I’ve been writing about getting out of town for close to eight years now. But this will be my last column. At least my last for the Tribune. My wife and I are moving to northern Colorado to be closer to family. In particular to our son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter. I will still be traveling and hope to continue to lead tours to historical locations. Those of you who have read my articles might know that my most enjoyable tour is to the “Virginia Dynasty” presidential homes: Mount Vernon (Washington), Monticello (Jefferson), Montpelier (Madison), and Highland (Monroe).
I realized early on that not everyone is enamored with the thought of traveling to see historical locations. The reality is some people just aren’t that interested in history. (Want to see someone’s eyes glaze over quickly? Start talking history to someone who is not interested.)
Many think a vacation is not to go to a historical site, but to do something fun, like skiing, camping, hiking, going to the beach, etc. I understand and I try to keep in mind a Will Rogers quote: “Don’t let yesterday use up too much of today.” With appreciation to teachers who do make history interesting, a lot of people I talk to about history say something along the line of, “All they did in school was make us memorize dates.”
With all this in mind, I will try to make the case that at least some U.S. history background is needed if you are going to be an informed citizen and vote. To do this, I will ask a couple of questions that, hopefully, make you think.
First, do you believe in a national popular vote for president? (I’m not suggesting an answer to this — it would take a while. But you need to know at least something about the Electoral College, and why it was created.)
Second, why is the U.S. House of Representative based on population, but the U.S. Senate has two Senators per state? (Again, not suggesting an answer, but the concern about large states running over small states should be part of your thought process.)
I go into detail on these subjects when visiting Montpelier, the home of James and Dolley Madison. In addition to government issues, I like to remind people our founders also had personal challenges. So, at Montpelier, we also discuss the unlikely marriage of James and Dolley. Specifically, how did James successfully woo Dolley? He was 43 years old and 17 years her senior when they married. She was outgoing and vivacious; he was short, and bookish. How did that happen?
For another travel example closer to home, did you know there was a famous Civil War battle in 1862 in New Mexico? (Yes, New Mexico.) Were Coloradans involved? (The answer is yes.) Very few people I’ve asked about this in the last few years have any idea. I know quite a bit about the Civil War, and I didn’t know anything about the battle until about 10 years ago. A tour I lead down to New Mexico visits the battle location and includes some sites (and restaurants) in Santa Fe. We also visit Taos.
Some last thoughts about historical sightseeing, especially if you have younger kids and they do not show any interest at all. Don’t give up hope, you never know. My daughter wasn’t the least bit interested in U.S. history growing up. But lately she has shown some curiosity and actually went along on a tour in Virginia. She also hosts my podcasts on the Virginia presidents and “interviews” me. (Search Ear Tours – American History.)
I’ve enjoyed sharing my travels over the years, especially to historical locations, and best wishes to all for getting out of town.
Doug McCormick retired from the Air Force after spending 21 years as a space operator. He spent 14 years as a defense contractor supporting Air Force Space Command. He is now a tour guide and has started his own business, American History Tours, LLC, specializing in taking people to see locations associated with significant American history. His email address is doug@historytoursamerica.com.
