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Phillis Wheatley… From Slave to Hero…
June 29, 2026 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
Few of us began our lives with hardships remotely resembling being kidnapped from Africa as a child, transported to a foreign land, and sold into slavery. The comfortable First World culture so many of us live in does not usually place upon our shoulders the kind of burden a child would carry from such an origin story. Although one might assume such a beginning would doom a child to destruction, that is not always the case. Sometimes people rise above their circumstances and seize any silver lining that comes their way. This is precisely what happened with Phillis Wheatley.
In the midst of unimaginable hardship, an enslaved teenager in colonial Boston penned verses that would echo through the centuries and earn her the distinction of being the first African American woman to publish a book of poetry. Her 1773 collection, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, astonished readers on both sides of the Atlantic and challenged the era’s deeply held prejudices about race and intellect.
Among her most striking works is “On Imagination,,” a soaring neoclassical ode that celebrates the boundless power of the human mind. In it, Wheatley personifies Imagination as an “imperial queen” capable of transcending winter’s frost, traveling among the stars, and transforming harsh reality into beauty and joy. Written while she was still enslaved, the poem stands as a profound testament to mental freedom and creative resilience—the idea that even when the body is chained, the spirit and intellect can soar.
Though composed some 250 years ago, Wheatley’s words still resonate powerfully today, reminding us of the enduring strength of imagination in the face of adversity. Below is the entirety of this masterpiece. Perhaps allow your imagination to run free.
On Imagination
by Phillis Wheatley (1773)
Thy various works, imperial queen, we see,
How bright their forms! how deck’d with pomp by thee!
Thy wond’rous acts in beauteous order stand,
And all attest how potent is thine hand.
From Helicon’s refulgent heights attend,
Ye sacred choir, and my attempts befriend:
To tell her glories with a faithful tongue,
Ye blooming graces, triumph in my song.
Now here, now there, the roving Fancy flies,
Till some lov’d object strikes her wand’ring eyes,
Whose silken fetters all the senses bind,
And soft captivity involves the mind.
Imagination! who can sing thy force?
Or who describe the swiftness of thy course?
Soaring through air to find the bright abode,
Th’ empyreal palace of the thund’ring God,
We on thy pinions can surpass the wind,
And leave the rolling universe behind:
From star to star the mental optics rove,
Measure the skies, and range the realms above.
There in one view we grasp the mighty whole,
Or with new worlds amaze th’ unbounded soul.
Though Winter frowns to Fancy’s raptur’d eyes
The fields may flourish, and gay scenes arise;
The frozen deeps may break their iron bands,
And bid their waters murmur o’er the sands.
Fair Flora may resume her fragrant reign,
And with her flow’ry riches deck the plain;
Sylvanus may diffuse his honours round,
And all the forest may with leaves be crown’d:
Show’rs may descend, and dews their gems disclose,
And nectar sparkle on the blooming rose.
Such is thy pow’r, nor are thine orders vain,
O thou the leader of the mental train:
In full perfection all thy works are wrought,
And thine the sceptre o’er the realms of thought.
Before thy throne the subject-passions bow,
Of subject-passions sov’reign ruler thou;
At thy command joy rushes on the heart,
And through the glowing veins the spirits dart.
Fancy might now her silken pinions try
To rise from earth, and sweep th’ expanse on high:
From Tithon’s bed now might Aurora rise,
Her cheeks all glowing with celestial dies,
While a pure stream of light o’erflows the skies.
The monarch of the day I might behold,
And all the mountains tipt with radiant gold,
But I reluctant leave the pleasing views,
Which Fancy dresses to delight the Muse;
Winter austere forbids me to aspire,
And northern tempests damp the rising fire;
They chill the tides of Fancy’s flowing sea,
Cease then, my song, cease the unequal lay.
Juneteenth… The Nuances of Slavery’s End…
June 19, 2026 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
The saying, “History is a set of lies agreed upon,” often attributed to Napoleon, reminds us how easily we can simplify the past. A few days ago, I read about the story of General Granger’s landmark announcement in Galveston on June 19, 1865. Today, while digging deeper into the same moment, I came across Colonel G.W. Clark’s follow-up order issued in Houston just three days later. Reading both orders side by side offers a fascinating window into how emancipation actually unfolded on the ground in Texas.
General Granger’s General Order No. 3 was the pivotal statewide declaration that brought the Emancipation Proclamation to the last major Confederate holdout. Addressed to “the people of Texas,” it formally informed roughly 250,000 enslaved people that they were free, stressing “absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property” and transforming the old master-slave relationship into one of “employer and hired labor.” Its importance cannot be overstated: this was the public, official moment that ended legal slavery in Texas and gave birth to Juneteenth as a day of celebration and remembrance.
Colonel Clark’s General Orders No. 3, issued on June 22, 1865, for the Post of Houston, played a more localized but equally necessary role. It provided the practical instructions needed to prevent chaos in a major occupied city, directing freedmen to remain temporarily with former owners while reassuring them that doing so would “forfeit none of their rights of freedom.” Clark added details about upcoming labor contracts and consequences for idleness, showing the administrative work required to turn grand declarations into orderly reality.
Though both orders advanced the same goal of peaceful transition, their tones on freedom differed in telling ways. Granger’s language was bold and expansive, celebrating equality and a clean break with the past. Clark’s was more measured and reassuring, carefully balancing direction with the promise that freedom remained intact. Reading them together reveals how emancipation was not a single dramatic event but a layered process—announced with inspiring clarity in one breath and managed with cautious practicality in the next. In that sense, these two orders from 1865 still rhyme with the challenges of turning high ideals into lived experience.
Most Important Election Ever… Washington Takes the Reins…
June 12, 2026 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
One Thing Leads to Another… The Set Up for Patrick Henry’s Give Me Liberty Speech…
April 24, 2026 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
We usually remember big, dramatic moments however, we rarely pause to reflect on the smaller events that set the table for that seismic shift on the horizon. On March 17, 1775, THE VIRGINIA GAZETTE covered an abundance of Colonial News starting on page one’s article on treason… then moving to a page 2 article covering petitions from the American Congress to the King. Amongst the 8 pages of small print, buried on pg. 3, is a report on a meeting of freeholders from Hanover County stating: “…they proceeded to the choice of delegates to represent them in colony conventions at the town of Richmond…the 20th of next month, when Patrick Henry, jun. and John Syme, Esqrs., were unanimously chosen…”. Just a passing mention really and barely a clue to even the most loyal reader. However, this election laid the groundwork for quickly approaching fireworks that would soon come from electing Patrick Henry. The meeting these newly elected men would attend was the historic Second Virginia Convention where Patrick Henry would give his famous “give me liberty or give me death” speech. One tiny spark in the Spring of 1775 poured gasoline on the lead up to the American Revolution.
Nothing New Under the Sun… Thomas Nast Calls Out Government Fraud…
April 20, 2026 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
Thomas Nast’s 1875 wood engraving “This Tub Has No Bottom to Stand On,” published in Harper’s Weekly, stands as a searing indictment of Gilded Age graft. In the cartoon, blindfolded Justice hoists a washtub labeled “Public Corruption” by its handles. The metal rings binding it—each stamped with the names of notorious syndicates such as the Tammany Ring, Whiskey Ring, Canal Ring, Indian Ring, and City Ring—snap apart under the strain. The tub’s false bottom, emblazoned “Tammany Hall 1872,” plummets to the floor, spilling a cascade of documented crimes: bribery, internal-revenue frauds, Custom House swindles, Crédit Mobilier scandals, Treasury embezzlement, and Post Office graft. Nast, fresh from dismantling Boss Tweed’s machine, used the image to declare that these interlocking networks of political and corporate plunder possessed no legitimate foundation; once challenged by law or public scrutiny, the entire edifice collapsed, emptying its ill-gotten contents for all to see.
Nearly 150 years later, the United States still contends with systemic corruption that echoes those same structural weaknesses. Transparency International’s 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index gave the country a score of 64 out of 100—its lowest mark on record—ranking it 29th globally and marking a continued slide amid partisan polarization and regulatory capture.
The parallel between Nast’s era and our own is therefore not merely stylistic but substantive. Both periods feature explosive economic growth, technological upheaval, and extreme inequality that lubricate the machinery of graft; historians routinely describe the present as a “second Gilded Age” precisely because corporate-political fusion and fee-based governance have reemerged in updated forms. Yet important differences exist: today’s watchdogs, independent prosecutors, and digital transparency tools act as faster-acting surrogates for Nast’s allegorical Justice, rapidly exposing and clawing back billions that once vanished into obscurity. The enduring lesson of the cartoon therefore persists undiminished: corruption’s tub still has no bottom to stand on. When accountability is applied—whether by cartoonist’s pen or federal indictment—the contents inevitably spill, reminding every generation that vigilance and impartial justice remain the only forces capable of dismantling rings that otherwise appear impregnable.
