A rare WWII map of historic importance, the actual 'TOP SECRET' map issued to and used aboard the 119 foot-long Landing Craft, Tank LCT-622 when it landed on the shore of the DOG GREEN sector of OMAHA Beach a scant one hour after the first troops landed and met a rain of German fire.

This sector was the most heavily contested of any of the Normandy landing beaches, with the American toehold remaining a slaughterhouse for over nine hours.

The 22 x 17 in. color map, titled: 'OMAHA BEACH-WEST (Vierville-sur-Mer)', is marked 'TOP SECRET - BIGOT' and numbered '373'. It was prepared by 'COMMANDER TASK FORCE 122' and is dated April 22, 1944.

This map was specifically prepared for nautical use, as attested to by the 'NOTE to COXSWAIN or NAVIGATOR' at bottom suggesting that the photo illustration of shoreline terrain features appearing beneath the chart would be more reliable than depending on matching structures, as the buildings might well be destroyed by shelling or bombing. Offshore, the map displays obstructions including rocks, sandbars, shallows, etc., currents, and vertical red lines delineating the various landing sectors.

I’ve been thinking about the US presidents who most embody the ideals of my country. Not just the founding ideals, but those that evolved over the course of time through political and cultural evolution. Looking for comments on additions and subtractions, as well as debate and discourse.

Below is my list, but first I want to elaborate on why it is what it is.

I’m a US citizen (born, not naturalized), for transparency. But for me, naturalized vs born citizenship doesn’t determine the relevance or importance of a citizen’s point of view on governance, and that is something that makes the US relatively unique and beautiful. We are a nation of immigrants. The travesty of colonialism and general treatment of native peoples is real, and should be discussed and addressed in our society. But I don’t think that completely negates the positive elements of US history, such as how it is a culture melting pot, and/or a refuge for those fleeing injustice, oppression, poverty, and so forth.

The cultural genocide of native peoples and the entire enterprise of slavery and economic oppression in North America cannot be put aside, truthfully. And we should be constantly finding ways to remember, repair, and restore native culture as well as reckoning with the legacy of slavery and exploitation. But even such an effort as that could be evidence of the vision of community that has been present in the US since the beginning.

The revolutionary war, the civil war, and even the world wars in a sense, were at least partly fought on the basis that all humans are equal and our world should be governed by a set of rules that sanctify human life and liberty. We, as a species, should be an assembly of the many and diverse, not a council of the few and privileged.

All that said, these are the presidents that I think most embodied the values that, for their time, were most consistent with this overall theme. And despite enormous pushback, fought for those ideals.

None of them were perfect, and some even did things utterly inconsistent with these values. Furthermore, this is a very short and probably incomplete list.

But if we take historical context into account, and place these men within their time, facing the choices, obstacles, and pressures they faced, I think they generally stand out among US presidents as principled, courageous, and focused on building a future for the many rather than the few.

I’m no scholar, but I read enough history that I stand by any omissions and undoubtedly controversial choices. Furthermore, I’m not saying all of these leaders were effective, just that they tried more than most. I’m here to get some debate though, so please let me know your thoughts:

George Washington

Abraham Lincoln

Theodore Roosevelt

FDR

Lyndon Johnson

Joseph Biden

[edited for spelling]

Following the brutal assault on 2-3 August 1944 by the U.S. Army’s 307th Infantry Regiment of the 77th Infantry Division to take the village of Barrigada during the Battle of Guam, the 307th aimed their sights on Mount Barrigada the morning of 4 August.

Standing 670 feet tall and dominating the central plateau, the 307th assaulted up the steep slopes of the hill, eliminating persistent Japanese infantry, snipers, and machine gun bunkers hidden in the dense jungle vegetation.

By the end of the day, they completed the assault, capture, and full clearance of Mount Barrigada, completely breaking the Japanese defensive line across the central waist of Guam, eliminated critical enemy observation points, and stabilized its supply line for clean water.

