Scopes trial DW

Best Of 2025: A Century Ago, The ‘Scopes Monkey Trial’ Shook The Nation. The Stakes Are Still High.

Best Of 2025: A Century Ago, The 'Scopes Monkey Trial' Shook The Nation. The Stakes Are Still High.

Academia

ACLU

American History

Bible

Charles Darwin

Christianity

Education

Science

Tennessee

America&#8217;s most iconic image of Thanksgiving is the peaceful scene of the Pilgrims sitting down to eat with the Wampanoag Indians. It was a moment that sparked a tradition of gratitude in colonial America, not the chaos of exploding powder kegs nor the utter demolition of entire towns, as brother fought brother and father fought son.
Yet the holiday as we know it today wasn’t formally recognized until the nation found itself in one of its darkest times — in the midst of the Civil War. Somehow, amid the unimaginable bloodshed and loss of life, President Abraham Lincoln saw past the country’s great suffering enough to envision a nation unified around Thanksgiving.
The Civil War, which claimed over 750,000 lives and wounded roughly one million, erupted when the Southern states seceded from the Union following the election of Lincoln, bringing the longstanding dispute over slavery to its breaking point.
Just 78 years earlier, the country united to liberate itself from England. America’s unity, however, proved fragile. By the mid-19th century, the country was so fractured that it descended into what would become the nation’s deadliest war, a tragedy unmatched even to this day.
Nevertheless, in the fall of 1863, Lincoln signed the <a href="https://www.loc.gov/resource/lprbscsm.scsm0580/?st=text#viewer-image-wrapper">proclamation</a>, written by his Secretary of State William Seward, for an official day of “National thanksgiving, praise, and prayer … equally in these triumphs and in these sorrows.”
The letter continues:
<blockquote>I invite people of the United States to … 
render the homage due to the Divine Majesty for the wonderful things He has done in the nation&#8217;s behalf, 
and invoke the influence of His Holy Spirit to subdue the anger which has produced and so long sustained a needless and cruel rebellion, 
to change the hearts of the insurgents, 
to guide the counsels of the Government with wisdom, adequate to so great a national emergency … 
and finally to lead the whole nation, through the paths of repentance and submission to the Divine will, back to the enjoyment of union and fraternal peace.</blockquote>
Despite the “national emergency” at hand, Lincoln called for unity of the whole nation and a return to the country&#8217;s founding principles, with a grateful and repentant heart to God. 
At this point in America, many states already observed Thanksgiving, but they didn&#8217;t always celebrate it on the same day.
For this reason, recognition is due to one of the holiday’s biggest advocates, a woman named Sarah Josepha Hale, widely considered the “Mother of Thanksgiving.”
In a September 1863 letter to the president, Hale <a href="https://www.loc.gov/static/classroom-materials/thanksgiving/documents/sarah_hale.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com">petitioned</a> for the holiday to be officially issued on a specific day every year (the fourth Thursday of November), so that “the permanency and unity of our Great American Festival of Thanksgiving would be forever secured.”
Commonly known as the author of “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” and the editor of a well-known women’s magazine, Hale was a Thanksgiving enthusiast and dedicated decades to the cause, writing nearly a hundred essays about the topic, including some she delivered to several presidents.
In one of her essays from 1851, Hale <a href="https://pilgrimhall.org/pdf/SJH_Editorials.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com">wrote</a>, “There would be more significance of universal concord in our rejoicings as a people, were the day the same in all the States and Territories of our great nation … who would unite in grateful remembrance of the blessings which had crowned the year, and spread a full feast for all.”
Even loved ones who were separated, Hale said, “would have the gratification of knowing that all were enjoying the feast.”
It was these two influences, Lincoln and Hale, who pushed for a national celebration of Thanksgiving with unity as the principal component. This mission speaks volumes today, since the internet is now flush with fresh <a href="https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/joe-rogan-civil-war-charlie-kirk-b2863304.html">talk</a> of the country being on the brink of another civil war, particularly in the wake of increasing political violence.
But it would be an overstep to compare the frustration and bitterness we may feel for one another today to the hatred between the North and South during the actual Civil War in 1863. If Lincoln could issue his call for unity under God in the throes of America’s deadliest war, perhaps we, too, can unify. This national tradition may be just what our country needs to remind us of our heritage of freedom and gratitude. That mantle is ours for the taking, if we’re willing.
The Civil War continued for two years following the first official Thanksgiving, but despite great efforts to reject this long-celebrated tradition, it remains one of the country&#8217;s most beloved holidays.
Maybe that&#8217;s why these words of Hale from over a century ago still ring true: 
<blockquote>
&#8230; from Maine to New Mexico, and from Plymouth Rock to the Pacific sands, the great American People united in this festival of gladness and gratitude, the whole world might be moved to join in the rejoicing, and bless God for his goodness to the children of men.
</blockquote>

