BACKGROUND – THE RIGHT TO COUNSEL In June, 1961, Clarence Earl Gideon was charged with a felony for allegedly burglarizing a pool hall in Panama City, Florida. At his first trial, he was denied his request for a court-appointed attorney. Prosecutors produced witnesses who saw Gideon outside the pool hall near the time of the…

An 1851 poster warning of police acting as slave catchers I’ve continued to read The New York Times magazine of August 18, 2019—The 1619 Project. One of the poems contained in the project is a redacted version of the first Fugitive Slave Act, signed into law on February 12, 1793 by George Washington. Below is a replication…

I’ve just returned from a two-week writing retreat conducted by one of my favorite authors, Natalie Goldberg, who is most well-known for her book, Writing Down the Bones, but has also authored many other incredible books about writing practice. During the retreat, she shared this poem, “The Blue-Green Stream” by Wang Wei (699–759), a Chinese poet, musician, painter, and politician…

Independence Day commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776.  Although the vote for independence took place on July 2nd, the Continental Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence two days later. The tradition of setting off fireworks on the 4th of July began in Philadelphia on July 4, 1777, during the first…