What Part of History Are You Drawn To?

[BabyBoomer50s]

1. Early American era. Revolution & formation of American government. 2. California Gold Rush era. Parallels to contemporary times are stunning.

 

[ll74]

1. Early American era. Revolution & formation of American government. 2. California Gold Rush era. Parallels to contemporary times are stunning.

I was curious which people would chime in with American history.

I definitely find early colonial period interesting, but have never been drawn to it. I do find modern parallels to the Russian revolution in current conflicts in Ukraine

 

[Buffalogurl]

For me, mainly the time from about 1859 throughout the industrial revolution. For a runner up I do love the history of the north American fur trade. Even went so far as to build a couple of flintlock muskets and pistols, dressed in period clothing

 

[Dubinsky]

I majored in history, so I can find something I like about almost all of it. What DON'T I like?

The Russian Revolution (sorry, OP)
Russia in general
The Progressive Era (USA)

Literally everything else is something I can find an interest in.

 

[BabyBoomer50s]

I was curious which people would chime in with American history.

I definitely find early colonial period interesting, but have never been drawn to it. I do find modern parallels to the Russian revolution in current conflicts in Ukraine

I guess we can find parallels between today and most eras of history. One of the interesting parallels between today and the revolutionary period was the use of newspapers to channel opinions and attack competing factions.

There are some shrinking parallels between the Gold Rush era and modern times. With the growth in electrification today, there’s heightened awareness of the need to reduce dependence on rare earth metals - lithium, cobalt, nickel, etc.

In the mid 19th century, the “rare earth metal” that powered much of the global economy was mercury. It was essential for extracting gold and silver from ore at industrial scale. About 90% of the world’s production came from a single mine in Almaden, Spain. It was controlled by the Rothschild empire.

After achieving independence from Spain, Mexico, which was very much a mining economy, remained dependent on Spain for its mercury. All that changed when a Mexican Army captain, Andreas Castillero, was dispatched to Sutters Fort to basically co-opt Sutter as a proxy governor for the area. On his journey, Castillero spent a night At Mission Santa Clara where he noticed murals painted by nature Aloenes. The reddish pigment they used resembled the color of cinnabar ore. That’s the ore that contains mercury. Castillero was so intrigued he asked them to take him to the source.

The next day they took him to a cave south of San Jose. He collected some samples, did some rudimentary testing, and concluded it was cinnabar. On his return to Mexico he filed a mining claim in SJ and commenced Mercury mining. That was 1845. He called his mine Nuevo Almaden, named after the big one in Spain. A few years later, the Mexican-American war broke out and he was called to duty. He sold his shares to British company and that was the end of his involvement.

And then gold was discovered, ironically at Sutters Mill. Because there was a local source of mercury that was not controlled by a global monopoly halfway around the world, the Gold Rush was on. The New Almaden mine broke the back of the Rothschild monopoly and became the second largest mercury mine in the world. It not only fueled the California Gold Rush, it played a vital role in the growth of the entire western economy to a great extent.

It later became a strategic asset in the Civil War, as Mercury was used to detonate munitions. There was an incident in 1863 where the Union attempted to seize the mine from the Baron Forbes Company which owned it. Lincoln signed off on a writ authorizing seizure on the advice of a long time friend and advisor, Leonard Swet. Unbeknownst to the president, Swet was given shares in a competitive company that was engaged in a lawsuit with Baron Forbes over mining rights. A federal seizure during a war emergency brought the promise of a settlement favorable to the company Swet held shares in.

On the day of the federal seizure attempt, the mine manager was ready with rifles pointed at US marshals. Asked for 24 hours to evaluate the writ signed by Lincoln. The mine manager then telegraphed all gold and silver mine operators throughout the west alternating them. At the same time, he alerted Union General and key presidential military advisor Henry Halleck who happened to have managed that mine in the 1850s. Halleck immediately advised POTUS to rescind the writ, as did dozens of mine operators. Lincoln wisely did withdraw it and expressed deep contrition. Had he not, it’s highly likely that California could have become a member of the confederacy.

