Obama’s political roots: Lyndon Johnson’s Texas White House helps tell the story

January 5, 2010

STONEWALL, Texas — There’s something wistful about this place: a sprawling 600-acre property along the Pedernales River in central Texas. More than 35 years after Lyndon Johnson’s death, the LBJ Ranch — or “Texas White House,” as it came to be known because of the large amount of time Johnson spent here during his presidency [...]

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They’ve all come to look for America: Ellis Island 55 years later

December 21, 2009

It’s been 55 years since Ellis Island last opened its doors to millions of immigrants. My mother was one of them. She reflected on that journey recently — uncharacteristically, as it happens. I couldn’t help but do a double-take when she declared, a bit dryly: “I found myself.” Turns out, she was on Ancestry.com, and, [...]

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Lewis and Clark expedition still fascinates; “Arrival at Camp River Dubois” December 12-13

December 12, 2009

More than 200 years after their historic expedition, Lewis and Clark are still part of the national conversation. That was clear the other day on Capitol Hill when Sen. Christopher Dodd invoked the famed explorers’ names to justify federal support of a National Infrastructure Bank. “You cannot find a period of economic growth in our [...]

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Pearl Harbor, “Day of Infamy,” told in Fredericksburg, Texas

December 7, 2009

It’s a small town setting for a big time story: Right in the heart of Texas Hill Country, you’ll find America’s only museum dedicated exclusively to telling the story of the Pacific Theater battles during World War Two. That story began 68 years ago, today, when Japanese forces waged a surprise attack on the United [...]

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