December | 2025 | The Professor's Convatorium

I have been a big fan of Ken Burns and his many exceptional, award-winning historical documentaries on PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) over the last few decades. The biggest reason? He does not skimp or cheat his audiences from historical accuracy, historical facts, historical context, or how history always, always applies today. This is never more true than with modern history—everything after the end of the Middle Ages, c.1500 CE, to the present—and how much we Americans are still living it, in fact, it can never be ignored nor should it be. Ever!

∼ ∼ ∼ § ∼ ∼ ∼

“To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child. For what is the worth of human life, unless it is woven into the life of our ancestors by the records of history?”

— Marcus Tullius Cicero, circa 69 BCE

Cicero’s famous oratory as a Roman constitutionalist made him a statesman with no loyalties to either nobility, patrician, or plebian. He was a well-educated citizen for all the people of the empire. His work should echo in Washington, D.C. every single day and as far south as Palm Beach, Florida, and Mar-a-Lago.

Do Americans Know Enough About Their Own National History?

The short answer is no, and the age gaps are very telling: around 40% of older Americans (65+ years old) are able to show proficiency. Sadly, only 19–27% of those under the age of 45 showed proficiency in modern American history [Institute for Citizens & Scholars]. This translates to just 4-in-10 Americans passing basic history and civics tests (2019). And today it is worse, much worse. This has been an American downward trend the last several decades. To say that the United States has been raising and educating ignorant citizens of American history, not teaching their civic origins and/or their present livelihoods, is a gross understatement. “Houston, we have a problem,” a critical event-horizon problem.

Along with Heather Cox Richardson, David McCullough, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Eric Foner, the late Barbara Tuchman and many other American scholars, they and Ken Burns are deeply concerned and embarrassed about these disturbing facts of historical incompetency by our non-patriots, if you will. In fact, in his words Burns explains:

“I’m embarrassed that, as a country, we don’t grasp our history. Everyone approaches it from the arrogance of the position of how it turns out. We are all in the grip of the present, but if you point out the parallels, they are dated immediately. People are always trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.”

— Ken Burns, The Financial Times Dec. 28, 2025.

What Burns, Richardson, Goodwin, Foner, McCullough, and so many other top American expert historians are alarmed about is the same thing, the same alarm I’ve been sounding since at least 2010 not just here on WordPress, but in my school classrooms when I was a Social Studies/History teacher for several years here in Texas. Drawing from the past and present Ken Burns could not be more unambiguous in his current dismay of Americans. The parallels of his newest docuseries, The American Revolution on PBS, and speaks to current incompetence of our civic knowledge, duties, and privileges and how it applies right now, whether he intended it or not when making the series. He states:

“…President Donald Trump’s romanticising executive order signed earlier this year to remove “revisionist” interpretations in museums and on monuments that question the “unparalleled legacy of advancing liberty, individual rights and human happiness”.

Trump’s Department of Education has forged a partnership with more than 40 rightwing organisations, including the America First Policy Institute, Turning Point USA and the Heritage Foundation — “dedicated to renewing patriotism, strengthening civic knowledge, and advancing a shared understanding of America’s founding principles in schools across the nation” — as part of celebrations of America’s 250th anniversary in July. On the White House’s official America 250 website, Larry Arnn, president of the conservative Hillsdale College, compares Trump to Abraham Lincoln in his desire to make America great again.”

— Ken Burns, ibid.

Burns and most all American history scholars, myself humbly included, label our current buffoon in the White House as “an insult to our [American] history” and its authentic contextual history and verifiable facts. And I feel these words are too polite and obtuse for the fake President.

Should any of you like to revisit or read some of my WordPress blogs on this troubling subject, I recommend the following from older to newest:

The Mistaken Identity of the U.S.
It’s Corporate America, Not…
Conclusion: A New U.S. Constitution — 7-part series
Trump’s Cabinet Selections
Public Safety?
A Very Simple Question for Trump-Americans Today
Whining Too Much Too Late
A History of Propaganda, Psychology & Tyranny
Slavery, Not States’ Rights
Of Me, By Me, and For Me

There are several more to be listed, but this is just introductory and relative to your interest, time constraints, and possibly much more in-depth education on American history, civic privileges/duties, and an American sociopolitical landscape past and present.

Live Well – Love Much – Laugh Often – Learn Always Your Nation’s History!

One month after my Mom’s passing on November 3^rd, 2025, my wife Sandy accidentally fell the morning of (and half asleep going to the bathroom) December 3^rd, 2025, and fractured her hip. I was in the kitchen and Mom’s room, separate from our bedroom, and managed to hear her scream for me twice. When I open the door she’s on the floor in obvious pain and cannot get up.

A few hours later after she tried to stick it out and be tough, it was becoming too painful to even get up off the couch to go to the bathroom—she drinks a lot of water daily. I call the EMT’s and ambulance for a “lift assist” to try one more time because Sandy does indeed have a very high pain-threshold. When she was 14 years old her 5^th lumbar fell off the spinal column. Back surgery for hours then a body cast for 4-6 months I believe. Then years later her left hip required extensive repair, almost a total replacement. Again, immobile for several weeks. Let me tell you, this woman has the MOST determination, pain tolerance, and sense of humor needed that I’ve ever seen in a woman. It often amazes me how she does it.

Needless to say, Sandy was taken to the ER, x-rays done, then the following day the orthopedic surgeon said she needed repair surgery on her right hip. They scheduled it for the following day. Two and a half hours later, surgery done, she was moved from the O.R. to her surgery recovery floor and room for further treatment and rehab: physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT). Remarkably she began her PT/OT that same day! And she did very well; the staff was impressed.

Now today she is scheduled to be discharged to the rehab facility next week for further rehab… for a number of weeks—it depends on her progress there. To be determined.

Anyway, I’m letting everyone know here on WordPress that I am going to be out-of-pocket some more dealing with all the hospital stuff such as insurance, Sandy’s recovery, visitations to her, etc., etc., while also still dealing with Mom’s after-events from her death, like Social Security benefits, her estate, her probate, her testamentary, a possible probate attorney for all this due to my psychotic sister and her obsessive demand for money, basically doing my required duties as Mom’s Executor and Trustee. Then of course there is all the other daily, weekly tasks of life that must be done; paying bills, taking care of Dwain(?), and anything else I’m forgetting… which I will forget. 🙄 Therefore, this is also an update of my goings on if anyone is interested.

By the way, Sandy loves cats (header image), but especially black cats with gold eyes, like her “Bob” back in Chattanooga, Tennessee. That’s the purpose of those furry felines. 😉

Until later sometime, again…

Live Well – Love Much – Laugh Often – Learn Always