Author: Richard Gardiner

Richard Gardiner teaches U.S. History at the Heritage School in Newnan, Georgia. He earned a B.A. in Philosophy (Magna Cum Laude) from the University of Maryland, and his History Teacher’s Certification at Princeton University. He completed an M.Div. in 1995 at Princeton Theological Seminary and received a Ph.D. in History from Marquette University in 2005. His books include History: A Cultural Approach (2012) and, with Daniel Bellware, The Genesis of the Memorial Day Holiday in America (2014). Gardiner’s historical research has been featured in Time Magazine, the New York Times, NPR, and Journal of America’s Military Past.

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Historical Spotlight Posted on

Unraveling the Mystery of George Washington’s Earliest Teacher

George Washington’s childhood is a rather elusive historical research topic. It is not that there is a lack of stories, tales, and legends published about Washington’s early years, but the task of separating authentic information from widespread mythology has compelled judicious historians to exercise tremendous skepticism when offered an assertion about his youngest days. Much […]

by Richard Gardiner
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Critical Thinking Posted on

The Frankford Advice: “Place Virginia at the Head of Everything”

Since James Thomas Flexner’s 1974 Pulitzer recognition for his biography of George Washington, one of the axioms of the American founding is that the general, George Washington, was the “indispensable man.”[1] The selection, therefore, of Washington as the commander of the Continental Army was undoubtedly among the most critical decisions in the history of the […]

by Richard Gardiner
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Religion Posted on

The Presbyterian Rebellion?

Though the events transpired almost a quarter of a millenium ago, the shelves down at the local Barnes & Noble bookstore routinely continue to display freshly researched, written, and published histories of the American Revolution, the founding fathers, and the genesis of the United States.[1] Yet there remains an element of the American founding era […]

by Richard Gardiner

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