The Forgotten Man of History!

The Forgotten Man: Aaron Burr

By Tom Morrow

     If you were asked who the third Vice President of the United States was, few would know it was Aaron Burr.

     Wait a minute, didn’t he shoot Alexander Hamilton in a duel?

Hamilton prominently takes his place in history as founder of what today is the Federal Reserve, the U.S. Mint, and with his picture on the $20 bill. Conversely, Burr’s bio is found in very few school history books, primarily because of his 1807 duel.

     Burr served during the Revolutionary War under Gen. Benedict Arnold in the Quebec expedition. Burr distinguished himself in the battle earning a place on Gen. George Washington’s staff. But, after only two weeks, he asked for a transfer back to the battlefield.

In battle, Burr saved an entire brigade, which included Alexander Hamilton, from capture after the British landed on Manhattan. Evidently miffed because Burr had resigned from his staff, Washington did not commend Burr for his heroic actions. This led to an eventually estrangement between the two men.

      In 1777, Burr was promoted to lieutenant colonel, assuming command of a regiment. During the harsh winter at Valley Forge, Burr led a small unit guarding an isolated pass. He drove back an attempted mutiny by troops who wanted to escape the Valley Forge winter.

     In 1779, Burr had to leave the Army due to bad health, but he remained active in the War. He was assigned by Washington to perform occasional intelligence missions. During one of those missions, Burr rallied a group of Yale students in New Haven, Conn., to aid a small group of soldiers in a skirmish with the British. This action repelled the enemy’s advance, forcing them to retreat.

He was admitted to the bar of New York in 1782. He was twice elected to the New York state Assembly, was appointed State Attorney General, then he was chosen as a U.S. senator.

     In those days, the office of President was elected by the Senate. Burr ran for President against Jefferson, but lost by one vote, relegating him to the office of Vice President, which second-place finishers became. Burr blamed Hamilton for his defeat.

     In business, Burr founded the Bank of Manhattan Company, which today is JP Morgan-Chase. Hamilton founded rival Bank of New York, making them bitter political and business competitors.

It’s the duel that caused Burr to be banished to obscurity. What caused the duel is a matter of conjecture. One of the reasons could be Hamilton’s vicious rumors.

     The two men were often invited to dinner parties hosted by leading New York politicians, businessmen and even each other. During those years, Burr was widowed and lived with his daughter and husband. Hamilton reportedly suggested Burr committed incest with his daughter. Enraged, the Vice President challenged the Treasury Secretary to a duel in Weehawken, N.J. Hamilton was mortally wounded, dying a day later. Hamilton’s death destroyed Burr’s political career.

     Years later, Burr traveled west to embark upon what was an alleged attempt to form a new country, for which he was charged with treason, but was acquitted.

Burr spent the remainder of his life in obscurity practicing law in New York, dying in 1836.

Words to live by:  Remember, today is the oldest you've ever been, but it is also the youngest you'll ever be...(unknown)

For my latest novels, go to:  www.tomorrowsnovels.com

The Saga of the Ford Family

The Ford Family: An Important

Chapter in American History

By Tom Morrow

     If ever there was a story deserving of a Hollywood movie, the saga of the Ford family is at the top of that list.

     Everyone knows Henry Ford was a pioneer in automobile manufacturing, but while he didn’t invent the automobile, Ford was the first automaker to mass produce vehicles. He created the assembly line, making it possible to roll out dozens of automobiles each day. Nearly everyone in American could afford a Model T. Accordingly, cities, counties, states, and the federal government, had to build streets and highways for cars, thus connecting the population across America. People who never had been more than 25 miles from home, were free to venture 35 to 40 miles in little more than an hour.

      But, as his empire expanded, Henry Ford became a troubled man. He was anti-Semitic and said as much in scathing editorials in his weekly newspaper distributed nationally through his dealerships. Prior to the outbreak of World War II, he was an isolationist, vehemently railing against America getting involved in any war. He made it known his successor would be Edsel, yet, to coin a phrase, never really gave his son “the keys to the car.” Despite Edsel being the president of the company, Henry’s constant criticisms and rejection of ideas helped drive Edsel to an early grave. Examples: Henry steadfastly believed all Americans really needed was the 1915 Model T, one of the company’s biggest all-time sellers. It was Edsel who finally persuaded his father to introduce the 1927 Model A. Then Edsel went to the mat, finally convincing his father the 1932 V-8 engine was the auto power plant of the future.

     When Edsel wanted to offer multiple colors on auto exteriors like other companies, Henry flatly rejected the idea declaring, “Buyers can have any color they want as long as it’s black!”

