Building Christian Heroes with Chase Davis

The Virginia Series Sources: What Books about Colonial and Early Republic Virginia You Ought Read!

These are the works I read to study and learn about the history of Virginia, from the earliest days of colonization into the modern, postbellum era. Collectively, these are a good way of learning about practically every aspect of the Old Dominion over that time period, from managing a plantation and Cavalier culture, to the mechanics of politics in the state and Westward expansion. In this video, I discuss which ones are best for getting a general history of the state, learning about the development of the Virginia Gentry, understanding plantation life and the economics of the plantations, understanding what set Virginia apart from the rest of the South, and getting into learning about the great men of the state's history. I'll also cover which ones are terrible, and should be avoided. Note: I am an Amazon affiliate. If you would like to help support the show at no cost to yourself, you can do so by using the link I have attached for each book, if that book is one you would like to read. A Disease in the Public Mind: A New Understanding of Why We Fought the Civil War By Thomas Fleming, https://amzn.to/4oeeRqs [https://amzn.to/4oeeRqs] A "Topping People": The Rise and Decline of Virginia's Old Political Elite, 1680-1790 By Emory G. Evans, https://amzn.to/4o7ILN0 [https://amzn.to/4o7ILN0] Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America By David Hackett Fischer, https://amzn.to/4fHA89R [https://amzn.to/4fHA89R] Behold Virginia: The Fifth Crown By George F. Willison, https://amzn.to/3RZUalS [https://amzn.to/3RZUalS] Colonial Virginia: Its People and Customs By Mary Newton Stanard, https://amzn.to/4e2nT4W [https://amzn.to/4e2nT4W] Colonial Virginia, Volume I: The Tidewater Period, 1607-1710 By Richard L. Morton, https://amzn.to/3SjTUy8 [https://amzn.to/3SjTUy8] Colonial Virginia, Volume II: Westward Expansion and Prelude to Revolution, 1710-1763 By Richard L. Morton, https://amzn.to/3SjTUy8 [https://amzn.to/3SjTUy8] Economic History of Virginia in the Seventeenth Century, Volume I and II By Philip Alexander Bruce, https://amzn.to/4vsQ4RP [https://amzn.to/4vsQ4RP] Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789-1815 By Gordon S. Wood, https://amzn.to/4xcNUaO [https://amzn.to/4xcNUaO] First Families: The Making of an American Aristocracy By Nathaniel Burt, https://amzn.to/4dWhGaJ [https://amzn.to/4dWhGaJ] Gentlemen Freeholders: Political Practices in Washington's Virginia By Charles S. Sydnor, https://amzn.to/4dZsPaZ [https://amzn.to/4dZsPaZ] George Washington, Entrepreneur: How Our Founding Father's Private Business Pursuits Changed America and the World By John Berlau, https://amzn.to/4ui7PCq [https://amzn.to/4ui7PCq] Lee By Clifford Dowdey, https://amzn.to/4o7H7Lk [https://amzn.to/4o7H7Lk] Lee Chronicle: Studies of the Early Generations of the Lees of Virginia By Cazenove Gardner Lee, Jr., https://amzn.to/43dYssh [https://amzn.to/43dYssh] Myths & Realities: Societies of the Colonial South By Carl Bridenbaugh, https://amzn.to/4dMbKlV [https://amzn.to/4dMbKlV] Old Virginia: The Pursuit of a Pastoral Ideal by Robert S. Tilton and William M. S. Rasmussen, https://amzn.to/4e2mueG [https://amzn.to/4e2mueG] Patrician and Plebeian in Virginia: Or the Origin and Development of the Social Classes of the Old Dominion By Thomas J. Wertenbaker, https://amzn.to/43efFll [https://amzn.to/43efFll] Robert Carter of Nomini Hall: A Virginia Tobacco Planter of the Eighteenth Century By Louis Morton, https://amzn.to/4xmlX0e [https://amzn.to/4xmlX0e] Savage Kingdom: The True Story of Jamestown, 1607, and the Settlement of America By Benjamin Woolley, https://amzn.to/43ccJWA [https://amzn.to/43ccJWA] Seat of Empire: The Political Role of Eighteenth-Century Williamsburg By Carl Bridenbaugh, https://amzn.to/4ellGmz [https://amzn.to/4ellGmz] Sir William Berkeley and the Forging of Colonial