So parallels: strategic metals, divided nation, California economy disproportionately dependent on a single industry (now tech), rise of the Californios.

 

[BabyBoomer50s]

For me, mainly the time from about 1859 throughout the industrial revolution. For a runner up I do love the history of the north American fur trade. Even went so far as to build a couple of flintlock muskets and pistols, dressed in period clothing

Russian fur hats. Fort Ross, CA.

 

[ll74]

I majored in history, so I can find something I like about almost all of it. What DON'T I like?

The Russian Revolution (sorry, OP)
Russia in general
The Progressive Era (USA)

Literally everything else is something I can find an interest in.

No worries. I've always thought people have a pull towards a certain point in history beyond others....perhaps im wrong.

But I certainly don't mind that people don't have the same pull that I do...it would be boring if everyone did.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Dubinsky]

Even went so far as to build a couple of flintlock muskets and pistols, dressed in period clothing

If I'd gone a different path in life, I'd have been the guy who shelled out thousands on every "serious cosplay" from being a Colonial reenactor to putting on Stormtrooper armor. Seriously.

I've never built a flintlock, but I'd love to try.

 

[TrailerHitch]

1929 through the end of WWII. The effects of WWI and the great depression on world economics and political stability leading to war.

 

[ll74]

1929 through the end of WWII. The effects of WWI and the great depression on world economics and political stability leading to war.

I agree that entire timeframe is interesting to me as well. There are a lot of international and National forces impacting the US there.


Thanks for sharing.

 

[ll74]

I guess we can find parallels between today and most eras of history. One of the interesting parallels between today and the revolutionary period was the use of newspapers to channel opinions and attack competing factions.

There are some shrinking parallels between the Gold Rush era and modern times. With the growth in electrification today, there’s heightened awareness of the need to reduce dependence on rare earth metals - lithium, cobalt, nickel, etc.

In the mid 19th century, the “rare earth metal” that powered much of the global economy was mercury. It was essential for extracting gold and silver from ore at industrial scale. About 90% of the world’s production came from a single mine in Almaden, Spain. It was controlled by the Rothschild empire.

After achieving independence from Spain, Mexico, which was very much a mining economy, remained dependent on Spain for its mercury. All that changed when a Mexican Army captain, Andreas Castillero, was dispatched to Sutters Fort to basically co-opt Sutter as a proxy governor for the area. On his journey, Castillero spent a night At Mission Santa Clara where he noticed murals painted by nature Aloenes. The reddish pigment they used resembled the color of cinnabar ore. That’s the ore that contains mercury. Castillero was so intrigued he asked them to take him to the source.

The next day they took him to a cave south of San Jose. He collected some samples, did some rudimentary testing, and concluded it was cinnabar. On his return to Mexico he filed a mining claim in SJ and commenced Mercury mining. That was 1845. He called his mine Nuevo Almaden, named after the big one in Spain. A few years later, the Mexican-American war broke out and he was called to duty. He sold his shares to British company and that was the end of his involvement.

And then gold was discovered, ironically at Sutters Mill. Because there was a local source of mercury that was not controlled by a global monopoly halfway around the world, the Gold Rush was on. The New Almaden mine broke the back of the Rothschild monopoly and became the second largest mercury mine in the world. It not only fueled the California Gold Rush, it played a vital role in the growth of the entire western economy to a great extent.

It later became a strategic asset in the Civil War, as Mercury was used to detonate munitions. There was an incident in 1863 where the Union attempted to seize the mine from the Baron Forbes Company which owned it. Lincoln signed off on a writ authorizing seizure on the advice of a long time friend and advisor, Leonard Swet. Unbeknownst to the president, Swet was given shares in a competitive company that was engaged in a lawsuit with Baron Forbes over mining rights. A federal seizure during a war emergency brought the promise of a settlement favorable to the company Swet held shares in.

