A Case Study Of Educating: Fill & Download for Free

Top 50 nursing school in Southeast United States…as per QS RANKING…are mentioned below:#1: Duke University | Durham, NCThe National League for Nursing (NLN) has twice designated Duke University a Center of Excellence (COE): in 2013 for promoting the pedagogical expertise of faculty, and in 2015 for enhancing student learning and professional development. The School of Nursing consistently ranks among the highest in the nation among U.S. News & World Report’s top master of science in nursing (MSN) programs, and it was the first school in North Carolina to offer the doctor of nursing practice degree. Duke also graduates 130-150 students each year from its accelerated bachelor of science in nursing program, who have passed the NCLEX exam at a stellar rate of 98% since 2010.#2: Emory University | Atlanta, GAThe Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University is home to approximately 600 students enrolled in BSN, ABSN, MSN, PhD, and DNP programs. The university is consistently ranked among the top ten graduate nursing schools by U.S. News & World Report, including a number of highly rated specialty programs. At the undergraduate level, Emory produces approximately 200 BSN graduates annually who have passed the NCLEX-RN examination at a 90% rate since 2008. The nursing school has an impressive 82% employment rate immediately after graduation, and students have landed positions at more than 500 diverse clinical sites nationwide.#3: Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center | New Orleans, LAThe LSU Health School of Nursing is an NLN Center of Excellence for promoting the pedagogical expertise of faculty. Undergraduate students can select from a traditional four-year BSN, an RN-to-BSN degree completion program, and the Career Alternative RN Education (CARE) pathway. The CARE BSN is designed for individuals who have previously earned a bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing field. The university’s prelicensure BSN students have averaged a 96% NCLEX pass rate over the past decade, including an astonishing nine consecutive years at a 95% pass rate or higher. At the graduate level, LSU Health offers two MSN specializations (clinical nurse leader, nurse educator), an impressive 11 distinct DNP concentrations, and the unique Doctor of Nursing Science degree program.#4: Samford University | Birmingham, ALThe Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing at Samford University is home to more than 700 nursing students. The undergraduate BSN program offers four education pathways, including a traditional four-year degree, standard and accelerated versions of the second-degree program, and a unique Veterans’ BSN. In total, Samford graduates over 100 newly minted RNs annually. These BSN students have passed the NCLEX exam at a 94% first-try rate over the past eight years, including an incredible 99% pass rate for the class of 2015. Samford’s graduate nursing curriculum includes specialty programs for family nursing practice, health systems and administration, nursing anesthesia, and nurse education.#5: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, NCThe UNC School of Nursing was the first in the state to offer a four-year BSN, an MSN degree, a nurse practitioner (NP) program, and a doctor of philosophy (PhD) in nursing. The school, which also offers RN-to-BSN, DNP, and post-master’s certificate programs, ranks near the top 20 in the nation on two separate U.S. News & World Report lists (best MSN programs, best DNP programs). The traditional BSN program graduates a class of approximately 175 students annually, who have passed the NCLEX licensure exam at a rate of 96% since 2010.#6: East Carolina University | Greenville, NCEast Carolina University has garnered multiple designations as an NLN COE over the last few years. The ECU College of Nursing offers traditional BSN, accelerated BSN (ABSN), and RN-to-BSN pathways, plus the innovative Eastern North Carolina Regionally Increasing Baccalaureate Nurses program. This initiative dually admits students to ECU and one of six local community colleges that partner with the university. The College of Nursing’s 250 annual BSN graduates consistently pass the NCLEX exam at a rate of 96% or better, including a phenomenal 98% pass rate during 2015. ECU also offers a breadth of graduate nursing options including MSN, DNP, and PhD programs.#7: Medical University of South Carolina | Charleston, SCMUSC College of Nursing is ranked #3 in the nation among online graduate nursing programs by U.S. News & World Report. The school offers MSN, DNP, and nursing science PhD programs, all of which can be completed predominantly online with just a few required visits to campus. MUSC also offers an online RN-to-BSN degree completion program and an on-campus, 16-month accelerated BSN. Nearly 600 students attend MUSC College of Nursing in total, and approximately 100-150 students graduate from the ABSN program in two cohorts annually. These graduates have enjoyed a stellar NCLEX exam pass rate of 94% over the past decade.