     There was a dark side to Henry. He was surrounded by a gang of thugs posing as “security.” The “bodyguards” were led by Harry Bennett, who gained tremendous influence over the old man, coming between father and son. Henry never realized the extent of Bennett’s power. In reality, he had control of the company by intimidating executives and workers and shutting Edsel out.

     In 1943, Edsel died of stomach cancer, leaving the old man back in charge, but Bennett continued to control Ford. When the war started, the company was not meeting Washington’s demand for aircraft, tanks, various other vehicles, and armaments. Realizing the problem, the War Department took Lt. Henry Ford II, the grandson, out of the Navy and placed him in charge of the company. One of the first decisions the young executive, (who became known as “Hank the Deuce”) made was fire Bennett and his gang of thugs.

     While Henry, his son, Edsel, and three grandsons, Henry II, Benson, and William, all made historic 20^th century contributions that revolutionized the American auto industry, the sweeping accomplishments of Edsel have nearly been lost to history.

     Like his father, Edsel was an inventor and transportation visionary. He introduced the Mercury, Lincoln automobiles along with countless innovations.

     So, the next time you hear that low rumble of a V-8 engine, think of Edsel.

     Check out my two newest novels at:

     www.tomorrowsnovels.com

A Lot of History Over the Past 75 Years!

Lot of History Can Pass in 75 Years

By Tom Morrow

My magic year in history was 1939. It was the dawn of another global conflict. Europe was falling victim to military dictatorship, and here at home our nation was climbing out of crushing economic chaos.

The average income in America was $1,729, and you could pay rent for $28 per month, and, if you had the money, a new Ford or Chevy was $700. You could “fill ‘er up” for .10 cents a gallon, watch a movie for .25 cents, mail a letter for .3 cents, or buy a new house for $3,850.

Headlines throughout 1939 were among history’s most dramatic: The New York World’s Fair spotlighted television, with RCA’s first public telecast; Italian dictator Benito Mussolini invaded neighboring Albania, while Francisco Franco’s troops captured Madrid, ending the Spanish Civil War.

That year Germany signed a “non-aggression” treaty with the Soviet Union, giving Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler a pass to invade Poland from the west; the Soviet would attack from the east. On Sept. 1, 1939, World War II began when Hitler invaded Poland. That blatant act of aggression brought Great Britain and France into the war.

The dawn of the nuclear age was launched when scientist Enrico Fermi successfully split the atom.

Here at home, the Baseball Hall of Fame was established in Cooperstown, N.Y.; the U.S. proclaimed neutrality from the European conflict; the first local food-stamp program was established in Rochester, N.Y., and following up on Fermi’s splitting of the atom, Albert Einstein informed President Franklin Roosevelt that nuclear chain reactions could create destructive bombs.

Peace advocates like aviator Charles Lindbergh and industrialist Henry Ford warned against any U.S. involvement in the World War. Business-wise, the electronic company of Hewlitt Packard was founded, and for the first time you could buy Lay’s potato chips in grocery stories. While there, you could buy 10 pounds of sugar for just .59 cents, a gallon of milk for .49 cents, coffee was .40 cents a pound, hamburger was .14 cents a pound, and freshly-baked loaf of bread was .08 cents.

The New York Yankees won the World Series of baseball (again), Byron Nelson won the U.S. Open in golf, and Wilbur Shaw raced to an astounding 115 mph to win the Indianapolis 500. The Boston Bruins won hockey’s Stanley Cup, Oregon was the NCAA basketball champions, Texas A&M took the NCAA football crown, and quarterback Nile Kinnick of Iowa University won the Heisman Trophy.

That was the year Yankee first baseman Lou Gehrig missed his first baseball game in 15 years. His 1,230 consecutive games-played was a record that stood for 56 years until Baltimore Orioles’ Cal Ripken, Jr. broke it in 1995.

In 1939, the average American lived 59.7 years. “Cactus” Jack Garner was U.S Vice President, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, who wrote “The Yearling,” won the Pulitzer Prize, and Patricia Donnelly of Detroit was crowned Miss America.

Those of us who have lived 75 years and more have witnessed a great deal of world history, alas, some of it being repeated today. Although, I doubt we’ll ever be able to buy a gallon of gasoline for a dime again. 

For my latest novels go to: www.tomorrowsnovels.com

The Nazis Organization Hitler 

Refused to Acknowledge

By Tom Morrow

          During the 1930s, when the American economy was in shambles, many people were looking for a political savior – a different system of government that would take them out of the financial deep abyss. Some looked to socialism, others to communism. More than 30 percent of the nation was out of work, while the people of Germany were emerging from the Great Depression.

