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Timothy A. Duskin

Timothy A. Duskin is an independent historian, writer, and researcher from Northern Virginia. He earned a B.A. degree in History from American Christian College, Tulsa, Oklahoma, and an M.A. degree in International Relations from the University of Oklahoma. He worked for 22 years as an Archives Technician at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. He has also worked as an Archivist for the Naval History and Heritage Command at the Washington Navy Yard, as a Writer for the U.S. Taxpayers Alliance in Vienna, Virginia, and as a Research Assistant for the Plymouth Rock Foundation in Plymouth, Massachusetts. He has a strong interest in and devotion to history and is active in a number of historical organizations.

The War with Mexico Blog

The War with Mexico

There were five wars for independence in the history of North America (i.e., Anglo America). The first was the American Revolutionary War, or War for American Independence (1775-1783). In that war, the United States of America won their independence from Great Britain. The second was the War of 1812 (1812-1815), also known as the Second War for Independence, because the…
Timothy A. Duskin
September 2, 2026
America: Made in Virginia Blog

America: Made in Virginia

Virginia was the first, the largest, and the most populous of the original thirteen British colonies in North America. Even before 1776, Virginia was moving toward republican institutions. During the period from the 1730s through the 1750s, power there shifted from the appointed Council to the elected House of Burgesses. As well as the large planters, the small farmers were…
Timothy A. Duskin
July 2, 2026
Tennessee Johnson Blog

Tennessee Johnson

Tennessee Johnson, DVD, directed by William Dieterle (1942; Burbank, CA: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, 2020). In the golden age of Hollywood, biographical dramas were a big draw at the box office. One that was not, however, was Tennessee Johnson, based on the life of Andrew Johnson, the 17th President of the United States. These movies took some liberties with the…
Timothy A. Duskin
October 27, 2025
Muslim Slavery Blog

Muslim Slavery

The following remarks were delivered at the fourth annual Jefferson Davis Conference at Mount Crawford, Virginia on June 27, 2024. When we hear about slavery, what do we hear about it? We hear that it was invented by white people when they enslaved black people. Actually, slavery has been in the world since the beginning of recorded history. Historian John…
Timothy A. Duskin
September 2, 2024
A Southern Christmas Carol Blog

A Southern Christmas Carol

During the Advent, or Christmas, season, I enjoy hearing and singing Advent hymns, or Christmas carols, which celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I always look forward to this every year. One which I enjoy hearing and singing was written in Northern Virginia, where I am from and where I live. The Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary…
Timothy A. Duskin
December 22, 2023
Stephens’ Reflections on the “Cornerstone Speech” Blog

Stephens’ Reflections on the “Cornerstone Speech”

Rod O’Barr’s recent blog “The So-Called ‘Cornerstone Speech’” The So-Called “Cornerstone Speech” – Abbeville Institute is really excellent. Over the years, the so-called “Cornerstone Speech” by Confederate Vice President Alexander H. Stephens has been cited as proof positive that slavery was the cause of the Confederacy. Rod O’Barr did a good job of debunking that, but he omitted one other…
Timothy A. Duskin
September 8, 2023
What Should Be Removed from Arlington National Cemetery? Blog

What Should Be Removed from Arlington National Cemetery?

The Naming Commission of the Department of Defense has made the ill-considered determination to remove Moses Ezekiel’s monument from Arlington National Cemetery. It leads one to wonder if they even know who he was. Moses Ezekiel was the first Jewish cadet to be admitted to the Virginia Military Institute (VMI). After his graduation, he went to Europe and became a…
Timothy A. Duskin
May 17, 2023
America’s Most Embattled Emblem Blog

America’s Most Embattled Emblem

A review of John M. Coski, The Confederate Battle Flag: America’s Most Embattled Emblem. (Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2005). John M. Coski received his Ph.D. in history at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia in 1987. He was a historian at the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, Virginia from 1988 until it merged with…
Timothy A. Duskin
March 22, 2023
It’s Washington’s Birthday, Not President’s Day Blog

It’s Washington’s Birthday, Not President’s Day

Cindy L. Arbelbide, a historian of holidays, has written, “Historic dates, like stepping stones, create a footpath through our heritage. Experienced by one generation and recalled by those to come, it is through these annual recollections that our heritage is honored.” The celebration of the birthday of George Washington began during his lifetime and continued after his death. He was…
Timothy A. Duskin
February 22, 2023
Attacking George Washington Blog

Attacking George Washington

In yet another attack on American history and heritage, the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. is changing the name of their sports team, which is known as the Colonials. GW Today, the University’s official online news source, reported, “The George Washington University Board of Trustees has decided to discontinue the use of the Colonials moniker based on the recommendation…
Timothy A. Duskin
July 20, 2022
They Also Arrived in Bondage Blog

They Also Arrived in Bondage

Tommie D. Boudreau, chairwoman of the African American Heritage Committee of the Galveston Historical Foundation in Galveston, Texas, recently stated that the Juneteenth national commemoration “gives an accurate picture of United States history because so much has not been shared. African Americans are the only immigrants that were forced to come to America – or the colonies. This gives people…
Timothy A. Duskin
June 13, 2022
Did Slavery End on June 19th? Blog

Did Slavery End on June 19th?

After the end of the War Between the States, the Union army established the District of Texas under the command of Major General Gordon Granger. The Emancipation Proclamation had been enforced by the Union army in every other state of the Confederate States of America which it had occupied. Texas escaped Union occupation during the war and the Union army…
Timothy A. Duskin
May 10, 2021
An Okie From Muskogee Blog

An Okie From Muskogee

As someone who grew up during the decade of the 1960’s, I am paying attention when I hear those on the Left talking of the events which took place 50 years ago. I was born in Dallas, Texas, but my family moved to Fairfax County, Virginia, when I was four. I lived in Northern Virginia during that decade. At the…
Timothy A. Duskin
July 8, 2019