#8: University of Miami | Coral Gables, FLThe University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies (SONHS) will soon host one of the nation’s first education-based simulation hospitals. The school historically ranks in the top 25 nationwide in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding among nursing schools. A member of the respected UHealth family, SONHS offers BSN, ABSN, RN-to-BSN, MSN, DNP, and PhD degrees in many specializations. Post-master’s certificates are also on the menu. SONHS graduates 160-200 students annually from its flagship prelicensure BSN program. During the 2010-16 time period, more than 94% of these students passed the NCLEX-RN licensure exam on their first try.#9: University of North Carolina at Greensboro | Greensboro, NCThe UNCG School of Nursing has earned multiple COE designations from the National League for Nursing in recent years. The school offers three undergraduate pathways: traditional four-year BSN, RN-to-BSN, and BSN as a second degree. UNCG graduates close to 100 prelicensure BSN students annually, who have achieved a strong NCLEX exam pass rate of 91% since 2010. The school’s online MSN program is ranked near the top 50 nationwide by U.S. News & World Report. UNCG also offers a dual MSN / master of business administration (MBA) degree and very selective DNP and PhD programs.#10: University of Florida | Gainesville, FLUF College of Nursing is the oldest baccalaureate and graduate nursing school in Florida. The university launched the state’s first NP program and its first BSN-to-PhD track. Currently, UF offers BSN, ABSN, and RN-to-BSN programs to approximately 700 undergraduate students. Graduates of the BSN program have passed the NCLEX-RN exam at a remarkable rate of 93% from 2010-2016. The College of Nursing also educates 370 graduate nursing students, offering BSN and MSN entry points to both its DNP and PhD programs. Specialization certificates can be earned in nurse education and five nurse practitioner fields.#11: Vanderbilt University | Nashville, TNVanderbilt University School of Nursing focuses solely on graduate nursing study. The university offers traditional and direct-entry MSN programs, 11 distinct post-master’s certificates for aspiring advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), and two doctoral options (DNP and PhD). The direct-entry MSN program graduates approximately 150 new nurses annually who have passed the NCLEX exam at a 93% first-try rate over the past decade. Vanderbilt’s APRN specialties run the gamut from family nurse practitioner to nurse-midwifery to nursing informatics. The MSN program also partners with Vanderbilt Divinity School to offer two innovative dual degrees.#12: University of Virginia | Charlottesville, VAThe University of Virginia School of Nursing was recently ranked among the top four percent of nursing schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The school offers an impressive breadth of program options, including prelicensure BSN, RN-to-BSN, seven distinct MSN tracks, two DNP entry points, and a PhD in nursing science. UVA graduates two BSN classes each spring: one of approximately 90 students on the main Charlottesville campus, and one of 15-25 students from the College at Wise. Both cohorts have maintained approximately a 90% NCLEX pass rate over the past five years. UVA’s direct-entry clinical nurse leader students have performed even better on the licensure exam, with a 93% NCLEX pass rate over the past five years and a perfect pass rate in 2017.#13: Virginia Commonwealth University | Richmond, VAThe VCU School of Nursing boasts a state-of-the-art Clinical Learning Center with a skills lab and two intensive care simulation suites. The center was recognized in 2010 as a Laerdal Center of Educational Excellence. VCU also provides nursing students with 45,000 square feet of classrooms, auditoriums, and research laboratories. The university offers three BSN pathways (traditional, accelerated, RN completion), five MSN concentrations, and both doctoral nursing degrees (DNP and PhD). VCU graduates approximately 150 prelicensure BSN students each year, who have passed the NCLEX exam at an impressive 93% first-try rate over the past decade.