‘American Minute’ Archives
“Tippecanoe & Tyler too” and the FORGOTTEN Inaugural Address
American Minute with Bill Federer "Tippecanoe and Tyler too" was the campaign slogan of 9th President William Henry Harrison, born FEBRUARY 9, 1773. He was the first President to die in office, serving the shortest term of only 30 days. The son of Benjamin Harrison, a signer the Declaration of Independence, he was also the grandfather of [...]
Sir Robert Baden-Powell and the Boy Scouts of America
American Minute with Bill Federer The Boys Scouts of America was incorporated FEBRUARY 8, 1910. Sir Robert Baden-Powell began the movement in England two years prior. A hero of the South African Boer Wars, Sir Baden-Powell's troops were besieged 200 days by an overwhelming army, but thanks to his resourcefulness, his men were [...]
Frederick Douglass
American Minute with Bill Federer Frederick Baily was born around FEBRUARY 7, 1817, though no accurate records exist, as he was a slave. He did not know who his father was, and before being separated from her as an infant, he did not remember seeing his mother in the daylight. Around 12 years old, his master's sister-in-law taught him to [...]
Reagan on Freedom v. Tyranny, Good v. Evil, God v. Atheism
American Minute with Bill Federer A graduate of Eureka College, IL, 1932, he announced for radio stations in Iowa. He married Jane Wyman and had children Maureen and Michael. He was a Captain in the U.S. Army Air Corp during World War II, then became an actor, appearing in over 50 films. He was President of the Screen Actors Guild, [...]
Roger Williams & his “Wall of Separation” between Church and State
American Minute with Bill Federer Guilty of preaching religious liberty in England, separatist leader Roger Williams fled to Boston on FEBRUARY 5, 1631. He pastored briefly before being banished in 1636 by Puritan leader John Cotton, who himself had been persecuted by Anglicans in England. Befriended by the Indians of Narragansett, [...]
Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his challenge
American Minute with Bill Federer British Journalist Malcolm Muggeridge explained how Hitler's universal healthcare plan eventually led to the Holocaust: "We have been accorded, for those that have eyes to see, an object lesson in what the quest for 'quality of life' without reference to 'sanctity of life' can involve...The origins of the [...]
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo ending Mexican-American War
American Minute with Bill Federer FEBRUARY 2, 1848, the Mexican-American War ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo being signed at the main altar of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Villa Hidalgo in present day Mexico City. The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the most visited Catholic site in the world after the Vatican, is [...]
Julia Ward Howe and The Battle Hymn of the Republic
American Minute with Bill Federer Five dollars was all she was paid by the Atlantic Monthly Magazine for her poem, The Battle Hymn of the Republic, published FEBRUARY 1, 1862. The Union's theme song during the Civil War, Julia Ward Howe wrote it while visiting Washington, D.C., and seeing the teeming military, galloping horses and countless [...]
First Chaplain of the Continental Congress, Jacob Duche’
American Minute with Bill Federer Anglican minister Jacob Duche' was born JANUARY 31, 1738. He was pastor of Christ Church in Philadelphia. As recorded in the Journals of the Continental Congress, their first official act after receiving news that British troops had attacked Boston was to request that Rev. Jacob Duche' open Congress in [...]
FDR on The Bible, Christianity, and the American Republic
American Minute with Bill Federer Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born JANUARY 30, 1882, in Hyde Park, NY. The 32nd President, he was in office longer then any other, over 12 years, serving during the Great Depression and World War II. On October 6, 1935, FDR stated: "We cannot read the history of our rise and development as a nation, [...]
Robert Frost: The Road Least Traveled
AMERICAN MINUTE, BILL FEDERER "I shall be telling this with a sigh, Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference" wrote Robert Frost in "The Road Not Taken." He first published poems in his high school bulletin and graduated co-valedictorian with [...]
History of Jewish Immigration to America
American Minute with Bill Federer Ferdinand and Isabella sent Columbus on his voyage in 1492 after they liberated Spain from occupying Muslim forces. Spain's policies then forced Jews to flee, first to Portugal, then to Amsterdam, where some sailed with Dutch merchants to South America. When Spain attacked there, they fled again and 23 [...]
Douglas MacArthur: Old Soldiers Never Die, They Fade Away
American Minute with Bill Federer Douglas MacArthur was born JANUARY 26, 1880. He commanded in World War I, was superintendent of West Point, and the youngest Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army. A four-star general, he retired in 1939, but returned in 1941 to defend the Philippines. When Japan invaded, President Roosevelt ordered him to [...]