How Lincoln Turned A Nation At War Into A Nation Of Thanksgiving

Abraham Lincoln

American Civil War

Food

Holiday

Native Americans

Thanksgiving

2025 Atlantic Festival

Exposing Every Lie In The New Anti-American Documentary From Ken Burns

American Revolution

Diversity

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Documentaries

Film

Film Reviews

Founding Fathers

George Washington

Matt Walsh

Opinion

Slavery

Woke Culture

NYC Mayoral Candidate Mamdani Holds “Our Time Has Come” Rally

Foreign Socialist Mamdani Doesn’t Want To Assimilate Into America. He Wants Us To Assimilate To Him.

Democratic Socialism

Democrats

Leftists

MSNBC

Muslims

New York City

Zohran Mamdani

In March, the Trump Administration issued an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/restoring-truth-and-sanity-to-american-history/">Executive Order</a> (EO) calling for a restoration of “Truth and Sanity to American History” which included a review of the Smithsonian Institute Museums. Now, the Administration is making good on that EO.
Naturally, politicians, Left-wing media, and the far-Left are pouncing with charges of &#8220;Stalinist tactics,” “fascism,” and “Trump’s historical vision.”
Yet, the most glaring example to justify the Administration’s action is the now <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/smithsonian-race-guidelines-rational-thinking-hard-work-are-white-values-1518333">infamous</a> Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture’s &#8220;Aspects and Assumptions of Whiteness in the United States.&#8221;
But it is not just the one museum, the American Art Museum also features a <a href="https://americanart.si.edu/furthering-conversation-about-whiteness">page</a> titled “Furthering the Conversation About Whiteness.”
While the auditing of these institutions is probably overdue and necessary, there also needs to be a spotlight put on the teaching of culture and history in our educational institutions, especially K-12 schools.
The defensive position from the Left is that they just want to teach “<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/27/opinions/teachers-union-critical-race-theory-schools-weingarten">honest history</a>.” Meant to sound noble, this is nothing more than wordplay. It is misdirection in an attempt to hide their heavily curated and far-Left [re]vision of history.
“Honest history,” as they will have the public believe, is just teaching the history of “underrepresented groups” to highlight their contributions to the United States. However, peel back the feel-good façade and it is clear there is a political agenda to advance anti-American, anti-Western ideologies – i.e. anti-“whiteness.”
In the context of K-12 education, there is no clearer example of this than [liberated/critical] ethnic studies.
Sold to school districts, parents, students, and the public writ large as the teaching of history and culture of minority groups, it is a far-Left radical political programming.
It is agitprop being deployed on children into K-12 schools. Amping up their emotions, preying on their empathy, and then feeding them politically biased content.
It’s general framework begins with a heavy focus on a student’s various racial and ethnic “identities,” or intersectionality. The intention is to create a strong tribal attachment to the student’s collective identities.
It then introduces “<a href="https://www.newsmax.com/politics/critical-competency-consciousness/2023/12/07/id/1145144/">critical consciousness</a>,” which trains students to find racism and oppression everywhere in their lives. Driving them into a constant state of anxiety and fear.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_campaign=summer&amp;utm_content=editorialsummersale&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial">End of Summer Sale &#8211; Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
For example, a recent Castro Valley Unified School District ethnic studies <a href="https://cvk12ca.community.highbond.com/document/cf8c0982-2db8-464f-83da-7932fab50636/">presentation</a> to the district board demonstrates this via student art which states “As an Asian American, racism is prevalent all around me.”
Ethnic studies activate deep feelings of anger and resentment in students towards the United States, and even towards their white teachers and peers.
