America Through an Old Man's Eyes... This book is a collection of essays, written over a period of approximately six months. The series begins with an essay entitled An Introduction – We the People, is a summary of what the author recalls from his high school civics class. The introductory essay recalls the structure of our constitutional republic as envisioned by America’s Founding Fathers. Essay (1) Kickin’ the Can examines the Great Compromise as the creation of a critical fault in the foundation of the nation. Essays (2) Facts and Myths, (3) A Remembrance of Devotion, (4) Knowledge Is Power, and (5) The Arrogance of Certainty explore the cultural and political forces that pulled mercilessly at the fabric of the young nation and ultimately resulted in the American Civil War. Essays (6) Reason and Emotion, (7) The Enslavement of Africans, (7A) The International Trade and the Middle Passage, (8) Chattel Slavery in America, and (9) White Fear examine the origins of racism in America, the scope of the international slave trade and the extraordinary efforts undertaken by southern white society to maintain control over their enslaved blacks. Essays (10) The Resulting War, (11) Reconstruction and (12) Jim Crow and the Civil Rights Acts provide a panoramic overview of the American Civil War, as well as the brief glimmer of the freedom enjoyed by the recently emancipated slaves before democracy once again disappeared beneath the weight of the passage of the Jim Crow Laws. Essay (12) also examines the social unrest of the 60s and the resulting Civil Rights Acts. Essays (13) Trust and the Federalist Society, (14) The Problem With Originalism, and (14A) The Masquerade Ball examine, in detail, the effects of the injection of millions of dollars to fund the effort to subvert the judiciary (both state and federal) in America. Essay (15) Devotion and Delusion explores the vulnerability of those Americans whose strong religious and political views overlap to such an extent that their emotions subdue their intellect, making them vulnerable to the influence of others. Essay (16) The Grand Illusion examines the collective efforts by ultra-conservatives to distract voters in an attempt to gain support for a movement away from democracy and toward totalitarianism. Essay (17) Baloney? identifies some of the oligarchs who donated large sums of money to Donald Trump’s campaign and provides publicly available information regarding donor names and the amounts donated. It was essentially the author’s warning of the impending chaos related to the 2024 Presidential Election. Essay (18) A Devotion to Duty is a tribute to the devotion of all those who served in defense of American values throughout history in all conflicts. The author pays particular attention to his uncle and the entire six-man crew of their B26 bomber, which disappeared over the Gulf of Mexico during a training flight in 1944. Essay (19) The Dangers of Deification discusses some of the less well know aspects of the life of Thomas Jefferson and warns of the danger of “glossing over” the humanity of the Founding Fathers. They were indeed the most forward-thinking men of their day, but the author asserts that it’s a mistake to elevate them to sainthood. Essay (20) The Subjugation of the Republic is a warning of what is to come in America as an unprincipled man, under the guidance of a think-tank devoted to fascism, works with speed to undermine America’s democracy. Essay (21) Racism, Homophobia and Misogyny is a discussion of the topics that the author believes to be the most destructive and reprehensible views that exist in American society. Essay (22) My Former Friend (MFF) and Me is intended to motivate those who believe that they understand the teachings of Jesus Christ to examine their own beliefs and evaluate their behavior against what HE taught during his time here on Earth.