Citizens Education

In the 1818 Report of the Commissioners for the University of Virginia, Thomas Jefferson first described the purpose of primary and secondary education –“ to develop the reasoning faculties of our youth, enlarge their minds, cultivate their morals, and instill into them the precepts of virtue and order … to form them to habits of reflection and correct action, rendering them examples of virtue to others and of happiness within themselves. “ Due in large part to Jefferson's efforts, the University of Virginia was chartered on January 25, 1819. Jefferson helped recruit and interview faculty, designed the curriculum, oversaw the building designs - even made a list of 7000 books to house in the library. Jefferson proclaimed that "Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people" and to this end he founded UVa. As most have read, Jefferson's epitaph includes his role in founding the University of Virginia, but not his 8 years as president.

1917 - a crucial year

Ads for the film "1917" present a compelling story. It's but one small event, monumental to the characters of course, in a terrible war. Before you go and see it, a few things to know about 1917. By that time, the war had caused millions of dead and wounded. Trench warfare made the war in France and Belgium brutal, and deadly. The French were so depleted that they were incapable of much offensive action. Britain's blockade of German ports was causing great suffering among the German population. Austria Hungary and Russia were nearly exhausted. The US entered the war in April but did not send large numbers of troops for 8 months. The Russian Revolution overthrew the Czar and replaced him with a republic in spring, but Russia stayed in the war. In October, the Bolshevik communists overthrew the republican government of Russia, and took Russia out of the war. The Germans now were free to move a half million troops to the Western front, and planned a great breakthrough offensive in France for early 1918. So keep that in mind as you watch the two soldiers carry out their mission to save 1600 soldiers. The war was folly, and set the stage for the even more catastrophic World War II, which ended 75 years ago this year.