Christianity and The Strive Against Communism
American Minute with Bill Federer On JANUARY 25, 1941, Democrat President Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote the foreword to a Special Military Edition of the New Testament & Book of Psalms, distributed to millions of soldiers and sailors by The Gideon's International: JANUARY 25, 1941 The White House, Washington To the Armed Forces, As [...]
James Madison and Religious Freedom
AMERICAN MINUTE WITH BILL FEDERER James Madison's defense of religious freedom began when he stood with his father outside a jail in the village of Orange and heard Baptists preach from their cell windows. Their crime? -Preaching without a license from the government. Madison wrote on the fate of more Baptist ministers to William [...]
Jan. 22 – Norma McCorvey: “I think abortion’s wrong”
American Minute with Bill Federer JANUARY 22, 1973, the Supreme Court decisions of Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton allowed abortion in all nine months of pregnancy. 23 years later, Norma McCorvey, who was the "Jane Roe" in the Roe v. Wade suit, was interviewed by USA Today. She stated that once, while employed at a clinic when no one was [...]
Daniel Webster “if we recklessly destroy the Constitution”
American Minute with Bill Federer One of the five greatest Senators in U.S. history, the State of New Hampshire placed his statue in the U.S. Capitol's Statuary Hall. His career spanned almost four decades, serving as Secretary of State for Presidents William Harrison, John Tyler and Millard Fillmore. His name was Daniel Webster, born [...]
The Battle of Cowpens – “The Patriot”
American Minute with Bill Federer The Battle of Cowpens, JANUARY 17, 1781, depicted in Mel Gibson's movie "The Patriot," was where American General Daniel Morgan had a line of militia fire into British General Cornwallis' and Colonel Tarleton's dragoons, regulars, Highlanders and loyalists. When the Americans retreated, the British pursued, [...]
Dr. Albert Schweitzer
American Minute with Bill Federer Albert Schweitzer was born JANUARY 14, 1875, in a village in Alsace, Germany. A Lutheran pastor's son and acclaimed for playing the organ, he earned doctorates in philosophy and theology, was pastor of St. Nicholai's Church, principal of St. Thomas College, and professor at University of Strasbourg. Then, at [...]
James Oglethorpe
American Minute with Bill Federer Educated at Oxford, James Oglethorpe joined the Austrian army at age 17 and helped free Belgrade from Muslim Turks. Returning to England, he unintentionally killed a man in a brawl and went to prison. Upon release, he followed his father's footsteps and served in Parliament. He opposed slavery and, as a result [...]
Timothy Dwight
American Minute with Bill Federer Grandson of Princeton president Jonathan Edwards, he could read at age 4 and entered Yale at 13. He was a chaplain in the Continental Army until his father died, when, as the eldest of 13, he worked the family farm to pay off debts. He was in Massachusetts' first State Legislature. This was Timothy Dwight, [...]
Lyman Beecher
American Minute with Bill Federer His daughter was Harriet Beecher Stowe, who wrote the abolitionist novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin." His son was Henry Ward Beecher, a famous New York preacher known for denouncing slavery, government corruption, and for supporting women's suffrage. His name was Lyman Beecher and he died JANUARY 10, 1863. A [...]
Richard M. Nixon
American Minute with Bill Federer He lost his first presidential race to John F. Kennedy by the smallest margin to that date. A Lieutenant Commander in the Navy during WWII, he was a Congressman, Senator, and Vice-President under Eisenhower. His name was Richard Milhous Nixon, born JANUARY 9, 1913. He was the 37th U.S. President before [...]
Millard Fillmore
American Minute with Bill Federer Becoming the 13th President when Zachary Taylor died unexpectedly, he sent Commodore Perry to Japan and admitted California, which just began the Gold Rush, into the Union. This was Millard Fillmore, born JANUARY 7, 1800. When the Library of Congress caught fire, he formed a bucket brigade to extinguish [...]
Twelve Days of Christmas
American Minute with Bill Federer In 567 AD, the Council of Tours ended a dispute. Western Europe celebrated Christmas, December 25, and Eastern Europe celebrated Epiphany, JANUARY 6, recalling the Wise Men's visit and Jesus' baptism. The Council made all 12 days from December 25 to January 6 "holy days" or "holidays," thus the "Twelve Days [...]
