:00 am, the Germans finally gave in and agreed to an Armistice with the Allied forces bringing an end to World War I. Officially, it was the eleventh hour, … Continue reading
Mourning the Dead: Funeral Practices in 1870 and 1900.
Since the beginning of time, death has played a role in the lives of every person. Disease, the lack of proper nutrition, the lack of sanitary conditions, childbirth, and the lack of medical knowledge often played a role in … Continue reading
The Solitary Historian 
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