Virginia By Warren M. Billings, https://amzn.to/49FDqqd [https://amzn.to/49FDqqd] Social Life in Old Virginia Before the War By Thomas Nelson Page, https://amzn.to/4fXkhUn [https://amzn.to/4fXkhUn] Social Life of Virginia in the Seventeenth Century By Philip Alexander Bruce, https://amzn.to/4x2jkk5 [https://amzn.to/4x2jkk5] The Age of Federalism: The Early American Republic, 1788-1800 By Stanley M. Elkins and Eric L. McKitrick, https://amzn.to/3QfnQuR [https://amzn.to/3QfnQuR] The Birth of Virginia's Aristocracy By James C. Thompson II, https://amzn.to/4dZDoun [https://amzn.to/4dZDoun] The British Gentry, the Southern Planter, and the. Northern Family Farmer: Agriculture and Sectional Antagonism in North by James L. Huston, https://amzn.to/4uhZOgx [https://amzn.to/4uhZOgx] The Creation of the American Republic, 1776-1787 By Gordon S. Wood, https://amzn.to/4uVFwLi [https://amzn.to/4uVFwLi] The First Gentlemen of Virginia: Intellectual Qualities of the Early Colonial Ruling Class By Louis B. Wright, https://amzn.to/43dW3Oh [https://amzn.to/43dW3Oh] The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763-1789 By Robert Middlekauff, https://amzn.to/4uIXcJH [https://amzn.to/4uIXcJH] The Golden Age: A Climate for Greatness, Virginia 1732-1775 By Clifford Dowdey, https://amzn.to/4obCIXQ [https://amzn.to/4obCIXQ] The Great Plantation: A Profile of Berkeley Hundred and Plantation Virginia from Jamestown to Appomattox by Clifford Dowdey, https://amzn.to/4vkxLy2 [https://amzn.to/4vkxLy2] The Landed Gentry By Sophy Burnham, https://amzn.to/4vq7Vss [https://amzn.to/4vq7Vss] The Lees of Virginia: Biography of a Family By Burton J. Hendrick, https://amzn.to/3RL7nip [https://amzn.to/3RL7nip] The Lees of Virginia: Seven Generations of an American Family By Paul C. Nagel, https://amzn.to/4opLnWN [https://amzn.to/4opLnWN] The Old Dominion: Her Making and Her Manners By Thomas Nelson Page, https://amzn.to/4uNU0wn [https://amzn.to/4uNU0wn] The Planters of Colonial Virginia By Thomas J. Wertenbaker, https://amzn.to/4dNhls9 [https://amzn.to/4dNhls9] The Radicalism of the American Revolution By Gordon S. Wood, https://amzn.to/43xdklT [https://amzn.to/43xdklT] The Revolution in Virginia, 1775-1783 By John E. Selby, https://amzn.to/4uer7sa [https://amzn.to/4uer7sa] The Sociology of Colonial Virginia By Morris Talpalar, https://amzn.to/4o8Ny0v [https://amzn.to/4o8Ny0v] The Soul of a Nation: The Founding of Virginia and the Projection of New England By Matthew Page Andrews, https://amzn.to/4dMwUjV [https://amzn.to/4dMwUjV] The Transformation of Virginia, 1740-1790 By Rhys Isaac, https://amzn.to/4e4YZSs [https://amzn.to/4e4YZSs] The Virginia Dynasties: The Emergence of "King" Carter and the Golden Age By Clifford Dowdey, https://amzn.to/4o8o2Zm [https://amzn.to/4o8o2Zm] The Virginia Plutarch, Volumes I and II By Philip Alexander Bruce, https://amzn.to/4uTuAxy [https://amzn.to/4uTuAxy] Tobacco Coast: A Maritime History of Chesapeake Bay in the Colonial Era By Arthur Pierce Middleton, https://amzn.to/4dRzKmg [https://amzn.to/4dRzKmg] Tobacco Culture: The Mentality of the Great Tidewater Planters on the Eve of Revolution By T. H. Breen,https://amzn.to/43N4FLY [https://amzn.to/43N4FLY] Virginia, 1705-1786: Democracy or Aristocracy? By Robert E. and B. Katherine Brown, https://amzn.to/3S3TLil [https://amzn.to/3S3TLil] Virginia Baron: The Story of Thomas 6th Lord Fairfax By Stuart E. Brown Jr, https://amzn.to/4uVBIK0 [https://amzn.to/4uVBIK0] Virginia: The English Heritage in America By Parke Rouse, Jr., https://amzn.to/4x4dcrg [https://amzn.to/4x4dcrg] Virginia: The New Dominion By Virginius Dabney, https://amzn.to/4vjjSQO [https://amzn.to/4vjjSQO] Virginia, The Old Dominion By Matthew Page Andrews, https://amzn.to/4dZmjB3 [https://amzn.to/4dZmjB3] Virginia Under the Stuarts, 1607-1688 By Thomas Jefferson Wertenbaker, https://amzn.to/4o8LPIz [https://amzn.to/4o8LPIz] Washington By Douglas Southall Freeman, https://amzn.to/4fY4rJe [https://amzn.to/4fY4rJe]