George Washington Carver and Christ
American Minute with Bill Federer Kidnapped after the Civil War, he was ransomed with a horse. Raised by German immigrants, Moses and Susan Carver, he left home at eleven and attended school in Neosho, Missouri, paying tuition by doing odd jobs. He drifted from Kansas to Iowa, working as a cook and doing laundry. He studied at Simpson College, [...]
Benjamin Rush, The Father of American Medicine
American Minute with Bill Federer Called the "Father of American Medicine," he signed the Declaration of Independence, was Surgeon General of the Continental Army, and a staff member of the Pennsylvania Hospital, where he opened the first free medical clinic. His name was Benjamin Rush, and he was born JANUARY 4, 1745. He founded the [...]
The Battle at Princeton
American Minute with Bill Federer Frederick the Great of Prussia called these ten days "the most brilliant in the world's history." After winning the Battle of Trenton, Christmas night, George Washington's small force met General Cornwallis' 8,000 man British army. The night before the battle, Washington left his campfires burning and [...]
Betsy Ross
American Minute with Bill Federer A 3-cent stamp honoring Betsy Ross was issued in Philadelphia, JANUARY 2, 1952, commemorating the 200th anniversary of her birth. Born a day earlier, January 1, 1752, to a Quaker family in Philadelphia, Betsy was the 8th of 17 children. She apprenticed as a seamstress and fell in love with upholsterer John [...]
Rudyard Kipling
American Minute with Bill Federer "Oh, East is East, and West is West, And never the twain shall meet, Till earth and sky stand presently, At God's great judgment seat" wrote Rudyard Kipling in Ballad of East and West. Born DECEMBER 30, 1865, in Bombay, India, he was sent back to England at age 5 for schooling. Poor eyesight ended hopes of a [...]
U.S. Presidents and Hanukkah
American Minute with Bill Federer The first President to light the National Menorah, Jimmy Carter, speaking of hostages held by Islamic terrorists in Iran, 1979, said: Commitments to be free are ever present in the hearts of all Americans because 50 of our fellow citizens are not free. Ronald Reagan, the second President to give a HANUKKAH [...]
The Armenian Massacre
American Minute with Bill Federer Armenia was one of the first nations to become Christian around 301 AD, with its capitol of Ani called the "city of a 1,001 churches." Muslim Turks began invading in the 11th century, making Christians second-class citizens called "dhimmi," and forcing boys to convert and serve in the Muslim army as [...]
Johannes Kepler
American Minute with Bill Federer An attack of smallpox when he was four-years-old left him with crippled hands and poor eyesight. Overcoming those handicaps, he studied Copernicus' works and at age 23 became a professor of astronomy. His name was Johannes Kepler, born DECEMBER 27, 1571. His laws of planetary motion, known as Kepler's Laws, [...]
George Washington and “Victory or Death”
American Minute with Bill Federer The first six months of the Revolution saw the Continental Army chased out of New York, across New Jersey, and into Pennsylvania. Ranks dwindled from 20,000 to 2,000 exhausted soldiers- most leaving at year's end when their six-month enlistment was up. Expecting a British invasion, the Continental Congress [...]
Christmas Eve
American Minute with Bill Federer On Christmas eve, DECEMBER 24, 1492, Columbus' ship, the Santa Maria, ran aground on the island of Haiti. Columbus left 40 men and named the settlement la Navidad, promising to return the next year. He wrote that day to Spain's King and Queen: In all the world there can be no better or gentler people. Your [...]
The American Crisis
American Minute with Bill Federer After the Continental Army was driven out of New Jersey, an article titled "The American Crisis" was published in the Pennsylvania Journal, DECEMBER 23, 1776. Written by an aide-de-camp to General Nathanael Greene named Thomas Paine, General Washington ordered it read to the troops: These are the times that [...]
The Battle of The Bulge
American Minute with Bill Federer Battle of the Bulge- Nazis amassed three armies for an enormous attack against the Allies in the Ardennes Forest and soon surrounded the 101 Airborne Division in southern Belgium, demanding their surrender. U.S. General Anthony McAuliffe answered in one word: "Nuts." This response confused the Nazi commander, [...]
John Newton and Amazing Grace
American Minute with Bill Federer Amazing grace! How sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found, Was blind, but now I see. These were the words of John Newton, a former slave ship captain, who died DECEMBER 21, 1807. At age 11, his mother died and he went to sea with his father. He fell in love with Mary [...]