A <a href="https://cla.umn.edu/ridgs/ethnic-studies-initiative/ethnic-studies-evaluation-projects">review</a> of Saint Paul Publics Schools’ ethnic studies program by the University of Minnesota highlights several students’ reflections on the course. One anonymous student stated &#8220;Why would a course about being critical have white teachers? My school has one [B]lack teacher teaching it. How can we be critical if we don’t listen to the voices who are firstly impacted? Also, white teachers even if they mean well will implement their own biases that students will have to deal with.”
The political programming continues by creating heroes, legends, and mythology through the intentional curation of historical events and peoples that have modeled “resistance” against whiteness. Examples include <a href="https://defendinged.org/incidents/ethnic-studies-course-features-poster-of-che-guevara-on-wall-includes-content-focused-on-white-supremacy-and-privilege/">Che Guevara</a>, the <a href="https://defendinged.org/incidents/scotts-valley-unified-school-district-ethnic-studies-course-teaches-students-that-capitalism-heterosexism-and-ableism-are-systems-of-oppression-and-forms-of-oppression-requires-students-to-part/">Black Panther Party, Angela Davis</a>, and even a defense of <a href="https://defendinged.org/incidents/san-francisco-unified-school-district-provides-resource-to-social-studies-and-ethnic-studies-teachers-that-claims-israeli-terrorism-has-been-significantly-worse-than-that-of-the-palestinians-reso/">anti-Israel</a> activism and terrorism.
Finally, students are taught and required to engage in far-Left social justice activism. Under the guise of “Youth Participatory Action Research,” students are trained to become street <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2023/11/20/staley-k-12-student-demonstrations-equity-double-standard/">activists</a> for the flavor-of-the-day far-Left cause.
Eventually, the goal is to embed it into every single subject area and <a href="https://defendinged.org/incidents/santa-rosa-city-schools-ethnic-studies-courses-feature-critical-race-theory-whiteness-and-social-justice-activism-paid-ethnic-studies-consultant-530000-over-four-years/">curriculum</a>. They admit this outright.
In California, San Rafael City Schools <a href="https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/SB_Meetings/ViewMeeting.aspx?S=36030430&amp;MID=24501&amp;enIID=fBHmEqAHmyvMJ3CrfpluszzjQ%3D%3D&amp;srch=ethnic+studies&amp;ktype=Exact&amp;Tab=Agenda">contracted</a> with the University of California Berkeley’s <a href="https://ucbhssp.berkeley.edu/ethnic-studies">History-Social Science Project</a> to integrate ethnic studies “concepts and pedagogies” into the district’s World and U.S. history courses.
The university’s site states that it is assisting teachers and districts in integrating the “<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/13h6vVmJEeVyk1XdBAGZDuxMiZjLhhoYD4loNz7NSlck/copy">CA Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum</a>” into courses, which includes helping teachers “familiarize themselves with&#8230;critical race theory, intersectionality, which are key theoretical frameworks and pedagogies.”
This issue is not about the actual teaching of culture and history; it is about how far-Left actors are advancing their cultural revolution via the long march through American institutions.
While the Administration and public focus their attention on the national museums, heavy scrutiny must simultaneously be placed on the teaching of “honest history” and ethnic studies in K-12.
The advancement of anti-American and anti-Western ideologies need to be removed from classrooms.
* * *
Rhyen Staley is a researcher for Defending Education. He holds a master&#8217;s degree in elementary education and has over a decade of classroom experience in both public and private schools. He has over 25 years of volleyball coaching experience from Women’s Division I down to junior high.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Empty Black Board in Classroom

‘Furthering The Conversation About Whiteness’: Anti-American Rhetoric On The Rise In The Classroom

'Furthering The Conversation About Whiteness': Anti-American Rhetoric On The Rise In The Classroom