The Knights of the Golden Circle: A Secret Filibustering Order Almost Built an Empire of Slavery

This is the tale of the Knights of the Golden Circle, a pro-slavery, semi-secret, and paramilitary society in the 1850s and early 1860s that aimed to conquer a vast territorial sphere comprising much of the Caribbean world, centered on Havana, and used filibustering in an attempt to realize that immense dream of a tropical empire built on slavery. In it, Will and Clossington explore the history, foundation, and structure of the Knights of the Golden Horseshoe. We discuss its roots in earlier filibustering expeditions in Florida, Texas, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Cuba, including the famous campaigns of Narciso López and William Walker. Further, we discuss the life and career of George Bickley, the lifelong huckster and founder of the KGC, who built the organization through lodges called "castles", secretive rituals, and surprisingly serious political connections in the highest levels of the American government. We then discuss how his foibles caused disaster when the Knights of the Golden Circle tried to invade Mexico. Finally, we discuss the history of the Knights of the Golden Circle in the American Civil War period, during which KGC members supported secession, challenged Republican policy as Northern Copperheads, and helped form the local Confederate units that served as the foundation for much of the early Confederate Army. Recommended further reading: Knights of the Golden Circle: Secret Empire, Southern Secession, Civil War by David Keehn. You can support this show at no cost to yourself by using my Amazon associates link to get it here: https://amzn.to/4dQfLo3 Chapters: 0:00 Who Were the Knights of the Golden Circle? 3:45 The Organization and Goals of the Knights of the Golden Circle 11:40 Filibustering in American History, from Taking the Floridas to William Walker 19:01 George Bickley and Narciso López: The Cuban and Mexican Schemes 29:35 George Bickley: The Man Who Built the Knights of the Golden Circle 35:33 The Grand Strategy of Bickley's KGC 43:36 Why the Filibusters Failed 46:17 President Bucanan, Jefferson Davis, and Why American Elites Took It Seriously 49:54 The Role of the Knights of the Golden Circle in the Civil War 58:26 The KGC Falls Apart 1:01:40 The Legacy Of the KGC, and Further Reading

Building Christian Heroes with Chase Davis

In this episode, Will and J. Chase Davis discuss his new book, Offensive Christianity, through the lens of where the modern church went wrong, and how to reclaim the Christian spirit of days past. They discuss the egalitarian drift of the church and where it began, how the Enlightenment and rise of democracy played into that drift, and what we can do about it. They comment on steady state Christian society versus a fervent Christian society that burns itself out, the Puritans, monarchy, and the evangelical movement before discussing finding a church that fits with your heritage and culture, what Nietzsche got wrong, and what sort of men we can look up to. Overall, they go back and forth over what it will take to return to the days when the church and Christian society create Christian heroes rather than the sort of gelded church we generally have today. Get Chase's book here: Offensive Christianity [https://amzn.to/4eckmBt] Follow Chase on X here: https://x.com/jchasedavis [https://x.com/jchasedavis]