Mystery Solved … The Ancestry of Abraham Lincoln Clarified…
March 23, 2026 by Laura Heilenman · 1 Comment
We often discuss the legacy of our founding fathers and American heroes… highlights of their lives which leave an indelible impression on us as individuals or on the country we cherish. With all this focus, it is a shame we often miss the stories of their ancestry… the people and events that molded them into the larger-than-life figures we admire. Such is the case with Abraham Lincoln. Although we have all learned of his self-education in a one room log cabin and the deep loses he suffered as a young man, it wasn’t until 1925 that we were able to get a clearer picture of family members who came before and how their stories might have impacted the Lincoln. On February 8, 1925 The New York Times had substantial coverage of Abraham Lincoln’s grandmothers who had, until this point, not been confirmed. The paper goes on to say the stories of these ladies reveal. “Episodes of Heroism and Romance in the president’s Ancestral History”. Not unlike today, apparently, people at the turn of the century longed for a good paparazzi story as well.
Vanguard to Revolution…
March 20, 2026 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
One of the fascinating areas of historic newspaper collecting is the ability to see patterns over time. Last week, I found a Harper’s Weekly for a collector with a fascinating front page print that caught my attention and the caption triggered a deeper search. The Boxer Rebellion of the 1900’s included a group called “Vanguards”. Although familiar with this term, I was curious as to other times this concept had popped up throughout history. The following is an overview of my discovery…
St. Patrick’s Day…
March 14, 2026 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner and with it comes a festive feel and a great reason to celebrate. Whether you are planning on a great meal at your local Irish Pub or some homemade Corned beef & Cabbage, there is something about St. Patrick’s Day that highlight’s Springs fast approach. So, enjoy your pint and grub, a good Irish movie (The Quiet Man is my favorite) and a walk down memory lane as you scan coverage of the oldest continuously running St. Patrick’s day parade in the world highlighted in the Mid-Week Pictorial & The New York Herald. Whatever your mode of celebration… May the Luck of the Irish be with you!
Arsenal of Freedom… America’s Leaders Work to Inspire…
February 16, 2026 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
The saying, “History never repeats itself, but it does often rhyme” is popularly attributed to author and humorist Mark Twain. Two weeks ago I wrote a post covering FDR and his famous “Arsenal of Democracy” speech. which was printed in several newspapers of the day, including The New York Times dated Dec. 30, 1940. Ironically, this week, I noticed something current with a Mark Twain history rhyming vibe. On January 5, 2026, Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth began his, “Arsenal of Freedom” tour. One of the fascinating benefits of reading historic newspapers is the ability to see patterns and, in this case, to see leaders, separated by decades, using similar rhetoric to rally America to step up in an era where she is needs to be her brightest and strongest. Despite the years between them, both FDR & Sec. Hegseth work intentionally to inspire and while we have yet to see the outcome of the “Arsenal of Freedom” tour, our hope is that we will indeed stand strong and be a beacon on a hill.
FDR Fireside Chat… Building “The Arsenal of Democracy”…
February 2, 2026 by Laura Heilenman · 1 Comment
For those of you who have seen the most recent update of The Hall of Presidents located in Disney World, the following narration may sound familiar…
“FDR, paralyzed by polio, knows how to restore the faith of a people paralyzed by the great depression. He has found the inner strength his countrymen now need. He speaks to us like a friend, a neighbor. His optimism is contagious… his voice, perfect for the latest breakthrough medium, radio. He calls us to believe we have nothing to fear but fear itself… and we do believe.”
If you have seen this production, you can hear the narrator’s rich voice echo through the auditorium. Those living in 1933 could have listened to FDR deliver this powerful inaugural address live, and those who missed it, could have read it in its entirety the next day in the New York Times.
Years later, on December 29, 1940, FDR gave his, now famous, “Great Arsenal of Democracy” fireside chat, and again attempted to rally America to rise to her best and brightest. People could again read the entire speech in newspapers the following day, including the December 30, 1940, New York Times. Throughout American history, we see the importance of a president sitting and talking with their people as an important connection point for both the president and the populous… words of truth and encouragement from their leader who should put the citizenry ahead of themselves and hold what is best for the America as their highest priority. May that be the legacy of every president.