Great series; if you continue in history writing I'd like to see an account of the Wilmington Coup of 1898, the only similar case to the Battle of Athens I've seen.
Thanks, Wayne! And thanks for bringing the Wilmington Coup to my attention here (and in your other comment). I've never heard of it -- not surprising, given my history of history-avoidance! -- but will look into it further. I'm copying and pasting your comment for those who might be interested, too:
"...several thousand armed Democrats flooded the town and killed or chased out the honestly elected officials along with some businesses including a newspaper. It was the Wilmington Coup of 1898, also known as the Wilmington Massacre or the Wilmington Insurrection as about 60 people were killed. These two citizen battles in America stand in stark contrast to each other, both successful - one for Good and the other for Evil."
It was totally worth the wait! This would make an excellent film. Netflix, where are you?!? The context of how you have viewed history is quite important too. We might have not paid good attention before, but we better be paying attention now. What a truly fascinating tale we could all learn from. Thanks, Mary!
It would make a TERRIFIC film. One thing I didn't mention in my essay (I didn't want it to go to four parts!) is that after Pete and visited Athens, we watched a Hallmark movie that was made in the 90s about it that was TERRIBLE:
So schmaltzy, but even worse, ridiculously inaccurate. Fictitious characters, a hashed-up timeline... they didn't even call the town by name. What a disservice. I'd love to write a screenplay based on The Fighting Bunch!
I bet you could write a terrific screenplay. You already had me wrapped up in the essay. I wonder if they made that hallmark movie as part of misdirection of what actually occurred.
Thanks for your vote of confidence! Hmm... that's a fascinating thought, Tonika. I chalked it up to not wanting to step on Athen's toes, but it might just as well been an attempt to continue the downplay and obfuscation.
Yes, Mary, by all means dig into our history and find more inspiring stories of other regular Americans who took a stand for freedom at great risk to their lives right here on American soil defending their own inalienable rights. We need to build ourselves back up and receive new inspiration. We have definitely been propagandized as to what constitutes real patriotism. The Veterans of Athens really showed us what it's about. It seems that the greatest threat to our peace and freedom can be our very own government. If anything has proven that to us it's these last 3 years. Thanks for telling us about this great story. xox
I'm definitely inspired to find more inspiration, so to speak, because I agree with you completely. We do need to build ourselves back up. As I was reading The Fighting Bunch, I was struck by the resilience and commitment of ordinary citizens -- not just the GIs. In the decades since, we've enjoyed so much prosperity and ease, we've really lost our grit. We'd better find it again, because you're right -- threats can come from places we least expect. Thanks for the comment as always, Rocket... xox
Exactly why citizens must have guns . Great story . Thanks for writing.
Yes -- something I didn't fully understand until recently. You're welcome -- thanks for being here!
Great series; if you continue in history writing I'd like to see an account of the Wilmington Coup of 1898, the only similar case to the Battle of Athens I've seen.
Thanks, Wayne! And thanks for bringing the Wilmington Coup to my attention here (and in your other comment). I've never heard of it -- not surprising, given my history of history-avoidance! -- but will look into it further. I'm copying and pasting your comment for those who might be interested, too:
"...several thousand armed Democrats flooded the town and killed or chased out the honestly elected officials along with some businesses including a newspaper. It was the Wilmington Coup of 1898, also known as the Wilmington Massacre or the Wilmington Insurrection as about 60 people were killed. These two citizen battles in America stand in stark contrast to each other, both successful - one for Good and the other for Evil."
Fascinating. Appreciate your comment!
It was totally worth the wait! This would make an excellent film. Netflix, where are you?!? The context of how you have viewed history is quite important too. We might have not paid good attention before, but we better be paying attention now. What a truly fascinating tale we could all learn from. Thanks, Mary!
It would make a TERRIFIC film. One thing I didn't mention in my essay (I didn't want it to go to four parts!) is that after Pete and visited Athens, we watched a Hallmark movie that was made in the 90s about it that was TERRIBLE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6c-Dsg4X4Dk&ab_channel=AmericanMovement
So schmaltzy, but even worse, ridiculously inaccurate. Fictitious characters, a hashed-up timeline... they didn't even call the town by name. What a disservice. I'd love to write a screenplay based on The Fighting Bunch!
I bet you could write a terrific screenplay. You already had me wrapped up in the essay. I wonder if they made that hallmark movie as part of misdirection of what actually occurred.
Thanks for your vote of confidence! Hmm... that's a fascinating thought, Tonika. I chalked it up to not wanting to step on Athen's toes, but it might just as well been an attempt to continue the downplay and obfuscation.
Yes, Mary, by all means dig into our history and find more inspiring stories of other regular Americans who took a stand for freedom at great risk to their lives right here on American soil defending their own inalienable rights. We need to build ourselves back up and receive new inspiration. We have definitely been propagandized as to what constitutes real patriotism. The Veterans of Athens really showed us what it's about. It seems that the greatest threat to our peace and freedom can be our very own government. If anything has proven that to us it's these last 3 years. Thanks for telling us about this great story. xox
I'm definitely inspired to find more inspiration, so to speak, because I agree with you completely. We do need to build ourselves back up. As I was reading The Fighting Bunch, I was struck by the resilience and commitment of ordinary citizens -- not just the GIs. In the decades since, we've enjoyed so much prosperity and ease, we've really lost our grit. We'd better find it again, because you're right -- threats can come from places we least expect. Thanks for the comment as always, Rocket... xox
Thanks! I loved reading this series - fascinating story.
I loved learning about it!
What a fantastic series about a little-known but important and fascinating event in US history. Well done!
Wouldn't have known about it without you, Pete... Thanks for the impetus -- and for exploring the town with me!