| Title | : | The Course of Human Events (Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Format Type | : | Kindle , Hardcover , Paperback , Audiobook & More |
| Number of Pages | : | - |
In this Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities, David McCullough draws on his personal experience as a historian to acknowledge the crucial importance of writing in history’s enduring impact and influence, and he affirms the significance of history in teaching us about human nature through the ages.
The Course of Human Events (Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities) Reviews
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In May of 2003, David McCullough wrote and presented The Course of Human Events in The 2003 Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities, in Washington, DC, forty years after he began writing his first book.
This is the fourth book I’ve read by McCullough, the first one of his that I read was The Wright Brothers, and I was amazed at his ability to make history come alive. Last year, shortly before Christmas, I read his In the Dark Streets Shineth: A 1941 Christmas Eve Story, which was educational, entertaining and also lovely. This past 4th of July, I happened to see his The American Spirit: Who We Are and What We Stand For, which was inspiring. This short book offered, in addition to some fascinating details about our history as a country, a certain amount of comfort.
In this speech he speaks of many aspects of how this work - his writing, speaking - has led to so much more, for him, than he could have anticipated so many years ago.
”The reward of the work has always been the work itself, and more so the longer I’ve been at it. And I’ve kept the most interesting company imaginable with people long gone. Some I’ve come to know better than many I know in real life, since in real life we don’t get to read other people’s mail.”
He quotes many others, but this was my favourite:
”It was then, in 1942, that the classical scholar Edith Hamilton issued an expanded edition of her book, The Greek Way, in which, in the preface, she wrote the following:”
“I have felt while writing these new chapters a fresh realization of the refuge and strength the past can be to us in the troubled present….Religion is the great stronghold for the untroubled vision of the eternal, but there are others too. We have many silent sanctuaries in which we can find breathing space to free ourselves from the personal, to rise above our harassed and perplexed minds and catch sight of values that are stable, which no selfish and timorous preoccupations can make waver, because they are the hard-won permanent possessions of humanity….
“When the world is storm-driven and the bad that happens and the worse that threatens are so urgent as to shut out everything else from view, then we need to know all the strong fortresses of the spirit which men have built through the ages.”
Recommended -
Oh my 5 whoppin' stars and garters!
I've been listening to this short 45 minute address over and over again. I cannot get enough of it.
As McCullough says, in quoting a young John Adams: "I must judge for myself. But how can I judge? How can any man judge unless his mind has been opened and enlarged by reading."
I want to disseminate copies of this book to strangers at the grocery store, the dentist's office, and the gas station. Beware, if I see you often enough, you may recieve a copy for St. Patrick's Day, the winter equinox, or your half birthday. If I had a million dollars... -
Short, but very insightful and inspirational. In this lecture, McCullough talks about the role of history in our lives, and how it played a role in the lives of our founding fathers. This greatly increases my respect for McCullough and the study of history. Highly recommended for everyone.
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This book ignites fervor inside me. I am going to check out the authors other book. It also makes me want to read all the numerous books he mentions. I have listened to it for over a week now every day. I tell everyone I talk to about it. It makes me want to go back to school or at the least seize each day and never quit learning. I think we all need to read this and then get together and gush over it. What a beautiful stirring work this is. Emily asked for my favorite one liners in it and how can I choose? It is a blessing to anyone who can listen to the words. Trust me and listen to it 10 times before you even really start to think about it. It has layer upon layer and each time I listen a new gem sparkles. This book made me march around my bedroom recalling days gone by when I used to wear red, white and blue sequins in the Days of 47 parade. You will be excited to be alive and proud to be an American.
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McCullough makes great points about the importance of being well-read and well-rounded; knowing your history and science and art and everything else. And it went quick! Barely more than half an hour of audio, read by the author.
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A cheat in terms of its length, but I could squirrel way more from its 38 minutes than from some books that ran several hundred pages.
Want a jumpstart to your count that will simultaneously motivate you to read more history in 2019? This is it. -
I am so bad at this thing called review, so I will just say that McCullough's writing encourages learning about our history, and this lecture is no exception.
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A short published talk by a great historian. Some gems here for the history lover.
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Short but profound 2003 speech by a great historical writer, telling how he gained his love of history as a child through books and why learning history is so important today.
“For a free, self-governing people, something more than a vague familiarity with history is essential, if we are to hold on to and sustain our freedom.”
“Why would anyone wish to be provincial in time, any more than being tied down to one place through life, when the whole reach of the human drama is there to experience in some of the greatest books ever written.”
“When the world is storm-driven and the bad that happens and the worse that threatens are so urgent as to shut out everything else from view, then we need to know all the strong fortresses of the spirit which men have built through the ages.”
“Jefferson saw history as largely a chronicle of mistakes to be avoided.”
Listened on Overdrive -
This is a short but wonderful speech on the humanity of our founding fathers, on their sacrifices, and belief in education. He mentions many important books that influenced him, and wastes no words. Fabulous! Hoopla now has the audiobook.
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David McCullough gave this terrific talk at the Jefferson Lecture in Humanities in 2003 and I listened to the 38 minute audio book spoken by the author. He begins by talking about John Trumbull's painting of the Declaration of Independence that hangs in the United States Capitol Rotunda and the artist's intentional inaccuracies.
The signing did not take place July 4, 1776, and had no formal gathering as seen in the dramatic painting. The decorative display of the room does not accurately reflect the room where the men signed the Declaration of Independence, but it doesn't matter. Trumbull was creating a symbolic event and while he takes liberty with the room, he is completely accurate with the faces of those in the room capturing the qualities of Jefferson and Adams. Washington is absent and McCullough explains why. The intent by Trumbull is to show the brave intentions of the men in Congress who were making a declaration against the King of England claiming freedom for the thirteen colonies and making them traitors to the crown. The painting is symbolic of what the country stood for at that time. Pretty heady stuff. It is easy to get swept up in the story as David McCullough reveals the individuals in history, bringing the time alive and making it vibrant.
The rest of the lecture explains the importance of education to the Founding Fathers and books that influenced David McCullough making him pursue the career of being a historian. He talks about reading, "Ben and Me" by Robert Lawson, as a six-year-old and I thought to myself... I've never seen a kid that young read that book. It goes to show what a gifted man McCullough is and quite brilliant himself. He then quotes many other books that influenced him growing up. He's 82 years old so his book list had some unfamiliar names for me. I'll have to check them out. I did know the children's books, however, and I have seen N.C. Wyeth's glorious illustrations of Treasure Island. Although McCullough mentions Wyeth pictures in The Last of the Mohicans and Drums as influencing him.
The last part of the lecture focuses on how history needs to come alive. A writer can have all the facts but if there are not interesting individuals or empathy or heart in the history being revealed, then it won't hold readers interest. History has to be literature, he says several times, as well as, "History is about change and the power of ideas." He ends by explaining that the American experiment was an unfulfilled promise with a government of laws and not of men, equality and justice, the importance of the individual, freedom of thought and religion, and a love of learning. You can read the lecture printed at the web site:
http://www.neh.gov/about/awards/jeffe.... Be inspired. -
If you have 45 minutes, treat yourself to the narration of award winning author, David McCullough, as he eloquently leads us through the founding fathers' attraction to history, and the importance of education, reading, and truth. A stark juxtaposition to the current climate of lies and ignorance.
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McCullough’s Jefferson Lecture.
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Typical pleasurable read by a master historian.
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My bottom line is that I like David McCullough as a historian. I understand that this lecture is likely to be mostly history light. Hear McCullough’s voice a few times and you can always hear his voice in his writing. I wished that this had been several lectures instead of one and I wish it could have had more depth. I recommend this single lecture mostly to his fans and as a very easy way to decide if you might become one. Mine is the Kindle copy so not expensive but the lecture is on line for less.
I was eager to get David McCullough’s The Course of Human Events: The 2003 Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities. I have always enjoyed his books. Also his TV documentaries. In my eagerness I misses the fact that this is a 30 page lecture. About an hour worth of reading. The reason for the lecture was to thank an audience who had just awarded him with the opportunity to present the 2003 Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities. According to their website the lectures represent the “highest honor the federal government confers for distinguished intellectual achievement in the humanities.” In other words he is not likely to indulge himself in much in the way of negativity or intellectually challenging material. A time honored approach to this kind of award lecture is a mix of personal reflection and odd historical facts.
This is what the lecture contains. His thoughts on his career as a historian a few factoids that never exactly made it into one of his books. That he was first drawn to history by the story of a mouse and Benjamin Franking, Amos and Me, touched my memories. I remember this as a Disney animation as well as a Disney book. A fond recollection.
Some of his factoids left me wondering. For example he mentions speeches by Americans that were drawn from classical courses. This as proof that they had been avid readers. In the case of the famous Nathan Hale line, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." Tracing the line to Cato is fair enough, but why no mention of the fact that historians cannot be certain that these were his final words?
My point is not to be nit picky, but the lecture could have had more depth had it reminded listeners of the uncertainties attendant to the profession of historian. -
In 2003, historian David McCullough delivered the Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities in Washington, DC. Released as an audiobook in 2005 as The Course of Human Events, this speech is a 45 minute love letter to the field of history itself, and a joy to listen to for those who share McCullough's passion.
My first encounter with McCullough was his audio book reading of his Revolutionary War history 1776, so I already knew going into The Course of Human Events about McCullough's great oratorical skills and his mastery of the subject. As he notes in the speech, when he delivered The Course of Human Events he was working on 1776 at the time, and a great many - though not all - of his examples and stories come from the Revolutionary era.
One of the themes the McCullough builds in this speech is that none of the famous figures of the past lived in the past. In fact, they all lived in their present, and the success of their struggles was anything but certain at the time. By learning about how they overcame the challenges of their present, we can find courage and learn to overcome the challenges of our present. It's a powerful theme, and McCullough makes a strong case for it.
McCullough also discusses how he discovered his own joy of reading and of history, and cites some of the books that influenced him, as well as books that inspired and influenced the Founding Fathers. This is a great resource for history fans, and I've already requested some of these books from my library to discover for myself.
This speech is just that, a speech, and not a full book. But if you're a fan of McCullough, you'll be delighted anyways, and motivated to read more of his work, as well as those works he mentions in the speech.
If you're a history fan, you'll love McCullough's eloquent tribute to the field with The Course of Human Events. If you're not a history fan, you might just be after you've listened to this speech. -
The late American-historian, David McCullough, passed the mortal coil in 2022. Others may rise to remind us of the music of history at its best, but McCullough’s voice was singular, his own, and we are enriched by his thoughtful commentaries. After all, he knew the truth of history, that it was like life, in constant flux. He says in The Course of Human Events, his introduction to history, when only six years of age, was caught up by his first revisionist-historian, Amos, the mouse and friend, and yes, valued advisor, to Benjamin Franklin. That mouse lit a fire in his young mind and heart, and as education moved his life’s journey forever forward, he added to the pulse engendered by Amos. :)
The lecture is 39-minutes long, yet speaks volumes. It should be, at the very least, highly recommended to any who value liberty, freedom, and self governance. The elegance of his message is best heard, rather than read. For me, it is worth the effort to locate and listen to the author deliver his passion for history along with the printed word.
In the lecture, he reminds us of the words of Winston Churchill regarding history: It values freedom of the mind, education, and the freedom to think for oneself.
Those who seek to limit the voices of the past, forfeit wisdom otherwise gained by the good, the bad, and the duplicitous founders of modern and ancient republics. McCullough reminds us that Washington, Adams, and Jefferson, were far from perfect. He says each suffered from duplicity and hipocracy, along with brilliance of thought and spirit. Benjamin Rush, who was present and signed the Declaration of Independence at the age of 30 years raised those issues regularly as an early advocate for emancipation and the abolition of slavery in the new American republic.
This reminds me of another maxim I regularly remind people about: “Do not let the Perfect be the enemy of the Good!” I do not know if Professor McCullough ever used that phrase himself, but listening to his lecture and his work with Ken Burns in several television documentaries, The Civil War and others, He frequently voices similar thoughts.
No rounding up is necessary here, for this journalist and editor, a solid Five Stars ***** forDavid McCullough’s “The Course of Human Events,” emphasis on “the human.” -
I absolutely adore McCullough’s work and this lecture was full of poise, wit and insight. His points about viewing, learning and teaching history must start with empathy; along with keeping in mind that the founders we view with time are not characters of the past, but rather men who lived in their own version of the present. They lived as we do now and to ignore that component of history is where distortion of the subject begins. For history isn’t just about dates, numbers, and obscene factoids; rather it is the narrative of humanity in all its degrees. This point is something he continuously drives home throughout his works and it is one that I have taken to heart and recite often.
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A fascinating brief look at the Founding Fathers of the United States. McCullough describes them as real people, mentions their contributions to US history, and notes that they are not without faults. The author also points out that US history is only sometimes as it seems that artwork depicts events in different tones and that celebrated historical events don't denote true history. My favorite bit was about John Adams and his comments about why he studied politics and military history. Hence, his son could study the humanities, including literature, natural history, and science. I enjoyed this brief lecture on US history and recommend it to bookworms who love nonfiction history.
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Really just a brief speech by McCullough about his growing interest in history as a child and the crucial role he believes history can and should play in the world at large.
Very short-40 minutes or so of audio, read by the author. -
A short reaction to an award received, McCullough gives a quick overview view of the development of the characters in the creation of the country. He’s says, “read, read, read.” And lists books that got him into history as a boy. Of course, “Amos and Me,” was at the top of his list.
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This is an outstanding speech! I love David McCullough's writing anyway; this is another fine piece he wrote and presented. I listened to the audio file and hearing him present the speech as well was the cherry on top! Wonderful!
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A concise reminder of the importance of reading history, both for individuals and societies at large. Perhaps more valuably, this short book is an appeal to our curiosity, rebranding history as something relevant and enjoyable and necessary rather than a dusty chore. I'd recommend this quick read especially for times when one has lost perspective and can't find the motivation to pick up that large biography that's been sitting on the shelf for months.
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A brief but moving testament to McCullough’s love of books and of history. I must read more of him. I listened to this audiobook on Hoopla.
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Brilliant apologia for history. Every parent, teacher, student, child, and American should listen to this!
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A very powerful and moving read about why history is important.
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This brief book is an excellent overview of the history of the American idea; indeed, the American experiment.