California

Critical Race Theory

Ethnic Studies

Public Schools

Students

Whiteness

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — “Everybody needs to be reading more history.” 
While not a typical applause line, it was a favorite of the crowd of twenty and thirty-somethings listening to Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti speak at the National Young Republican Convention. Skrmetti, fresh off a landmark victory at the Supreme Court, implored the crowd to take seriously their duty to know how America works and leave it better off for future generations. 
“You’re the ones who are coming into this, and you’ve got the future ahead of you, we run the country, and we need to do it wisely,” Skrmetti told the crowd of sharply-dressed attendees in the ballroom of the Sheraton Music City Hotel last weekend. “That means everybody needs to be reading more history. You’ve got to have the perspective of knowing how things have worked in the past.”
Skrmetti, who loves American history and has four young children, praised the Founding Fathers for their sacrifices to build the United States. 
“America is not just a short-term thing where we get what we can get and then run for the hills,” he said. “It is literally created to secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity, and we have to have the multi-generational perspective and be looking not just to get short-term wins, but to strengthen our country.”
This year’s convention was attended by more than 1,000 Republicans between the ages of 18 and 40 from all 50 states. It was the largest convention in decades, and the second largest ever, according to organizers. 
Speakers and participants included a variety of Tennessee political staples, such as Governor Bill Lee and Reps. John Rose and Tim Burchett, in addition to sports commentator Clay Travis and conservative CNN commentator Scott Jennings. 
From Thursday to Sunday, attendees milled about the convention space, which featured booths from diverse organizations such as Trump Mobile, PETA, and WinRed. Multiple attendees told The Daily Wire they were there to meet like-minded people. 
Kellie Lynch, a Republican from New York, said that she thought the most significant issues facing young people were the economy, the cost of living, and the rise of artificial intelligence. While much has been made of the gender divide in voting patterns, Lynch said that the GOP did a “great job” reaching out to women. She thought media bias played a major role in some women’s perception of Republicans. 
<div id="attachment_957525" style="width: 2570px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-957525" class="size-full wp-image-957525" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/IMG_6866-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/IMG_6866-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/IMG_6866-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/IMG_6866-768x576.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/IMG_6866-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/IMG_6866-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />Booths at the Young Republican convention/ Photo: Catherine Maxwell.</div>
Another attendee, Kyle Mason, an investment property specialist from Texas, said he believed President Donald Trump’s embrace of masculinity was key to the reason many younger men were starting to vote Republican. In his spare time, Mason volunteers with Republican political efforts in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. 
After his panel appearance, Skrmetti told The Daily Wire that he had a lot of older mentors who helped him be involved in civic action, and he now wants to play that role for others. Asked about some young people who see politics as hopelessly corrupt, Skrmetti pointed out that America was founded by men who were skeptical of the government. 
“Cynical people are a critical part of America, and we need them, but we need them not to sit on the sidelines and gripe. We need them to take their cynicism and put it to work on behalf of all the American people,” he said. 
He added that one way to expose corruption and push for change was on the internet, which he said really opened up the national conversation for input from anyone. 
Skrmetti’s sentiment was present in other speeches, including by Governor Lee, who noted that he would probably float into “political obscurity” once his term in office was over.
“You’re the future of America, you have an obligation and a responsibility to wake up every day and ask yourself those questions so you’ll be engaging in the things that matter and that change the lives of the people around you,” Lee said. 
<div id="attachment_957531" style="width: 2570px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-957531" class="size-full wp-image-957531" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/YRNC_250731_131724_1243-scaled.jpg" alt="Young Republicans National Convention Thursday, July 31, 2025, at Sheraton Music City Hotel in Nashville, TN. " width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/YRNC_250731_131724_1243-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/YRNC_250731_131724_1243-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/YRNC_250731_131724_1243-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/YRNC_250731_131724_1243-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/YRNC_250731_131724_1243-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/YRNC_250731_131724_1243-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/YRNC_250731_131724_1243-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/YRNC_250731_131724_1243-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />Lee speaks at convention: Photo by: Jonathan Williams | NationalPhotography.us via YRNC.</div>
The National Young Republicans now have chapters in almost every state, with a Delaware chapter being chartered over the weekend, Chair Hayden Padgett told The Daily Wire. The last state needing a chapter is Wyoming. 
Padgett said that the purpose of the Young Republicans was twofold: to build community and to aid in political campaigns.
During the 2024 election cycle, which he described as “wild” in the “best way,” Padgett said a contingent of Young Republicans knocked on the doors of 3% of Montana voters in support of Tim Sheehy, who successfully defeated incumbent Democrat Senator Jon Tester. 
His pitch to young people was that Republican policies would help them achieve the American dream of starting a family, owning a business, and buying a home. Padgett was re-elected as chair of the Young Republicans after a contentious challenge from New York State Young Republicans Chair Peter Giunta.
“If you want to have a better life, if you want to have a family, if you want to have the ability to actually achieve the American dream, we are putting in the policies, and have been for 150 years, whatever it is, that actually make that possible,” Padgett said. “So come join that.”