The Meaning of Christmas
American Minute with Bill Federer Ronald Reagan stated in his Christmas Address, DECEMBER 20, 1983: Sometimes, in the hustle and bustle of holiday preparations we forget the true meaning of Christmas...the birth of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ... During this glorious festival let us renew our determination to follow His example. Franklin [...]
The Spirit of Liberty Kept the Continental Army Together
American Minute with Bill Federer Driven into Pennsylvania by the British, the Continental Army set up camp at Valley Forge, DECEMBER 19, 1777, just 25 miles from British occupied Philadelphia. Lacking food and supplies, soldiers died at the rate of twelve per day. Of 11,000 soldiers, 2,500 died of cold, hunger and disease. A Committee from [...]
Charles Wesley
American Minute with Bill Federer "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" was a carol written by Charles Wesley, born DECEMBER 18, 1707, at Epworth, England. The 18th child of Rev. Samuel and Susanna Wesley, he excelled in school and came to the attention of Garret Wesley, or Wellesley, a Member of Parliament with a large fortune in Daugan, Ireland. [...]
Beethoven and the Lord
American Minute with Bill Federer A peer of Mozart and Haydn, he started becoming deaf at age 28, yet incredibly wrote some of the world's most beautiful symphonies, concertos and sonatas. This was Ludwig van Beethoven, baptized DECEMBER 17, 1770, in Bonn, Germany. President Jimmy Carter noted while visiting Bonn, July 14, 1978: As the [...]
The Boston Tea Party
American Minute with Bill Federer The Boston Tea Party took place DECEMBER 16, 1773, just three years after the Boston Massacre, where the British fired into a crowd, killing five. The British passed unbearable taxes: 1764 Sugar Act -taxing sugar, coffee, wine; 1765 Stamp Act -taxing newspapers, contracts, letters, playing cards and all [...]
The Bill of Rights Limit the Federal Government, Not States
American Minute with Bill Federer Newly independent, the thirteen States were concerned that their new Government may become too powerful, as King George's was. They insisted handcuffs be place on the power of the Federal Government. We call these the First Ten Amendments or Bill of Rights, ratified DECEMBER 15, 1791. These Amendments did [...]
The Day George Washington Died
American Minute with Bill Federer He caught a chill riding horseback several hours in the snow while inspecting his Mount Vernon farm. The next morning it developed into acute laryngitis and the doctors were called in. Their response was to bleed him heavily four times, a process of cutting one's arm to let the "bad blood" out. They also had [...]
Phillips Brooks and O Little Town of Bethlehem
American Minute with Bill Federer Phillips Brooks was born DECEMBER 13, 1835. The bishop of the Episcopal Church in Massachusetts, Phillips Brooks took a trip to the Holy Land in 1865, and wrote home: After an early dinner, we took our horses and rode to Bethlehem...It was only about two hours when we came to the town, situated on an [...]
The State of Pennsylvania
American Minute with Bill Federer Pennsylvania became the 2nd State to join the Union on DECEMBER 12, 1787. The Continental Congress had met there, the Declaration of Independence was signed there, and the Liberty Bell was rung there. The Continental Army spent the freezing winter of 1777 at Valley Forge there. In 1787, the Constitution was [...]
Slavery in Cuba
American Minute with Bill Federer After slavery ended in the U.S., President Grant spoke to Congress, December 1, 1873, of ...several thousand persons illegally held as slaves in Cuba...by the slaveholders of Havana, who are vainly striving to stay the march of ideas which has terminated slavery in Christendom, Cuba only excepted. Spain [...]
President Harrison and the Exodus of the Russian Jews
American Minute with Bill Federer The Play, "Fiddler on the Roof," tells the story recounted by President Benjamin Harrison on DECEMBER 9, 1891: This Government has found occasion to express...to the Government of the Czar its serious concern because of the harsh measures now being enforced against the Hebrews in Russia. By the revival of [...]
Lincoln, and the Pledge of the South
American Minute with Bill Federer President Abraham Lincoln, on DECEMBER 8, 1863, announced his plan to accept back into the Union those who had been in the Confederacy. In his proposed pledge, he twice required the acknowledgement of God: Whereas it is now desired by some persons heretofore engaged in said rebellion to resume their [...]