#14: University of Kentucky | Lexington, KYThe University of Kentucky College of Nursing created the nation’s first DNP program and Kentucky’s first nursing PhD program. UK was also the first nurse researcher in the U.S. to be awarded a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) grant. Home to more than 1,400 students, the college provides four BSN pathways: traditional, second degree, MedVet-to-BSN, and RN-to-BSN. Over the last decade, UK’s 160-180 annual BSN graduates have enjoyed an astonishing 97% NCLEX pass rate, including three consecutive years of 99% or higher. The college also offers graduate certificate programs in four nurse practitioner specialties, clinical nurse specialist, and populations and organizational systems leadership.#15: University of Alabama at Birmingham | Birmingham, ALUAB School of Nursing is nationally ranked among the top three percent of nursing schools by U.S. News & World Report. The school provides several unique opportunities for veterans, Peace Corps volunteers, and nurse practitioner students who plan to provide primary care in one of Alabama’s rural counties upon graduation. UAB offers two BSN entry points (traditional, ADN) and two MSN entry points (BSN, second degree), as well as DNP and PhD programs. The school’s traditional BSN program has more than 250 graduates annually, and they are well prepared for their licensure exams, tallying a 93% NCLEX pass rate over the past eight years.#16: University of North Carolina at Charlotte | Charlotte, NCThe UNC Charlotte School of Nursing achieved a 92% NCLEX pass rate among its 2016 BSN graduates. Just as impressively, August 2015 graduates of the adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner (AG-ACNP) MSN track achieved a 100% pass rate on their certification exam. In addition to traditional BSN, MSN, and DNP degrees, UNC Charlotte leads an interdisciplinary, collaborative PhD program in the College of Health and Human Services. The school also offers an online RN-to-BSN completion program, an RIBN option in partnership with local community colleges, and several post-master’s and graduate certificates.#17: Mercer University | Atlanta, GAGeorgia Baptist College of Nursing is part of Mercer University. The school consists of two campuses: an Atlanta campus where the main nursing college is located, and a Macon campus where students take pre-nursing coursework. Georgia Baptist offers two BSN pathways (traditional, RN-to-BSN), two MSN tracks (adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner, family nurse practitioner), and two doctoral degrees with a hybrid online format (DNP, PhD). The college is the second-largest Baptist-affiliated institution in the world, with access to more than 30 clinical sites for valuable hands-on experience. Georgia Baptist graduates 120-140 prelicensure BSN students each year, who have achieved a superior 94% NCLEX exam pass rate over the past decade.#18: Marymount University | Arlington, VAThe Malek School of Health Professions houses the Marymount University nursing department. Each year, approximately 50 students graduate from the school’s traditional BSN program, and roughly 100 students complete the accelerated BSN program. Across these two pathways, graduates have passed the NCLEX-RN licensure exam at a strong 90% rate over the past decade. Marymount University also offers a hybrid online RN-to-BSN program, an MSN degree with a family nurse practitioner focus, and an online DNP program that requires just one on-campus component per semester. Clinical experiences and internships take place at some of Virginia’s leading healthcare organizations.#19: Belmont University | Nashville, TNBelmont University’s School of Nursing has program options for students new to nursing, RNs looking to complete their baccalaureate education, and seasoned nurses seeking career advancement. Undergraduate offerings include a traditional four-year BSN, an accelerated BSN, and an RN-to-BSN program. Belmont graduates 100-150 prelicensure BSN students each spring, who have posted an impressive first-time NCLEX pass rate of 91% over the past decade. Graduate options include MSN, post-bachelor’s DNP, and post-master’s DNP programs. The School of Nursing provides several innovative opportunities in its curriculum, include the Cambodia Study Abroad Program and the Nursing Christian Fellowship.#20: James Madison University | Harrisonburg, VAThe School of Nursing at James Madison University has a number of unique offerings for nursing students, including international study abroad opportunities in Costa Rica, Spain, Tanzania, and Malta. JMU offers a broad range of nursing programs, from traditional BSN and RN-to-BSN pathways to MSN and DNP degrees. A chronic illness minor is also on the menu. Undergraduates have posted a stellar 92% pass rate on the NCLEX-RN national licensure exam over the past decade. JMU’s graduate nursing students can pursue concentrations in clinical nurse leader, nurse administrator, nurse midwifery, and three nurse practitioner roles (adult / gerontology primary care, family, psychiatric mental health).