          In 1936, a number of Americans having little faith in President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the U.S. government, joined, the German-American Bund, also known as the German-American Federation. It was a Nazi-leaning organization established in 1936. The Bund replaced a group known earlier as the Friends of New Germany. The new name emphasized the Bund’s American foundation after public criticism that the Friends party was “unpatriotic.” The Bund consisted primarily of German-American citizens.

          The Bund’s main goal was to promote a favorable view of Nazi Germany. The earlier “Friends” had been authorized in 1933, when Nazi Deputy Fuhrer Rudolf Hess gave German immigrant and Nazi party member Heinz Spanknobel the authority to form an American Nazi organization. Based in New York City, there was a strong “Friends” membership in Chicago and Milwaukee, both cities with large German-American populations. But, Spanknobel was deposed as leader when he was deported for failure to register as a foreign agent.

          Like the earlier “Friends” organization, members of the new German-American Bund wore black uniforms, marched in parades, held weekend outings for families and gave the impression of a patriotic, family-oriented all-American organization, all the while advocating a U.S. government in the image of Nazi Germany. A series of 69 Bund chapters were formed in the East and Midwest. Bund camps were set up as Nazi indoctrination and training facilities.

          Using the swastika and Hitler salute, most of the Bund propaganda railed against President Roosevelt, the Jewish population, and Communists, but the Bund always professed loyalty to the United States by always displaying the American flag.

          The Bund elected Fritz Kuhn, who had been a German soldier during World War I. He was granted U.S. citizenship in 1934. After assuming Bund control in March 1936, Kuhn was an effective leader. He was able to unite and expand the organization, but he was soon revealed to be an incompetent swindler, who had a tendency to exaggerate the truth.

          Kuhn and a few of his “Bundsmen” traveled to Berlin for the 1936 Summer Olympics. They were ushered into the Reich Chancellery, where Kuhn had his photo taken with Adolf Hitler, who was not impressed. Hitler  distrusted Kuhn and the Bund leadership, so the organization never received support from the Nazi regime.

          The beginning of the end came when the Nazi government declared that no Nazi emblems were to be used by the Bund because Hitler needed to appease the U.S. government in distancing Germany from the organization, which had become a national embarrassment.

          The Bund’s activities peaked on Feb. 20, 1939, at a rally at Madison Square Garden in New York. More than 20,000 attended, where Kuhn criticize President Roosevelt, referring to his “Rosenfeld’s New Jew Deal.”

          Later that year, Kuhn was charged with tax evasion and embezzling $14,000 from the Bund and was sentenced to prison.

          When Hitler declared war on the United States in late 1941, it brought an end to the German-American Bund, which has become a mere footnote in history.

Weird Facts:

There is a Web page devoted to quotes that Thomas Jefferson didn't say.

"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent." Yup. Thomas Jefferson never said that. So many quotes mistakenly get attributed to the Founding Father that Ann Berkes, a research librarian at the Jefferson library, decided to collect them and shame misinformed quote-happy folk.

         "People will see a quote and it appeals to an opinion that they have and if it has Jefferson's name attached to it that gives it more weight," she told the Wall Street Journal in 2010. "He's constantly being invoked by people when they are making arguments about politics and actually all sorts of topics."

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar raised $17,000 for her senate campaign from ex-boyfriends.

A fact she announced at the 2009 Washington Press Club Foundation dinner. "True story!" she said. "I know that is the record in the Senate, but in the House it's held by Barney Frank."

Check out my novels and free self-help book on how to write a biography at:

www.tomorrowsnovels.com

The March of the 'Bonus Army'

The March of the Bonus Army

 By Tom Morrow

   The burning of Washington, D.C., by the British Army during the War of 1812, was not the only time our nation’s capital city was invaded. 

   An invasion of sorts happened the spring and summer of 1932, when some 17,000 World War I veterans marched on the city, demanding a cash redemption of their bonus certificates, which had been issued to World War I veterans.With their families, a total of 43,000 set up a make-shift encampments of tents and temporary shacks, resolving not to leave until the government made good on a 1924 “World War Adjusted Compensation Act.” The money wasn’t supposed to be paid until 1945, but crushing economic pressures of the Great Depression pushed the out-of-work veterans to demand the money early.

   Organizers called it the “Bonus Expeditionary Force Marchers,” but the media called it the “Bonus Army.”
The U.S. Attorney General ordered the veterans removed from all government property. When the veterans resisted, shots were fired and two were killed. President Herbert Hoover then ordered the Army to clear the veterans' campsite.