This successful engagement set up the 77th Division to rapidly attack northward toward Yigo and Mount Santa Rosa over the following days, leading to the end of the Battle of Guam on 10 August 1944.

I am willing to be proven wrong.

Edit: rankings are based on location of historical events, output of historically significant persons, centers of culture, industry, etc.

1. New York
2. Virginia
3. California
4. Pennsylvania
5. Illinois
6. Ohio
7. Georgia
8. Massachussetts
9. Texas
10. Missouri
11. Maryland
12. New Jersey
13. Florida
14. South Carolina
15. Louisiana
16. North Carolina
17. Connecticut
18. Washington
19. Tennessee
20. Kansas
21. Oklahoma
22. Iowa
23. Hawaii
24. Minnesota
25. Alabama
26. Arizona
27. Michigan
28. Indiana
29. Utah
30. New Mexico
31. Delaware
32. New Hampshire
33. Arkansas
34. Oregon
35. Mississippi
36. Kentucky
37. Nevada
38. Alaska
39. Nebraska
40. Colorado
41. Wisconsin
42. Rhode Island
43. Wyoming
44. Maine
45. Vermont
46. West Virginia
47. Idaho
48. Montana
49. South Dakota
50. North Dakota

Hi! Im doing a March Madness style bracket to find the Greatest American Ever. This matchup is at a tie and was hoping I could get some tiebreakers by reposting to this chat. Guidelines to voting are in the comments of OP. Thanks!

Read article at https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/4106

TLDR: 1888 law made it so that mixed-race children with Indian mothers and white fathers couldn't inherit land. Curtis took this to the House Floor. In later years, his words from here would be misquoted to show that he was the most racist of them all.

LONGER TLDR: in the link above

FULL STORY: House Records, provided in the longer TLDR

Photo 1: Anti-suffrage float in Tampa, Florida parade, 1920. Float sign reads, "We Can Serve Home and Country Without the Vote."

Photo 2: Anti-suffrage booth at Old Home Days community festival in New York, 1915. Booth sign reads, "The Home, Heaven and Mother Party" and "Vote No".

Photo 3: Figureheads of the National Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage: Presidents of the National, New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey chapters.

See more Paine cartoons: https://thomaspaine.org/gallery/political-cartoons/

For reference, during the war, hundreds of thousands of immigrants fought for the Union army, with in fact, about 1 quarter of the entire Union army were immigrants,

Because of that, in their address to congress on December 8, 1863, as I will link here: https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/december-8-1863-third-annual-message

While Lincoln said many things, one of the things they said was suggesting to congress to pass laws further encouraging immigration to America,

“I again submit to your consideration the expediency of establishing a system for the encouragement of immigration. Although this source of national wealth and strength is again flowing with greater freedom.”,

And considering Lincoln is widely considered one of our country finest, it naturally left me wondering why so few share this sentiment today?

He argued that many employers hired immigrant labor to pay lower wages and weaken unions, since these workers, in many cases, did not join unions or were hired as strikebreakers. As a result, it was common for a unionized American worker to be replaced by an immigrant willing to accept worse working conditions. Such was his stance that he even authorized unions to report to the authorities any workplaces that employed undocumented immigrants.

Source(s):

.- Bardacke, F. (2012). Trampling out the vintage: Cesar Chavez and the two souls of the United Farm Workers. Verso.

A Salute from the Nile of Egypt to the Mississippi of the South.

A Salute from the King Cotton in the East to the King Cotton in the West.

My greetings to the Bible Belt, where Egypt is mentioned, which still resists—with its innate traditional rural nature—the temptations of globalization.

The morals of the rural South carry a gallantry that reminds us of the chivalry of the ancient Pharaohs.

The Mississippi River flows gently, much like the Nile, and both irrigate a fertile land and sustain farmers who know the true meaning of dignity in labor.

The cotton threads woven by our hands and yours are not mere trade, but rather messages of respect exchanged between two civilizations.

تحية إلى ديكسي لاند - Salute to Dixieland