#21: University of South Carolina | Columbia, SCThe USC College of Nursing has the #5 online graduate nursing program in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report. USC’s graduate nursing curriculum includes several MSN, post-master’s certificate, and DNP specializations – all delivered online – as well as an on-campus PhD program with flexible scheduling and tuition support. At the undergraduate level, the College of Nursing offers a traditional four-year nursing degree and an online RN-to-BSN pathway. USC produces the largest number of prelicensure BSN graduates in the state with approximately 200 annually, or roughly 20% of the statewide total. These newly minted nurses have passed the NCLEX exam at a rate of 92% or higher in each of the past seven years, including a stellar 98% pass rate in 2017.#22: George Mason University | Fairfax, VAGeorge Mason’s College of Health and Human Services houses the 40-year-old School of Nursing. The school has produced so many successful graduates that one in three nurses practicing in the DC metropolitan area is a GMU alumnus. Baccalaureate pathways include traditional BSN, accelerated second-degree BSN, RN-to-BSN, and two co-enrollment programs. The ABSN program has maintained an impressive 95% first-time pass rate on the NCLEX licensure exam since its recent launch. GMU also offers MSN concentrations for nurse educators, nurse practitioners, and nursing administrators; an RN-to-MSN bridge program; post-master’s certificates in nursing education and family psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner; and both types of nursing doctoral programs (DNP and PhD).#23: University of North Carolina at Wilmington | Wilmington, NCThe UNC Wilmington School of Nursing has 1,000 current students and more than 2,100 alumni in North Carolina alone. Undergraduates can pursue a traditional prelicensure BSN, an online RN-to-BSN program, or a unique Bachelor of Science in Clinical Research degree – one of just four such programs in the United States. UNC Wilmington’s prelicensure BSN students have enjoyed a 94% NCLEX pass rate since 2010, with a stellar 98% pass rate in 2015. The school’s graduate offerings include an MSN with FNP focus, a Master of Science in Clinical Research degree, post-master’s FNP and NED certificates, and a newly launched DNP program.#24: Clemson University | Clemson, SCThe College of Behavioral, Social, and Health Sciences is home to Clemson University’s School of Nursing, which has twice earned the prestigious designation as an NLN Center of Excellence. Clemson offers three pathways at the undergraduate level: a traditional BSN, an accelerated BSN, and an RN-to-BSN completion program. Approximately 100 prelicensure students graduate annually, and they have consistently scored an NCLEX-RN pass rate of 90-96% for at least ten consecutive years. The graduate nursing department offers four MSN tracks: family nurse practitioner, adult-gerontology nurse practitioner, nursing administration, and nursing education. Clemson recently launched an online post-master’s DNP program, and it also teaches an innovative PhD in healthcare genetics.#25: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences | Little Rock, ARThe UAMS College of Nursing provides education to more than 600 nursing students. It is the only Arkansas university with four distinct programs – BSN, MSN, APRN certificates, and DNP – all maximally accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The college also offers two degree completion tracks (RN-to-BSN, RN-to-BSN-to-MSN) and the state’s only nursing PhD program. Each spring, UAMS graduates 100-175 BSN students who perform very strongly on the licensure exam, including an NCLEX pass rate of 91% over the past ten years.#26: University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa, ALThe University of Alabama is home to the Capstone College of Nursing (CCN), which educates nearly 1,800 students in total. More than 1,240 students are enrolled in CCN’s traditional BSN program. Graduates of this program have performed extremely well on the NCLEX-RN exam, posting a 95% pass rate over the past eight years. Another 170 CCN students take advantage of the school’s unique RN mobility program, which includes RN-to-BSN and RN-to-BSN-to-MSN options. The rest are enrolled in MSN, DNP, and doctorate in nursing education (EdD) programs. CCN’s MSN programs prepare nurses for APRN, CNL, and case management roles.#27: Western Carolina University | Cullowhee, NCThe School of Nursing at Western Carolina University offers a breadth of nursing pathways. Options include four BSN programs (traditional, accelerated, online RN-to-BSN, and RIBN), an MSN degree, post-MSN certificates, and a DNP program in nurse anesthesia. Graduates of the traditional and accelerated BSN programs have achieved a phenomenal 98% first-time NCLEX pass rate since 2010. The RIBN program provides students with a seamless four-year, associate-to-baccalaureate nursing education. Unlike in a traditional BSN program, RIBN students have the opportunity to begin working as an RN at the start of their fourth year. The MSN program has specialty tracks in family nurse practitioner, nurse educator, and nursing leadership, with the final two options offered online.