   The Army Chief of Staff, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, commanded the infantry and cavalry units, which was supported by six tanks. The tanks were commanded by Maj. George S. Patton. The Bonus Marchers, believing the troops were marching in their honor, cheered the troops until Patton ordered the cavalry to charge them, an action which prompted the spectators to yell, "Shame! Shame!"
The Bonus Army marchers with their wives and children were driven out, and their shelters burned. The veterans fled across the Anacostia River to their largest camp, known as “Hooverville,” when President Hoover ordered the assault stopped. However MacArthur, feeling the Bonus March was an attempt to overthrow the U.S. government, ignored the President and ordered a new attack. Fifty-five veterans were injured and 135 arrested.

   Maj. Dwight D. Eisenhower, later our 34th President, served as one of MacArthur's junior aides. Believing it wrong for the Army's highest-ranking officer to lead an action against fellow veterans, Ike strongly advised MacArthur against taking any public role: "I told that dumb son-of-a-bitch not to go down there," he said later.

   A decorated veteran from the war, who had saved Patton's life during the war, approached him the day after the Army’s action to sway him. Rather than listen to the man whom Patton had personally decorated for his bravery under fire, was coldly rejected, saying "I do not know this man.”
The Bonus Army incident proved disastrous for Hoover's chances at re-election; he lost the 1932 election in a landslide to Franklin D. Roosevelt.

   In May 1933, a second demonstration was organized. Roosevelt provided the marchers with a campsite in Virginia, with three meals a day. Roosevelt arranged for his wife Eleanor to visit the site unaccompanied, but the most she could offer was a promise of jobs in the newly created Civilian Conservation Corps.  One veteran commented: "Hoover sent the army, Roosevelt sent his wife."

   In 1936, at the height of the Depression, Congress overrode President Roosevelt's veto and paid the veterans their bonus nine years ahead of time.

Check out my novels on sale with free shipping at:

www.tomorrowsnovels.com

Hitler's Sudetenland Take-over: Putin's Playbook For The Crimea

Hitler's Sudetenland Takeover: 

Putin’s playbook for The Crimea

By Tom Morrow

     History can be strangely haunting the way it repeats. As I recently pointed out concerning the current Crimean controversy, Russia’s Vladimir Putin probably studied Adolf Hitler’s 1938 takeover of Czechoslovakia’s “Sudetenland” without firing a shot.

     Hitler made himself the advocate of some 800,000 ethnic Germans living in Czechoslovakia, triggering the "Sudeten Crisis.” On April 24, 1938, a group of Sudeten Germans demanded in an eight-point manifesto for the equality between them and the Czech people. Two months later, the Czech government accepted those claims.

     But that didn’t satisfy Hitler. He used Sudeten-German demands as an excuse for taking Czech territory. A Sudetenland area, with a portion known as Bohemia, was predominately peopled with residents of German heritage. As you’re aware of today’s news; that argument is being used by Putin for claiming Ukraine’s Crimea being mostly Russian heritage.

     The 1938 controversy turned into a crisis threatening war, so on Sept. 15, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain met with Hitler at Berchtesgaden, his southern Germany mountain retreat. They agreed to the cession of the Sudetenland; three days later, French Prime Minister Édouard Daladier also agreed. No Czechoslovak representative was invited to those discussions.

The next week, on Sept. 22, Chamberlain met Hitler in Godesberg, Germany to confirm the agreement. Hitler however, aiming to use the crisis as a pretext for war, now demanded not only the annexation of the Sudetenland but the immediate military occupation of the territories, giving the Czechoslovak army no time to adapt their defense measures to the new borders.

     To achieve a solution, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini suggested a conference of the major European powers in Munich. On Sept. 29, Hitler, Daladier and Chamberlain met and agreed to Mussolini's proposal. The infamous agreement actually was prepared by German Reichmarshal Hermann Goering. It has gone down in history as the “Munich Agreement.”  By accepting the pact, Hitler gained immediate occupation of the Sudetenland.          

     On Sept. 30, the Czechoslovak government, though not party to the talks, promised to abide by the decision they had no say in.

The Sudetenland was relegated to Germany between Oct. 1 and Oct. 10, 1938. The next year on March 1939, the Czech part of Czechoslovakia was invaded by Germany, with a portion being annexed and the remainder turned into the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. The Slovak part declared its independence from Czechoslovakia, becoming the Slovak Republic, a satellite state and ally of Nazi Germany.