YRNC_250731_122447_0999

‘America Is Not A Short-Term Thing’: Lawmakers Urge Young Republicans Take Up The Fight

Bill Lee

Nashville

Republicans

Scott Jennings

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Tuesday that a Civil War monument removed under the Biden administration from Arlington National Cemetery will be restored to its original location. 
The monument, known as the Reconciliation Monument or the Confederate Memorial, was removed by the Pentagon in December 2023 under President Joe Biden because of its links to the Confederacy. First erected in 1914, the monument sat in a section of the cemetery where around 400 Confederate soldiers were buried. 
“I’m proud to announce that Moses Ezekiel’s beautiful and historic sculpture — often referred to as ‘The Reconciliation Monument’ — will be rightfully be returned to Arlington National Cemetery near his burial site,” Hegseth announced on X. “It never should have been taken down by woke lemmings. Unlike the Left, we don’t believe in erasing American history—we honor it.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I’m proud to announce that Moses Ezekiel’s beautiful and historic sculpture — often referred to as “The Reconciliation Monument” — will be rightfully be returned to Arlington National Cemetery near his burial site.
It never should have been taken down by woke lemmings. Unlike…
— Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDef/status/1952851480643359156?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The news was first reported by The Blaze. 
In 1906, Secretary of War and future president William Howard Taft <a href="https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore/Monuments-and-Memorials/Confederate-Memorial">approved</a> plans to construct a memorial near the Confederate graves. The monument was created by prominent Jewish American sculptor Moses Ezekiel, who fought for Virginia during the Civil War. 
Featured on the monument are 14 shields referencing the 11 official Confederate states, and the border states of Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri. There are also figures of southern soldiers and civilians alongside mythical gods. 
The monument references Isaiah 2:4, a passage in the Bible that talks about turning swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks, a powerful message for a nation recovering from the trauma of war and the deaths of 600,000 Americans. Many presidents, including Barack Obama, have sent flowers to the monument on Memorial Day.
After the removal by the Biden administration, the monument was moved to a Defense Department storage facility in Virginia. 
“At the request of Moses Ezekiel’s family and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Moses Ezekiel&#8217;s sculpture will be returned to Arlington National Cemetery,” Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/exclusive-moses-ezekiels-historic-sculpture-finally-set-for-installation-in-arlington-cemetery-by-the-southern-graves-it-once-marked">told</a> the Blaze’s Beltway Brief, “where he is buried and where his legacy as a renowned American artist and decorated veteran can be honored.”
Youngkin added that the monument would be refurbished and would be back on display in Arlington by 2027.
The announcement from Hegseth came after the National Park Service <a href="https://www.nps.gov/nama/learn/news/pike.htm">said</a> Monday that it would be returning the statue of former Confederate General Albert Pike to Washington, D.C. The statue was torn down during a riot in June 2020 and never went back on display.

US-CEMETERY-CONFEDERATE-MEMORIAL

Hegseth Returning Civil War Memorial Removed By Biden To Arlington National Cemetery

Confederacy

Department of Defense

Glenn Youngkin

Pete Hegseth

Virginia

John Thomas Scopes On Trial

A Century Ago, The ‘Scopes Monkey Trial’ Shook The Nation. The Stakes Are Just As High Today.