#28: Georgia State University | Atlanta, GAGeorgia State University is home to the Byrdine F. Lewis School of Nursing and Health Professions. The school offers its nursing students more than 200 clinical practice sites, including trauma / intensive care wards, long-term care facilities, and home care services. Georgia State has traditional, accelerated, and degree completion pathways to the BSN degree. The BSN program’s 120-140 annual prelicensure graduates have posted a strong NCLEX-RN pass rate of 91% over the past decade. Graduate nursing students can pursue four NP specialties (adult health, pediatrics, family, psychiatric-mental health), an adult-gerontology CNS degree, or a focus on nursing leadership in healthcare innovations.#29: Bellarmine University | Louisville, KYThe Donna and Allan Lansing School of Nursing and Clinical Sciences offers both a traditional four-year BSN and an accelerated second degree pathway. The school graduates 130-150 BSN students each year, who have scored an impressive 94% first-time pass rate on the NCLEX licensure exam over the past decade. The graduate nursing department offers an MSN with tracks in education, administration, and family nursing practice; an MSN/MBA dual degree; and a DNP with focuses in advanced nursing practice and executive leadership. Bellarmine offers study abroad programs in Australia and Sweden, service learning experiences in Appalachia and Guatemala, and overseas volunteer missions.#30: Nova Southeastern University | Fort Lauderdale, FLNova Southeastern University’s College of Nursing enrolls more than 1,300 students from coast to coast. Nursing programs are offered at the university’s primary campus in Fort Lauderdale, through satellite campuses in Miami and Fort Myers, and online. The prelicensure BSN program graduates 150-250 new nurses each year, who have passed the NCLEX exam at rates as high as 91% in recent years. NSU also offers RN-to-BSN and RN-to-MSN bridge programs through its undergraduate nursing department. Graduate nursing students can pursue three nonclinical MSN tracks, two clinical MSN tracks for aspiring nurse practitioners, an online DNP, or a PhD focused on nursing education.#31: Old Dominion University | Norfolk, VAThe School of Nursing is the largest of five professional schools in ODU’s College of Health Sciences. In addition to BSN, MSN, DNP, and graduate certificate programs, the school offers a unique concurrent enrollment option. This pathway enables qualified students to complete associate in applied science (AAS) requirements, take the NCLEX-RN exam, and then earn the BSN degree with just one or two additional semesters of study. ODU’s annual graduating class of 60-90 BSN students has consistently earned high marks on the NCLEX licensure examination, with 90% passing on the first attempt over the last decade.#32: Georgia College | Milledgeville, GAGeorgia College graduates approximately 100 students from its prelicensure BSN program each year. These students have posted consistently excellent scores on the NCLEX licensure exam, with a cumulative 96% pass rate since 2008. The School of Nursing also offers an RN-to-BSN degree completion program, two MSN majors (FNP and NED), a post-master’s FNP certificate, and a post-master’s DNP that can be completed in just five semesters of fulltime study. The DNP program is offered in an online, executive-style format with minimal campus requirements.#33: University of Central Florida | Orlando, FLThe UCF College of Nursing is a recognized leader in online education. The school’s online MSN program recently ranked among the top three in Florida and the top 50 in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report. UCF offers six distinct MSN tracks: three NP specialties, nursing leadership, healthcare simulation, and nurse education. Several of these tracks are also offered to DNP students. For undergraduates, UCF provides five BSN pathways including a Medical Enlisted Commissioning Program (MECP) for active-duty military students. BSN graduates routinely perform well on the licensure exam, with a phenomenal 96% NCLEX pass rate from 2010-2016.#34: Union University | Jackson, TNThe Union University School of Nursing offers well more than 15 different nursing programs. Undergraduates can pursue five pathways to a BSN degree: traditional, accelerated, LPN-to-BSN, RN-to-BSN, and a unique First Step to BSN program which helps adult students with few college credits earn their degree. The school graduates 130-140 prelicensure BSN students annually who have passed the NCLEX exam at a 93% rate since 2010, well above state and national averages. Union’s graduate nursing students can pursue one of six MSN tracks, six DNP tracks, or seven graduate certificates in nursing.