     Down through the years, we have all heard the phrase, “It’s another ‘Munich.’” It refers to that shameful pact signed in Munich resulting in Britain and France’s appeasement to Hitler, which allowed him take over a large portion of Czech territory. Six months later World War II began.

     Upon his return to London, British Prime Minister Chamberlain proclaimed the agreement meant “Peace in our time.” Far from it. The agreement showed the timidity of the Allies, making it a prelude to World War II. The appeasement made Hitler all the more aggressive for still more European territory. It was Hitler’s way of testing the resolve of the Allies war. Their weak stance emboldened the dictator.

     Shortly after the Sudetenland annexation, the Jews living in the region were widely persecuted. As elsewhere in Germany, many synagogues were set on fire and numerous leading Jewish citizens were sent to concentration camps. In later years, the Nazis transported up to 300,000 Czech and Slovak Jews.

Check out my novels at:

www.tomorrowsnovels.com

y-regio: U s = p� p� tenland annexation, the Jews living in the region were widely persecuted. As elsewhere in Germany, many synagogues were set on fire and numerous leading Jewish citizens were sent to concentration camps. In later years, the Nazis transported up to 300,000 Czech and Slovak Jews.

Check out my novels at:

www.tomorrowsnovels.com

Sudetenland -- Putin's Playbook for The Crimea

Sudetenland: 

Putin’s playbook for Crimea

By Tom Morrow

   History can be strangely haunting the way it repeats. As I recently pointed out concerning the current Crimean controversy, Russia’s Vladimir Putin probably studied Adolf Hitler’s 1938 takeover of Czechoslovakia’s “Sudetenland” without firing a shot.

   Hitler made himself the advocate of some 800,000 ethnic Germans living in Czechoslovakia, triggering the "Sudeten Crisis.” On April 24, 1938, a group of Sudeten Germans demanded in an eight-point manifesto for the equality between them and the Czech people. Two months later, the Czech government accepted those claims.

   But that didn’t satisfy Hitler. He used Sudeten-German demands as an excuse for taking Czech territory. A Sudetenland area, with a portion known as Bohemia, was predominately peopled with residents of German heritage. As you’re aware of today’s news; that argument is being used by Putin for claiming Ukraine’s Crimea being mostly Russian heritage.

   The 1938 controversy turned into a crisis threatening war, so on Sept. 15, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain met with Hitler at Berchtesgaden, his southern Germany mountain retreat. They agreed to the cession of the Sudetenland; three days later, French Prime Minister Édouard Daladier also agreed. No Czechoslovak representative was invited to those discussions.

   The next week, on Sept. 22, Chamberlain met Hitler in Godesberg, Germany to confirm the agreement. Hitler however, aiming to use the crisis as a pretext for war, now demanded not only the annexation of the Sudetenland but the immediate military occupation of the territories, giving the Czechoslovak army no time to adapt their defense measures to the new borders.

   To achieve a solution, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini suggested a conference of the major European powers in Munich. On Sept. 29, Hitler, Daladier and Chamberlain met and agreed to Mussolini's proposal. The infamous agreement actually was prepared by Reichmarshal Hermann Goering. It has infamously gone down in history as the “Munich Agreement.”  By accepting the pact, Hitler gained immediate occupation of the Sudetenland. On Sept. 30, the Czechoslovak government, though not party to the talks, promised to abide by the decision they had no say.

   The Sudetenland was relegated to Germany between Oct. 1 and Oct. 10, 1938. The next year on March 1939, the Czech part of Czechoslovakia was invaded by Germany, with a portion being annexed and the remainder turned into the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. The Slovak part declared its independence from Czechoslovakia, becoming the Slovak Republic, a satellite state and ally of Nazi Germany.

   Down through the years, we’ve all heard the phrase, “It’s another ‘Munich.’” It refers to that shameful pact signed in Munich resulting in Britain and France’s appeasement to Hitler, which allowed him take over a large portion of Czech territory. Six months later World War II began.

   Upon his return to London, British Prime Minister Chamberlain proclaimed the agreement meant “Peace in our time.” Far from it. The agreement showed the timidity of the Allies, making it a prelude to World War II.    The appeasement made Hitler all the more aggressive for still more European territory. It was Hitler’s way of testing the resolve of the Allies war. Their weak stance emboldened the dictator.

   Shortly after the Sudetenland annexation, the Jews living in the region were widely persecuted. As elsewhere in Germany, many synagogues were set on fire and numerous leading Jewish citizens were sent to concentration camps. In later years, the Nazis transported up to 300,000 Czech and Slovak Jews.

Check out my novels at:

www.tomorrowsnovels.com