On This Day
1845 – Manifest Destiny: In a State of the Union message, U.S. President James K. Polk proposes that the United States should aggressively expand into the West.
Manifest destiny was a widely held cultural belief in the 19th-century United States that American settlers were destined to expand across North America. There are three basic themes to manifest destiny:
The special virtues of the American people and their institutions
The mission of the United States to redeem and remake the west in the image of the agrarian East
An irresistible destiny to accomplish this essential duty[3]
Historian Frederick Merk says this concept was born out of “a sense of mission to redeem the Old World by high example … generated by the potentialities of a new earth for building a new heaven”.[4] Newspaper editor John O’Sullivan is generally credited with coining the term manifest destiny in 1845 to describe the essence of this mindset;[5] other historians believe the unsigned editorial titled “Annexation” in which it first appeared was written by journalist and annexation advocate Jane Cazneau.[6][7]
Historians have emphasized that “manifest destiny” was a contested concept—Democrats endorsed the idea but many prominent Americans (such as Abraham Lincoln,[8] Ulysses S. Grant,[9] and most Whigs) rejected it.[10] Historian Daniel Walker Howe writes, “American imperialism did not represent an American consensus; it provoked bitter dissent within the national polity … Whigs saw America’s moral mission as one of democratic example rather than one of conquest.”[11] Merk likewise concluded:
“From the outset Manifest Destiny—vast in program, in its sense of continentalism—was slight in support. It lacked national, sectional, or party following commensurate with its magnitude. The reason was it did not reflect the national spirit. The thesis that it embodied nationalism, found in much historical writing, is backed by little real supporting evidence.”[12]
The term was used by Democrats in the 1840s to justify the Mexican–American War and it was also used to negotiate the Oregon boundary dispute. Manifest destiny always limped along because of its internal limitations and the issue of slavery in the United States, says Merk, and never became a national priority. By 1843, former U.S. President John Quincy Adams, originally a major supporter of the concept underlying manifest destiny, had changed his mind and repudiated expansionism because it meant the expansion of slavery in Texas.[13] Some contemporary historians have condemned manifest destiny as an ideology used to justify dispossession and genocide against Native Americans.[14][15][16][17]
Read more ->
1775 – USS Alfred becomes the first vessel to fly the Grand Union Flag (the precursor to the Stars and Stripes); the flag is hoisted by John Paul Jones.[2]
Alfred was the merchant vessel Black Prince, named for Edward, the Black Prince, and launched in 1774. The Continental Navy of what would become the United States acquired her in 1775, renamed her Alfred after 9th century English monarch Alfred the Great, and commissioned her as a warship. She participated in two major actions, the battle of Nassau, and the action of 6 April 1776. The Royal Navy captured her in 1778, took her into service as HMS Alfred, and sold her in 1782. She then became the merchantman Alfred, and sailed between London and Jamaica.
Born On This Day
1898 – Indra Lal Roy, Indian lieutenant and first Indian fighter aircraft pilot (d. 1918)
Indra Lal Roy (Bengali: ইন্দ্রলাল রায়), DFC (2 December 1898 – 22 July 1918) was the sole Indian World War I flying ace.[1][2] While serving in the Royal Flying Corps and its successor, the Royal Air Force, he claimed ten aerial victories; five aircraft destroyed (one shared), and five ‘down out of control’ (one shared) in just over 170 hours flying time,[3] making him the first Indian flying ace.[4]
Read more ->
1810 – Louisa Susannah Cheves McCord, American author and political essayist (d. 1879)[10]
Louisa Susannah Cheves McCord (December 3, 1810 – November 23, 1879) was an American planter and author from South Carolina, best known as a political essayist. McCord, the daughter of Langdon Cheves, was born in 1810, in South Carolina. She was educated in Philadelphia. In 1840, she married David James McCord, becoming a widow in 1855. She mainly resided in Columbia, South Carolina.[1]
She was active as an author from the 1840s onward, and her production is regarded as an important contribution of Southern Antebellum literature. McCord’s writings consisted principally of essays and reviews, and she wrote well on the subject of political economy. Her published volumes included, My Dreams, a volume of poems, published in Philadelphia in 1848; Sophisms of the Protective Policy. A translation from the French of Bastiat, published in New York. 1848; Caius Gracchus. A five-act tragedy, published in New York, 1851. McCord was a contributor to the “Southern Quarterly Review,” and the “Southern Literary Messenger,” for a number of years from 1849. Her poetry was simple and clearly uttered.[1] Henry Timrod, Paul Hamilton Hayne, William Gilmore Simms, William Henry Trescot, Requier and James Matthews Legaré were her contemporaries; some of these were among her personal friends.[2]
Read more ->
FYI
Eddie Mekka (June 14, 1952 – November 27, 2021) was an American actor, best known for his role as Carmine Ragusa on the hit television sitcom Laverne & Shirley.