#35: Jefferson College of Health Sciences | Roanoke, VAJefferson College of Health Sciences is the oldest hospital-based college in Virginia and an academic pillar of Carilion Clinic. Undergraduate students can select from two prelicensure programs (traditional and accelerated) and an online RN-to-BSN program. The traditional program follows a four-year curriculum, while the accelerated program is a 16-month track for students who hold a baccalaureate degree in a non-nursing discipline. Traditional BSN students have achieved a solid 87% NCLEX pass rate since the program’s launch, while accelerated BSN students have posted an excellent 93% NCLEX pass rate. The School of Graduate and Professional Studies offers an MSN degree with family nurse practitioner and nursing administration tracks.#36: Radford University | Radford, VARadford University School of Nursing has an average enrollment of over 600 students. Approximately 300 are in the lower division, 280 are in the upper division, and more than 50 are in the doctoral program. The school offers a traditional BSN degree at two campus locations (Radford and Roanoke), a 100% online RN-to-BSN program, and DNP concentrations in family nurse practitioner, nurse executive leadership, and psychiatric mental health. BSN graduates perform exceedingly well on the licensure exam: the main Radford campus has posted a 95% NCLEX pass rate since 2013, while Roanoke students have passed the exam at a 94% rate. The university’s DNP program is specifically tailored towards rural care scenarios.#37: Lincoln Memorial University | Harrogate, TNLMU’s Caylor School of Nursing offers programs across seven physical sites and a robust online platform. The school’s main campus in Harrogate offers ASN, BSN, and MSN programs. Three satellite locations offer ASN programs only: Alcoa, TN; Corbin, KY; and Physicians Regional Medical Center in Knoxville, TN. The Cedar Bluff site in Knoxville offers LMU’s BSN and MSN programs, while the Kingsport Center for Higher Education offers just the MSN program. A partnership with Florida Hospital provides accelerated ASN and BSN programs in Tampa, while the online platform delivers the school’s RN-to-BSN and DNP programs. LMU students from all campuses perform well on their licensure exams. Over the past five years, 92% of BSN students and 91% of ASN students have passed the NCLEX-RN exam on their first attempt.#38: Southern Adventist University | Collegedale, TNSouthern Adventist University’s School of Nursing is housed in Florida Hospital Hall, a state-of-the-art center for nursing education. The school’s prelicensure pathways are a traditional ASN degree and an LPN-to-RN bridge program. Over the past decade, graduates of these associate’s degree programs have maintained an 88% first-time pass rate on the NCLEX licensure exam. Registered nurses seeking further education can pursue an RN-to-BSN or RN-to-MSN completion program. The graduate nursing department leads MSN and DNP programs with numerous emphasis areas, including several NP roles. The School of Nursing offers a unique option in alternating years that allows students to begin clinical nursing classes during the summer months.#39: Florida State University | Tallahassee, FLThe FSU College of Nursing launched Florida’s first nationally accredited baccalaureate nursing degree program. Today, the college offers the latest BSN options, including an accelerated second-degree program and a Veterans BSN that started in January 2016. The College of Nursing produces over 80 BSN graduates each year, and these students passed the NCLEX-RN licensure exam at a strong 92% rate from 2010 to 2016. FSU graduate students can pursue an MSN, DNP, or graduate certificate in popular specializations like nurse educator, nurse leader, and psychiatric mental health. The vast majority of graduate instruction is delivered online.#40: Loyola University New Orleans | New Orleans, LAThe School of Nursing at Loyola University New Orleans is home to more than 650 students. Loyola offers its BSN, MSN, and DNP degree programs entirely online. The BSN offering, launched in 2010, is an RN completion program that requires just 121 credit hours to earn a baccalaureate degree. Loyola’s MSN program focuses on healthcare systems management; it includes a Bridge to Leadership Education for Nurses at a Distance (BLEND) option for RNs with non-nursing bachelor’s degrees. The DNP curriculum has nurse practitioner and executive nurse leader tracks, with entry points for both BSN-educated and MSN-educated nurses.