On the day of the federal seizure attempt, the mine manager was ready with rifles pointed at US marshals. Asked for 24 hours to evaluate the writ signed by Lincoln. The mine manager then telegraphed all gold and silver mine operators throughout the west alternating them. At the same time, he alerted Union General and key presidential military advisor Henry Halleck who happened to have managed that mine in the 1850s. Halleck immediately advised POTUS to rescind the writ, as did dozens of mine operators. Lincoln wisely did withdraw it and expressed deep contrition. Had he not, it’s highly likely that California could have become a member of the confederacy.

So parallels: strategic metals, divided nation, California economy disproportionately dependent on a single industry (now tech), rise of the Californios.

I absolutely appreciate this entire historical perspective. Thanks for sharing.


Many times in history, the quest for Earth's minerals has driven the political inertia.

 

[YDB95]

I majored in history, and I wrote my senior thesis on women and marriage in early modern England. It's really fascinating how a plucky few women were able to leverage power centuries before the law recognized their right to it.

 

[ll74]

I majored in history, and I wrote my senior thesis on women and marriage in early modern England. It's really fascinating how a plucky few women were able to leverage power centuries before the law recognized their right to it.

If you have any source material on the subject, please share it. It does seem amazing

Thanks for sharing

 

[YDB95]

If you have any source material on the subject, please share it. It does seem amazing

Thanks for sharing

My thesis is currently in my mother's basement in Philadelphia, but if I can remember any of my cites, I'll share 'em!

 

[ll74]

My thesis is currently in my mother's basement in Philadelphia, but if I can remember any of my cites, I'll share 'em!

I'll be there for a marathon in November if you need me to swing by

Thanks for sharing...it really sounds interesting.

 

[RandyRebecca]

I find the US population totals by state in different decades fascinating. For example, let's go back to 1920. At that time, California was only the 8th most populous state and Florida was down as the 32nd most populous state. Way out in 1st place was New York State, with over 1.5 million more people than 2nd placed Pennsylvania.

 

[ericalauren]

I enjoy learning about ancient Greek history. I even studied the ancient Greek language in college. I also love to read about Tudor England and WWII.

 

[TrailerHitch]

I agree that entire timeframe is interesting to me as well. There are a lot of international and National forces impacting the US there.


Thanks for sharing.

You are most welcome. It has always shocked me that the short sighted draconian punishments forced on Germany actually led to the rise of Hitler, the re-militarization of Germany, and eventually to the war they had hoped to avoid. Why couldn't the Allies see this as a potential result?

 

[LincolnDuncan]

The only history that isn't of interest to me is the US civil war.

 

[TrailerHitch]

The only history that isn't of interest to me is the US civil war.

I can't help be curious as to why?

 

[LincolnDuncan]

I can't help be curious as to why?

That's a good question but I'm not sure that I have a good answer. I love the history of the settlement of the west and I've never had the same feelings about any wars prior to Nam, but I've had an aversion to the US civil war since I was a kid. It might be that it's too recent and also brutal. As a kid, I could understand fighting foreign enemies but civil war strikes me as senseless.

 

[TrailerHitch]

That's a good question but I'm not sure that I have a good answer. I love the history of the settlement of the west and I've never had the same feelings about any wars prior to Nam, but I've had an aversion to the US civil war since I was a kid. It might be that it's too recent and also brutal. As a kid, I could understand fighting foreign enemies but civil war strikes me as senseless.

Thank you for your answer. I believe I understand. Because at times it was families fighting families.

 

[BrightShinyGirl]

I'm particularly drawn to a week ago last Thursday.

OK, sorry, I just couldn't resist.

Seriously though, the Aztecs, Mayans, and Incan civilizations hold a real fascination for me.

Cahokia? It’s mind-blowing that at the height of its power it was larger than London or Paris, but it’s totally forgotten now.

 

[ll74]

I find the US population totals by state in different decades fascinating. For example, let's go back to 1920. At that time, California was only the 8th most populous state and Florida was down as the 32nd most populous state. Way out in 1st place was New York State, with over 1.5 million more people than 2nd placed Pennsylvania.

That doesn't answer the OP question.

Thanks try again

 

[ll74]

The only history that isn't of interest to me is the US civil war.

So your answer is that you aren't drawn to a particular part of history/region.