Read more ->
Literary Hub: What to Watch: The Power of the Dog, Jane Campion’s Take on Thomas Savage’s Queer Anti-Western and more ->
By Colin Marshall, Open Culture: Behold the Glass Armonica, the Unbelievably Fragile Instrument Invented by Benjamin Franklin
The Passive Voice, From Publishers Weekly: Guess What’s Better Than a Book Blurb
The Passive Voice, From Writer Unboxed: The Static Hiss
Opinion, The New York Times: Where Should You Live?
Worth watching!
Ideas
By sharonwarren: Make a Glass Snowflake
By BMsculptures: Carving a Swan From Epoxy and Buckeye Burl
Recipes
By Jeromina: Bite-size Smoked Salmon Charcuterie
By Betty Crocker Kitchens: Must-Make Soups, Stews & Chili
By cookwewill: Tiramisu Cake | Easy to Make No Bake Dessert
DamnDelicious
RecipeTinEats
- Taiwanese Three Cup Chicken July 14, 2026Three Cup Chicken (San Bei Ji) is a popular Taiwanese dish of chicken braised in a sweet-savoury soy sauce with lots of garlic and ginger. It’s a great quick recipe that takes 10 minutes to cook, and it’s got the sort of flavours that’s a guaranteed hit with everyone – kids, grown ups, fussy eaters!... […]Nagi
- Lamb Navarin July 10, 2026Lamb Navarin – Navarin d’agneau – is one of the great classic French stews (ragoûts). Lamb is slowly braised until meltingly soft in a rich sauce with potatoes and vegetables to soak up all that flavour. If you’ve never made a French stew before, this is a good one to start with as it is easier... […]Chef JB (RecipeTin)
wikimedia
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for July 15 July 15, 2026Picture of the day Adult woman of the Laarim Tribe smoking in a pipe, Kimotong, South Sudan.
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for July 14 July 14, 2026Picture of the day The Medieval town of Belcastel in Aveyron, France, named one of "the most beautiful villages of France". Today is Bastille Day, the French National Day.
E-book Deals:
The Book Junction: Where Readers Go To Discover Great New Fiction!
Mystery & Thriller Most Wanted
Book Blogs & Websites:
Welcome to the Stump the Bookseller blog!
Stump the Bookseller is a service offered by Loganberry Books to reconnect people to the books they love but can’t quite remember. In brief (for more detailed information see our About page), people can post their memories here, and the hivemind goes to work. After all, the collective mind of bibliophiles, readers, parents and librarians around the world is much better than just a few of us thinking. Together with these wonderful Stumper Magicians, we have a nearly 50% success rate in finding these long lost but treasured books. The more concrete the book description, the better the success rate, of course. It is a labor of love to keep it going, and there is a modest fee. Please see the How To page to find price information and details on how to submit your Book Stumper and payment.
Thanks to everyone involved to keep this forum going: our blogging team, the well-read Stumper Magicians, the many referrals, and of course to everyone who fondly remembers the wonder of books from their childhood and wants to share or revisit that wonder. Isn’t it amazing, the magic of a book?