#41: University of Tennessee, Knoxville | Knoxville, TNThe UT College of Nursing enrolls approximately 750 students across its academic programs. Seventy percent of these students pursue a BSN degree through one of three pathways: a traditional four-year program, an accelerated 12-month option, or an RN-to-BSN completion program. UT’s 100-plus BSN graduates are well-prepared for the NCLEX exam, achieving a 93% pass rate over the past decade. The remaining thirty percent of nursing students pursue an MSN, DNP, or PhD degree. UT’s graduate nursing department offers concentrations for aspiring nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, nurse anesthetists, and nursing administrators. Students have the opportunity to participate in the school’s International Outreach Program, which includes an immersive service mission to Costa Rica.#42: AdventHealth University | Orlando, FLAdventHealth University (AHU) works closely with AdventHealth Orlando, one of Central Florida’s largest hospitals, to give students the clinical experience and world-class facilities that only a major medical center can provide. In fact, AdventHealth Orlando is the largest of more than 590 healthcare facilities operated worldwide by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. AHU’s nursing programs include a GBSN (generic bachelor of science) with a blended learning format, an online RN-to-BSN, MSN degrees in nursing education and administration / leadership, and a doctor of nurse anesthesia practice (DNAP). Since the inception of the GBSN program, graduates have scored a 90% pass rate on the NCLEX national licensure examination.#43: Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University | Baton Rouge, LAThe School of Nursing at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University (FranU) offers two BSN tracks: a traditional prelicensure program and a postlicensure RN-to-BSN pathway offered 100% online. Prelicensure students have passed the NCLEX exam at an 84% first-time pass rate since the program’s inception. Clinical sites include acute care hospitals, clinics, community care centers, and schools. FranU also has skills laboratories that employ high-fidelity human simulation manikins and static manikins in a realistic setting designed to mirror the actual clinical arena. The university’s graduate nursing curriculum includes three MSN specializations (family nurse practitioner, nurse administrator, nurse educator) and a DNP nurse anesthesia program.#44: Florida Gulf Coast University | Fort Myers, FLFlorida Gulf Coast University’s School of Nursing sits within the Elaine Nicpon Marieb College of Health & Human Services. FGCU’s nursing students can earn degrees ranging from a BSN to a DNP. The School of Nursing graduates 50-80 BSN students annually, and they have posted an exceptional NCLEX-RN pass rate of 94% since 2010. The MSN degree program offers specializations in nurse anesthesia, nurse educator, and primary healthcare nurse practitioner. FGCU also offers post-BSN and post-MSN pathways to a DNP degree. The MSN-to-DNP program can be completed in just five semesters of full-time study or eight semesters of part-time study.#45: Liberty University | Lynchburg, VAThe Liberty University School of Nursing offers degree programs at all levels. Undergraduate options include a residential BSN for individuals with no nursing experience and two online pathways for working nurses (RN-to-BSN, RN-to-BSN-to-MSN). Approximately 150 students graduate annually from the residential BSN program, and they have achieved an excellent 93% NCLEX pass rate since 2012. Graduate students can pursue three MSN specializations (nursing administration, nurse educator, nursing informatics), two dual degree options (MBA, MSHA), and two nurse practitioner roles in the DNP program (family, psychiatric mental health). Liberty University also leads a summer nurse camp for high school students where attendees learn basic nursing skills, obtain CPR certification, and participate in team-building activities.#46: Anderson University | Anderson, SCThe School of Nursing at Anderson University offers a flexible breadth of options across its BSN, MSN, and DNP degree programs. At the undergraduate level, the traditional BSN is available for first-time college students, while the accelerated BSN is designed for students with college credit or a degree in a non-nursing field. These prelicensure tracks have scored an 89% cumulative NCLEX pass rate since their recent launch, including a phenomenal 98% pass rate in 2017. At the graduate level, AU offers MSN concentrations in executive leadership, family nurse practitioner, nurse educator, and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. The DNP program also offers specializations in three of these areas (leadership, FNP, and PMHNP) plus advanced practice.