Religion

Friday marked 81 years since Allied Forces launched the largest amphibious invasion in history, taking the first steps on a journey that would ultimately wrest Europe from the occupation and control of Nazi forces.
Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight D. Eisenhower — who would later be elected the 34th President of the United States — wrote two letters in the hours before 156,000 troops (primarily American, British, Canadian, and Australian) swarmed a 50-mile stretch of beaches near Normandy, France. One, delivered to the men preparing to march into the jaws of death, expressed his confidence in his men and his prayers for their victory. The second was a handwritten note, in which Eisenhower said that he alone would shoulder the blame if the mission were to fail.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Left: Eisenhower’s D-Day letter: “You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade” &amp; “Let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great &amp; noble undertaking.”
Right: Eisenhower’s in-case-of-failure letter: “If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt it is mine alone.” <a href="https://t.co/qBNjmHOu8T">pic.twitter.com/qBNjmHOu8T</a>
&mdash; Jerry Dunleavy IV 🇺🇸 (@JerryDunleavy) <a href="https://twitter.com/JerryDunleavy/status/1930849040851247517?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force!&#8221; Eisenhower opened the first of the two letters. &#8220;You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hope and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.&#8221;
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=wisepops&amp;utm_campaign=dad&amp;utm_content=fathersdaygiftpopups" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gift Dad an All Access Membership. Use code DAD40 at checkout to save 40%!</a>
&#8220;Your task will not be an easy one,&#8221; the general warned. &#8220;Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely. But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man-to-man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our Home Fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to Victory!&#8221;
&#8220;I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full Victory!&#8221; he concluded. &#8220;Good luck! And let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.&#8221;
The second letter was much shorter — and was misdated &#8220;July 5,&#8221; likely due to stress — and scribbled in the general&#8217;s own hand. It was the message he intended to deliver if Operation Overlord failed:
<blockquote>&#8220;Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that Bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt it is mine alone.&#8221;</blockquote>
But 81 years later, the world remembers the bravery and dedication of the men who charged those beaches amid a hail of machine-gun bullets and mortars to deliver first France, and then the rest of Europe, from Nazi control.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Eighty-one years ago, our nation&#39;s bravest stormed the beaches of Normandy. 
We will never forget their sacrifice. <a href="https://t.co/eiwNDhBTHG">pic.twitter.com/eiwNDhBTHG</a>
&mdash; DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) <a href="https://twitter.com/DODResponse/status/1930990988891201670?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
RIGHT NOW in 1944, this is the scene in Normandy. The liberation of France is underway <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DDay</a> <a href="https://t.co/0LUQIImNJp">pic.twitter.com/0LUQIImNJp</a>
&mdash; Military History Now (@MilHistNow) <a href="https://twitter.com/MilHistNow/status/1930855923481972947?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
“Here the allies stood &amp; fought against tyranny in a giant undertaking. … These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc. These are the men who took the cliffs. These are the champions who helped free a continent. These are the heroes who helped end a war.”<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DDay</a> <a href="https://t.co/kcFUv9wllA">pic.twitter.com/kcFUv9wllA</a>
&mdash; Jerry Dunleavy IV 🇺🇸 (@JerryDunleavy) <a href="https://twitter.com/JerryDunleavy/status/1930988710440452389?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered remarks commemorating the 81st anniversary, saying, &#8220;Eighty-one years ago, Hitler thought his Atlantic wall was impenetrable &#8230; He clearly had not met enough Americans.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
. <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDef?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecDef</a> “Eighty-one years ago, Hitler thought his Atlantic wall was impenetrable.
He clearly had not met enough Americans.” <a href="https://t.co/pmf4WQK0G7">pic.twitter.com/pmf4WQK0G7</a>
— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) <a href="https://twitter.com/DODResponse/status/1930950043151815068?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

US Troops on D Day.

