Religion

"Normal" People Made History Commentary

Why would I want to study peasants, when I can study kings?”, asked a fellow historian.   “Kings,” he continued, “made history.”     He was reacting to my comment that it’s important to study “normal” people.  My friend thought I trumpeted the usual, social history mantra.  But I meant something different.

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A New Light "Infestation": Charles Woodmason on Colonial Piedmont Religion Commentary

North Carolinians do not think of the present-day and economically thriving Piedmont as an ignorant backcountry that undermines social order.  But in the eastern part of the Province of North Carolina during the Pre-Revolutionary Period (1750-1775) many believed it was exactly that.

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Champions of Freedom: Alexander Solzhenitsyn and Jesse Helms Commentary

Nobel Laureate Alexander Solzhenitsyn and US Senator Jesse Helms spent more than one-half of their lives without an awareness of each other's existence. They spoke different languages. They met only a few times, yet they forged a relationship that allowed them to help shape events that brought down one of the world's most powerful governments. By examining the commonalities of these two men, their relationship, and their shared values, we can gain an understanding of their passion and the importance of their message for all of us today.

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The Constitutionality of Hollering a Joyful Noise Commentary

In an unusual case in 1873, the N.C. Supreme Court applied the principle of the separation of church and state. It ruled that the courts had no place implementing church discipline and overturned a lower court’s ruling that fined William Linkhaw of Lumberton one penny for disturbing the peace.

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