Author: Justin Lewis

Thomas Jefferson and the Virginia Act for Establishing Religious Freedom

Justin Lewis
September 29, 2020

The text of the Virginia Act for Establishing Religious Freedom spells out the revolutionary premises upon which Thomas Jefferson builds his argument for religious freedom for all. In the bill, the author of the U.S. Declaration of Independence declares his foundational beliefs about religion and liberty.

Colonial Virginia: Religious Freedom

Justin Lewis
September 29, 2020

Among the Founding Fathers, two in particular, Jefferson and Madison, played a pivotal role in passage of the landmark Virginia Act for Establishing Religious Freedom in 1786. This act served as an important model for the new Constitution that would be adopted by the states in 1789.

Religious Freedom: The Other Revolution

Justin Lewis
September 29, 2020

The issues of the revolution were many and varied. They included erosion of self-government and increased taxes which royal authority needed in order to pay for the expenses of the recently concluded French and Indian War, called the Seven Years War in Europe, which lasted from 1756 to 1763.

A History of Slavery

Justin Lewis
September 28, 2020

For research and perusal, an overview of the History of Slavery, particularly aimed towards America. This material is presented in five parts.

The Independence Movement In The American Colonies

Justin Lewis
September 28, 2020

The causes which made possible the assertion of American National Independence must be sought, not merely in the oppressive legislation which directly provoked the colonists into revolt, but, back of that, in the political institutions they had evolved for themselves.

Kyle Rittenhouse, A video summary

Justin Lewis
September 26, 2020

Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17 year old from Illinois, has been a major topic of recent news with the outbreaks of protests, and riots across America. Rittenhouse has been charged on a multitude of shootings that left two people dead and…

Slavery in 1860s Tennessee

Justin Lewis
September 24, 2020

Slavery was a part of everyday life in Tennessee during this time. About one in four of all the people living in Tennessee in 1860 were slaves. Although slavery existed throughout the state, most slaves lived in Middle and West Tennessee.…

History of the Life of Rev. Wm. Mack Lee

Justin Lewis
September 24, 2020

The History of the Life of Rev. Wm. Mack Lee states that its author, William Mack Lee (1835-1932), was a body servant and cook for General Robert E. Lee during the Civil War and until the general’s death in 1870. However, this…

Understanding the Complexities of Slavery in Kentucky

Justin Lewis
September 24, 2020

The Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives (KDLA), in Frankfort, Kentucky, houses the largest collection of papers concerning Kentucky’s Civil War-era governors. Comprising a large portion of this collection are “Official correspondence and petitions related to appeals for pardons, remissions,…

Blacks Owning Blacks: The Story of William Ellison

Justin Lewis
September 24, 2020

William Ellison Jr. (c. April 1790 – December 5, 1861), born April Ellison, was a U.S. cotton gin maker and blacksmith in South Carolina, and former African-American slave who achieved considerable success as a slaveowner before the American Civil War.

American slavery: Separating fact from myth

Justin Lewis
September 24, 2020

This article was published in 2017 … in light of 2020’s slavery issues, we’ve re-published this article in this ever-than-more relevant time. People think they know everything about slavery in the United States, but they don’t. They think the majority…

Washington, Presidents’ Day and Impeachment

Justin Lewis
September 22, 2020

Americans have long celebrated the February birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln—Washington on February 22, 1732 and Lincoln on February 12, 1809. Washington’s Birthday became a federal holiday in 1885. But in 1971, the third Monday in February replaced Washington’s Birthday by becoming Presidents’ Day.