The Real Story of Pocahontas: Betrayed by Her People, Adopted by the English

This is the true story of Pocahontas, not the Disney one. This is the tale of a beloved little princess in the Powhatan Confederacy named Matoaka known for her curiosity, hence the nickname "Pocahontas" that became invariably associated with the tale of Virginia's earliest days. She was used in a game of high-stakes frontier diplomacy with John Smith that turned into a legend of lovestruck sacrifice, she was sold to Samuel Argall by her own people for a copper kettle during the Anglo-Powhatan War, and then she was Westernized and christened Lady Rebecca by the English. Abandoned and betrayed by her father and her people when the Powhatan betrayed her yet again to keep a few rusty swords, she then married John Rolfe and became the feted belle of the ball in England, where she met the king and queen, reunited with John Smith, and caught the illness that laid her low. But, it turns out, not just her memory, but her original name lives on in the name of one of America's most famous battlefields… 0:00 Pocahontas Saves John Smith 3:20 Why Is Pocahontas Important? 3:54: How Maoaka Got the Nickname, "Pocahontas" 5:27 Growing Up in the Powhatan Confederacy 7:18 Did Pocahontas Really Save John Smith 10:22 The First Anglo-Powhatan War 12:36 Pocahontas Is Captured by Samuel Argall 15:03 Pocahonas Is Westernized at Henrico 17:01 Pocahontas Meets John Rolfe, and They Fall In Love 21:15 The Powhatan People Refuse to Fight or Negotiate for Pocahontas 23:28 Pocahontas Marries Rolfe 23:33 Pocahontas Marries John Rolfe 26:11 Lady Rebecca and John Rolfe Travel to London 28:14 Pocahontas and John Smith Meet Again 29:00 Pocahontas Takes London Society by Storm 30:20 Pocahontas Grows Sick in Polluted London 31:10 Pocahontas dies Sources Referenced in this Episode: I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you would like to support the show at no added cost to yourself, you can do so by using the links below to order and read the sources I used to create this episode. Thanks! Smith, Captain John: The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles., https://amzn.to/49H3hxR [https://amzn.to/49H3hxR] Willison, George F.: Behold Virginia: The Fifth Crown, https://amzn.to/4do9YG4 [https://amzn.to/4do9YG4] Dabney, Virginius: Virginia: The New Dominion, https://amzn.to/4dtAE8l [https://amzn.to/4dtAE8l] Andrews, Matthew Page: Virginia: The Old Dominion, Vol. I, https://amzn.to/4uZBW2h [https://amzn.to/4uZBW2h] Bruce, Philip Alexander: The Virginia Plutarch, Vol I, https://amzn.to/437cAU0 [https://amzn.to/437cAU0] Morton, Richard L.: Colonial Virginia, https://amzn.to/4ua3bqY [https://amzn.to/4ua3bqY] Andrews, Matthew Page: The Soul of a Nation: The Founding Of Virginia and the Projection of New England, https://amzn.to/4d9Ut60 [https://amzn.to/4d9Ut60]

The Cradle of the Revolution: How Virginia's Greatest Gentlemen Began the American Revolution in 1766

Listen ad-free here: https://www.theamericantribune.news/p/the-cradle-of-the-revolution-how [https://www.theamericantribune.news/p/the-cradle-of-the-revolution-how] In this show, Will argues that Virginia, rather than Massachusetts, was the cradle of the American Revolution. To do so, he begins with the French and Indian War, describing the cost of it to both Virginia and Britain, and how it led to the Stamp Act, one of the key causes of the American Revolution. He then explains why the Stamp Act's silver currency requirement was particularly harmful to the agrarian, tobacco-dependent Virginia economy. Continuing, he argues that when Richard Henry Lee led Virginia into its 1766 passing of the Westmoreland Resolves—also called the Leedsburg Resolutions—that was the moment the Revolution began, and that the standard of organized political reaction to British tyranny set by it was the path to revolution that other states followed. Further, he explains why the Westmoreland Resolves were such a critical step forward that served as the beginning of the Revolution, what made the men behind them special, and how they show the unique culture of leadership and duty that existed in the Virginia of the Golden Age. He concludes by noting Richard Henry Lee's later involvement in the Declaration of Independence, and how Virginia led America in pushing for it. Sources Referenced in this Episode: I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you would like to support the show at no added cost to yourself, you can do so by using the links below to order and read the sources I used to create this episode. Thanks! * Smith, Captain John: The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles., https://amzn.to/49H3hxR [https://amzn.to/49H3hxR] * Willison, George F.: Behold Virginia: The Fifth Crown, https://amzn.to/4do9YG4 [https://amzn.to/4do9YG4] * Dabney, Virginius: Virginia: The New Dominion, https://amzn.to/4dtAE8l [https://amzn.to/4dtAE8l] * Andrews, Matthew Page: Virginia: The Old Dominion, Vol. I, https://amzn.to/4uZBW2h [https://amzn.to/4uZBW2h] * Bruce, Philip Alexander: The Virginia Plutarch, Vol I, https://amzn.to/437cAU0 [https://amzn.to/437cAU0] * Morton, Richard L.: Colonial Virginia, https://amzn.to/4ua3bqY [https://amzn.to/4ua3bqY] * Andrews, Matthew Page: The Soul of a Nation: The Founding Of Virginia and the Projection of New England, https://amzn.to/4d9Ut6 [https://amzn.to/4d9Ut60] Image credit: Public Domain unless otherwise stated * Major George Washington, Junius Brutus Stearns, CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, via Wikimedia Commons * Fort Necessity Diorama, Pi3.124, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons * Fort Necessity, Chris Light, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons