Founding Fathers

Key West Florida

Key West FL is the southernmost city in the Continental United States. Key West is a city and an island by the same name near the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys and encompasses the namesake island, the part of Stock Island north of US 1, Sigsbee Park and Sunset Key.

Many passenger cruise ships utilize Key West as a seaport. Key West International Airport also serves the area. Naval Air Station Key West offers a training site for Naval Aviation.

Key West is officially known for having the nation’s first and oldest continuous gay and lesbian chamber of commerce. Thus the city’s motto “One Human Family”

Kay West was inhabited by ancient peoples known as the Calusa People in Pre-Columbian times. Juan Ponce De Leon was the first European to visit the area and the island was known as Cayo Hueso. It was established as a fishing and salvage village with a small fort to protect the Spanish colony.

Cayo Hueso literally means “bone key” as it is said that the island is littered with the bones from an Indian battlefield or burial ground. It is thought that the name changed to Key West is an Anglicization of the word “Hueso” that could mean west in English. Many businesses on the island use the name.

Great Britain took control of Florida in the late 1700′s and relocated the Spaniards and Indians to Havana. Florida passed back to the Spanish 20 years later but they did not formally resettle. The island was used by fishermen from Cuba and joined by fishermen from the United States.

The island was deeded to Juan Pablo Salis in 1815 but when Florida was transferred to the United States Salas was eager to sell the island. First he sold it for a sloop valued at $575 and then to a US businessman named Simonton for about $2,000. The sloop trader sold it to a man named Geddes who could not secure rights to the property because Simonton had help from influential friends in Washington and gained clear title. Simonton bought the island because he had learned of the opportunities presented by the strategic location. Simonton’s friend John Whitehead, once stranded on the islands by a shipwreck had seen the deep harbor.

Lying 90 in a strategic location on the deep shipping lane Straits of Florida the harbor was considered the “Gibraltar of the West”. Matthew Perry said into the harbor in 1822 and physically planted the US flag to claim it as US property. He reported on the piracy problems and renamed it “Thompson’s Island” and named the harbor “Port Rodgers”. Neither name stuck. In 1823 Commodore David Porter took charge and tried to rule the island as a military dictator under martial law.

Simonton soon subdivided the island into plots and sold 3 undivided quarters of each plot to private individuals. Simonton spent the winter in Key West and then the summer in Washington to lobby for development of the island and for the establishment of a naval base. Among other first founders are Pardon Green who moved there permanently and became a prominent businessman. John Whitehead lived there for 8 years and partnered with Greene in the firm of “P.C. Greene and Company”. He left the island for good in 1832 returning only once during the Civil War. John Fleeming, active in the mercantile business in Alabama was a friend of Simonton. He spent only a few months in Key West before leaving to marry in Massachusetts. He returned to Key West intending to develop the slat manufacturing of the island but died soon after. The names of these founding fathers of modern Key West used as names for the main arteries of the island.

Many residents of Key West emigrated from the Bahamas. They were known as Counch. They arrived in ever increasing numbers after 1830. Sons and daughters of Loyalists fled to the nearest British soil during the American Revelation. Many of residents of Key West refer to themselves as Conchs and the term is now generally applied to all residents of Key West. The term “Fresh Water Counch” refers to a resident not “native born” but who has lived there for more than seven years. The name is derived from the tradition of placing a conch shell on a pole at the home of a new born baby.

“Bahama Village” is an area of Old town next to the Truman Annex largely inhabited by Bahaman immigrants.

Fishing, salt production and ocean salvage were major industries in the early 19th century. The salvage operations made Key West the largest and richest city in Florida and residents had a high concentration of fine furniture and fancy chandeliers which the locals used in their homes after taking them from shipwrecks on the Florida reefs.

During the Civil War Fort Zachary Taylor was established in Key West after Florida seceded and joined the confederate States of America. It was an important outpost and now contains the largest collection of Civil War cannons ever discovered in a single location.

In 1912 Key West was connected to the Florida mainland via the Overseas Railway extension. The railway created a landfill at Trumbon Point for rail yards. In 1935 the Labor Day Hurricane destroyed much of the railroad and hilled hundreds. About 400 World War I veterans living in camps there working on federal road projects and mosquito control projects in the Middle Keys were also killed. It was too expensive to restore the railroad. In 1938 The Federal Government rebuilt the rail lines as an automobile highway. Completed in 1938 it became an extension of the US Highway 1. The portion of US 1 running though the Keys is called the Overseas Highway.

Numerous artists and writers have come to the Keys but the two most associated with the island are Ernest Hemmingway and Tennessee Williams. Hemmingway reportedly wrote 2 novels “A Farewell to Arms” and “To Have and Have Not” while living in the Keys. The Ernest Hemingway House and Sloppy Joes Bar have become important tourist’s attractions. The Hemingway House is currently inhabited by six or seven toed polydactyl cats descended form Hemingway’s original pert named “Snowball”. The cats live on the grounds and are cared for by the Hemingway House even though the USDA complains about the number of them housed there. The Key West City Commission exempted the house from a law prohibiting more than four domestic animals per household.

Tennessee Williams is said to have written the first draft of “A Streetcar Named Desire” while staying at the La Concha Hotel. He bought a permanent house and listed Key West as his permanent residence. Williams’ home in the “unfashionable” New Town neighborhood is quite the contrast to the elegant Hemingway house. It is a very modest bungalow. The house is privately owned and is not open to the public. The Tenn4essee Williams Theatre is located on the campus of Florida Keys Community College on Stock Island.

Key West is much closer to Havana than to Miami. In 1890 it had a population of nearly 18,800 which made it the richest and biggest city in Florida. The population was nearly half Cuban descent and the city had a succession of Cuban mayors. Cubans were reportedly active in nearly 200 factories in town producing cigars.

The Battleship Maine was blown up after sailing from Key West to Havana which ignited the Spanish American War.

Pan American Airlines was founded in Key West to fly visitors to Havana.

John Kennedy used the phrase “90 miles to Cuba” in his speeches against Fidel Castro.

There were regular ferry and airplane services between Key West and Havana until the revelation in 1959. Refugees flooded into Key West during the Mariel Boatlift and continue to come across the dangerous stretch of waters.

In 1982 Key West and the rest of the Keys tried to declare independence and become the “Conch Republic” in a protest over US Border Patrol blockades. The blockade was set up in response to the Mariel Boatlift. This blockade created a 17 mile traffic jam when the Border Patrol stopped every car to search for illegal immigrants. The Florida Keys were virtually paralyzed as tourism nearly ground to a halt. Couch Republic flags and T shirts are still popular souvenirs for visitors. The Counch Republic Independence Celebration is celebrated each April 23.

Key West was always an important military post. At the beginning of World War II the Navy built the first water line extending the length of the Keys to serve the Naval Air Station. The main facility on Boca Chica is where the navy trains pilots. There are 3400 civilians and 16oo active duty military personnel along with family members. The area next to the old For Taylor became a submarine pen and was used for the Fleet Sonar School.

Kamyar Shah
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/key-west-florida-271927.html

What are some famous quotes from the founding fathers regarding the right to bear arms?

I already know that Jefferson said:

“The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.”

Isn’t there also a quote by one of the other founding fathers which states that your gun should be your constant companion? What about other famous quotes?

Looked this up when the Supreme Court ruling came out… here you go:
“No freeman shall ever be debarred the use of arms
[within his own lands or tenements].” (The Papers of
Thomas Jefferson 344 (J. Boyd ed. 1950)).

"When governments fear the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."
Thomas Jefferson (attributed without source)

"A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercise, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball and others of that nature are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be the constant companion of your walks."
Thomas Jefferson’s advice to his 15 year-old nephew

"Among the natural rights of the colonists are these: first, a right to life, secondly to liberty, thirdly to property; together with the right to defend them in the best manner they can."
Samuel Adams

"The said Constitution [shall] be never construed to authorize Congress to infringe the just liberty of the press, or the rights of conscience; or to prevent the people of the United States, who are peaceable citizens, from keeping their own arms."
Samuel Adams of Massachusetts — U.S. Constitution ratification convention, 1788

"(The Constitution preserves) the advantage of being armed which Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation…(where) the governments are afraid to trust the people with arms."
James Madison, The Federalist Number 46

Arms in the hands of individual citizens [may] be used at individual discretion…in private self-defense…"
John Adams, A Defense of the Constitution of Government of the United States of America, 1788

"Arms in the hands of the citizens may be used at individual discretion for the defense of the country, the overthrow of tyranny or private self-defense."
John Adams (1735-1826) Founding Father, 2nd US President

"The best we can hope for concerning the people at large, is that they be properly armed."
Alexander Hamilton

"The right of self-defense never ceases. It is among the most sacred, and alike necessary to nations and to individuals."
President James Monroe (November 16, 1818)

"A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined, but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government."
George Washington

"I ask sir, what is the militia? It is the whole body of the people except for a few public officials. To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them…"
George Mason

"Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! – I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"
Patrick Henry

"Are we at least brought to such a humiliating and debasing degradation, that we cannot be trusted with arms for our own defense? Where is the difference between having our arms in our possession and under our own direction, and having them under the management of Congress? If our defense be the real object of having those arms, in whose hands can they be trusted with more propriety, or equal safety to us, as in our own hands?"
Patrick Henry, 3 Elliot Debates 168-169.

"Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed; as they are in almost every kingdom in Europe."
Noah Webster – Author of America’s first dictionary. It is interesting to note, to this day, most of the Citizens of Europe are not allowed firearms except for hunting, and those are limited greatly.

"The balance of power is the scale of peace. The same balance would be preserved were all the world not destitute of arms, for all would be alike; but since some will not, others dare not lay them aside … Horrid mischief would ensue were one half the world deprived of the use of them … the weak will become prey to the strong."
Thomas Paine

Religion and the Constitution, Dr. LBaldwin2

Comments With Dr. James Haney Presents*Religion and the United States Constitution, with Dr. LBaldwin, Professor of Religion @ Vanderbilt University, and one of the foremost authorities on religion and the constitution, talks about some of the challenges faced by the founding fathers when they dealt with the issue of freedom and religion, and how the Declaration of Independence set the stage for the religious freedoms Americans enjoy today,Part 2,
I need your support to continue this site. Send me a donation at www.drjameshaney.com or write me at James Haney, P.O. Box 591, Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, 37121-0591. I appreciate any help you can give, drjhaney

Duration : 8 min 3 sec

Read more…

We The People – What Would Our Founding Fathers Do?

http://MeetTheTruth.com
Thomas Paine – Tea Party

Duration : 0:6:36

Read more…

How did our founding fathers attempt to preserve liberty and individual rights?

The German Government issued the following decree just prior to WW II: "Restrictions on personal liberty, on the right of free expression of opinion, including freedom of the press; on the rights of assembly and association and violations of the privacy of postal, telegraphic and telephonic communications and warrants for house searches, orders for confiscations as well as restrictions on property, are also permissible beyond the legal limits otherwise prescribed."
How did our founding fathers attempt to prohibit events such as this from occurring in the new United States when they drafted our constitution?

Actually, the Bill of Rights are where most of our protections are contained. 1st 10 amendments.

Can the Usa Break Free From Oil?

When the Founding Fathers of America declared its independence, they could not have imagined that, 232 years later, the United States would be so dependent on foreign countries before oil gushed from a well in Titusville, marking the beginning of the global oil economy.

For how long will America depend on foreign countries for oil?

 The US is literally sitting on a massive energy source this is because one quarter of the world’s coal reserves are located within the nation’s borders.

The US generated 3,940 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity in 2004, with more than half of the electricity coming from coal-fired power stations.

President Obama is not even the first president to promise that America will not rely anymore on countries of the Middle East to get oil. President George W Bush said the US was “addicted to oil” which threatens to undermine future economic growth, in one of his state of the union address.

Former President Bush said “I hope to move beyond a petroleum-based economy, and make our dependence on Middle Eastern oil a thing of the past”.

While president barrack Obama said, “The days of Washington dragging its heels are over and it will be my Administration’s policy to reverse our dependence on foreign oil while building a new energy economy that will create millions of jobs.”

In a move seen to bring a ray of hope to Americans on the oil issue, Speaking from the White House, the President on Monday announced that he was directing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reconsider an application by California and 13 other states to set stricter limits on greenhouse-gas emissions from cars and trucks, opening the way for tighter fuel efficiency standards nationwide.

Obama has an ambition of directing the Department of Transportation to issue guidelines that will ensure the U.S. auto fleet reaches an average fuel economy of 35 miles per gallon by 2020 at the latest; therefore, the directives signal Obama’s willingness to take on America’s disastrous auto sector, which is bleeding money even as it contributes heavily to climate change and the country’s addiction to foreign oil.

What America should do to get its oil?

- The government must first become independent of oil. It means giving drivers a choice between oil and other fuels.

- Ending oil dependence will require political leadership; the changes required to end oil dependence are far-reaching. Many current proposals are far too small. For the big change needed to solve this problem, presidential leadership is essential.

-  A keen analysis of the various policy and technology alternatives; plug-In-Cars, Biofuels, Fuel Efficiency, Coal, have effectively no impact on the transportation fleet in the short or immediate term unless more electric vehicles are invented.

Although the White House sees ethanol meeting up to 30% of the nation’s fuel use, it admits that it will take around 15 years to switch the nation’s cars to new technologies.

 The forecast of the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows that this figure will exceed 5,840TWh by 2030, with coal still being the dominant player. But coal is the most polluting of all fossil fuels.

 To tackle the environmental impact of burning coal, the president has earmarked a further $281m (£158m) for research into clean coal technology. With all these in mind it remains to be seen whether America will find its own oil.

Jeff
http://www.articlesbase.com/politics-articles/can-the-usa-break-free-from-oil-756161.html