81 Years Later, The World Remembers D-Day

Dwight D. Eisenhower

History

Military

Politics

World War II

Harrison Ruffin Tyler — the grandson of President John Tyler, who served in the White House from 1841 to 1845 — died earlier this week, his family said on Wednesday. He was 96.
Tyler, born in 1928, was so close in his family tree to President Tyler, who was born in 1790, due to two generations of second marriages to much younger wives, CBS News <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/harrison-ruffin-tyler-grandson-president-john-tyler-dies/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Tyler&#8217;s father, Lyon Gardiner Tyler, had two sons with his second wife, Sue Ruffin Tyler, when he was in his 70s. Similarly, Lyon Gardiner Tyler&#8217;s father, President John Tyler, had multiple children with his much younger second wife when he was in his 50s and 60s. President Tyler fathered 15 children, with Lyon being the 13th child born to him.
Tyler grew up in poverty during the Great Depression and World War II. His father died when Tyler was just 7 years old, according to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2025/05/29/harrison-ruffin-tyler-grandson-president/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Washington Post</a>. Tyler was also related to Pocahontas and President William Henry Harrison, whom his grandfather replaced as president after Harrison died just one month after his inauguration in 1841.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The last living grandson of President John Tyler has died. 
Harrison Ruffin Tyler was born in 1928 and died in 2025. 
His grandfather, the 10th President of the United States, was born in 1790 and died in 1862. <a href="https://t.co/MIBD1u71EM">pic.twitter.com/MIBD1u71EM</a>
&mdash; Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) <a href="https://twitter.com/yashar/status/1927798344664948948?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
John Tyler faced unprecedented challenges, being the first vice president to succeed a president who died while in office. Near the end of his life, John Tyler, a Virginia Democrat, sided with the Confederacy and served as a member of the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States. He died in 1862, shortly after the start of the Civil War.
The grandson of the 10th president became fascinated with history, and to preserve some of his family&#8217;s legacy, he purchased President Tyler&#8217;s Sherwood Forest plantation in 1975 and Fort Pocahontas, a Civil War fortification, in 1996. Both historical sites are in Virginia, where the Tyler family lived for generations. Harrison Tyler and his wife, Frances Payne Bouknight Tyler, spent $250,000 to restore the Sherwood Forest house to its original state and open it to the public. Thanks to Tyler&#8217;s preservation, people can <a href="http://www.sherwoodforest.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tour</a> the plantation home in Charles City, Virginia.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=memorial&amp;utm_content=editorialmemorialday&amp;_gl=1*1qdq03s*_gcl_au*MTYyNDg0MTE0OS4xNzQxODk4NTMz*_ga*MTEzOTk1NjkxNi4xNzI2MzI1MDQz*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*czE3NDgzNzg2NDgkbzEwMDMkZzEkdDE3NDgzODEwMTckajU4JGwwJGgw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Get 40% Off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
&#8220;He will be remembered for his considerable charm, generosity and unfailing good humor by all who knew him,&#8221; said Annique Dunning, executive director of Sherwood Forest.
Much of Tyler&#8217;s efforts to preserve history were made possible by his successful and lucrative career. He graduated from the College of William &amp; Mary in 1949 with a degree in chemistry. In 1968, he co-founded ChemTreat, an industrial water treatment company, which was sold to the Danahar Corporation in 2007 for $435 million, according to the Post.
Tyler suffered mini strokes in 2012, which landed him in a nursing home in Virginia, where he lived the final years of his life. His wife died in 2019, and his last remaining sibling, Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr., died in 2020. Tyler and his wife, who married in 1957, had three <a href="https://people.com/grandson-of-10th-united-states-president-john-tyler-dies-at-96-11744091" target="_blank" rel="noopener">children</a> and eight grandchildren.

President John Tyler

Last Living Grandson Of America’s 10th President, John Tyler, Dies At 96

Death

General

U.S.

The Trump administration announced this week an opportunity for American artists to create sculptures of historical figures like George Washington, Patrick Henry, Davy Crockett, and other American heroes in celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday.
The National Endowment for the Humanities <a href="https://www.neh.gov/news/neh-announces-grant-opportunity-create-statues-iconic-americans-national-garden-american" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> on Thursday that it would be handing out grants for artists to sculpt one of the 250 American historical figures identified by the Trump administration for placement in a new National Garden of American Heroes.
“The garden will provide the public with an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of how the lives and accomplishments of these individuals have shaped our history and culture,”Acting National Endowment for Humanities Chairman Michael McDonald said.
Artists, who must be American citizens, can be awarded up to three grants each of $200,000 for a total of $600,000. The statues will be life-size and made with marble, granite, bronze, copper, or brass.
The National Endowment for the Humanities will be partnering with the National Endowment for the Arts to spend $34 million on the project.
“The National Garden will feature Americans who deserve honor, recognition, and lasting tribute because of the battles they won, the ideas they championed, the diseases they cured, the lives they saved, the heights they achieved, and the hope they passed down,” the <a href="https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/opportunities/instructions/PKG00290638-instructions.pdf">notice</a> of funding says.
The notice also says that the garden will be a spot for visitors to learn about American history.
“It will also be a place where Americans can gather to learn about and celebrate America and the icons who made America what it is today. Visitors to the park will learn the stories of some of the greatest Americans,” the notice says.
A specific location for the garden has not yet been determined. Trump first proposed the plan in 2020, but it was later cancelled by former President Joe Biden.
The list of figures to be honored includes a wide variety of people, such as President John Adams, Civil War nurse Clara Barton, inventors Orville and Wilbur Wright, World War II General Douglas MacArthur, astronaut Neil Armstrong, Civil War soldier Joshua Chamberlain, Pilgrim leader William Bradford, country music artist Johnny Cash, anti-slavery activist Frederick Douglas, founding firebrand Patrick Henry, World War I hero Alvin York, and many others.

Menu