#47: University of South Alabama | Mobile, ALThe College of Nursing at University of South Alabama offers numerous BSN and MSN pathways. Options include traditional BSN and MSN programs, early acceptance for high school seniors and college freshmen, an accelerated BSN/MSN program for baccalaureate-educated non-nurses, and RN completion programs (e.g., RN-to-BSN, RN-to-MSN, or RN-to-BSN/MSN). South Alabama’s graduating BSN class is large (250-300 students annually) and well-prepared for the NCLEX exam, with an 88% pass rate over the past eight years. The MSN program offers specialties that run the gamut from adult-gerontology acute care to family practice to neonatal nursing, with in-demand subspecialties like cardiovascular care, oncology, and palliative care.#48: Frontier Nursing University | Hyden, KYFrontier Nursing University is home to the nation’s first family nurse practitioner (FNP) program, as well as the largest and oldest continually operating nurse-midwifery program. In fact, FNU’s nurse-midwifery curriculum is consistently ranked among the top 25 in the country by U.S. News & World Report. The university also offers specialization as a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner or a women’s healthcare nurse practitioner. FNU’s MSN program offers an ADN bridge entry option, and its innovative DNP program enables seamless transition from an MSN or post-graduate certificate program. The DNP curriculum features online coursework conducted in small cohorts, typically just 20-25 students apiece.#49: University of West Georgia | Carrollton, GeorgiaTanner Health System School of Nursing (THSSON) at the University of West Georgia offers a prelicensure BSN program, an RN-to-BSN pathway, an MSN degree, and a doctorate (EdD) in nursing education. The MSN has role options in education and health systems leadership; post-master’s certification is also available in both areas. The THSSON doctorate degree, master’s program, and RN-to-BSN pathway can each be completed 100% online. By contrast, the four-year BSN program is campus-based and graduates approximately 100 newly minted nurses each spring. Over the past decade, these students have achieved a solid 90% pass rate on the NCLEX-RN licensure exam.#50: Lander University | Greenwood, SCLander University is home to the William Preston Turner School of Nursing, one of the first institutions in South Carolina to deploy an online RN-to-BSN program. The university also offers a traditional prelicensure BSN pathway as well as an MSN degree with a clinical nurse leader specialization. The traditional BSN program is open to high school graduates, transfer students, and individuals who already hold a degree in another field. Approximately 35-50 prelicensure BSN students complete the program annually; they have achieved an excellent 93% NCLEX pass rate over the past decade, including a perfect 100% pass rate in 2017. The MSN program prepares students to sit for the CNL certification exam administered by the Commission on Nurse Certification.

I nominate the writer and Harvard MD Dr. Michael Chrichton as the most famous skeptic of the so called climate change fear mongering. I add key studies by leading climate scientists that support Crichton in is skepticism.Michael Crichton13,786 followersMichael Crichton (1942-2008) was one of the most successful novelists of his generation, admired for his meticulous scientific research and fast-paced narrative. He graduated summa cum laude and earned his MD from Harvard Medical School in 1969.HIS famous bestseller book, STATE OF FEAR is his case for skepticism on global warming in fictional form.Reviews“Provocative and controversial. [Crichton] marries compelling subject matter with edge-of-your-seat storytelling.” (USA Today)“In STATE OF FEAR, Michael Crichton delivers a lightning-paced technopolitical thriller...every bit as informative as it is entertaining.” (Wall Street Journal)“Fascinating for how Crichton was trying to make the very absence of fear spooky.” (San Francisco Chronicle)“There’s no one else like him…a fast, fun read.” (Weekly Standard)“This is definitely one for the Christmas list.” (National Review)“He imparts science while entertaining readers.” (Denver Post)“STATE OF FEAR is a valuable education in the guise of entertainment. Do yourself a favor and buy it.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)“The thrills of Crichton’s latest are interspersed with fascinating facts and data. Perhaps his most serious and important book yet.” (Booklist)“STATE OF FEAR is Michael Crichton’s best.” (http://Bookreporter.com)“Michael Crichton’s new book will appeal to your inner techie.” (Washington Post Book World)About the AuthorMichael Crichton (1942-2008) was the author of the bestselling novels The Terminal Man, The Great Train Robbery, Jurassic Park, Sphere, Disclosure, Prey, State of Fear, Next and Dragon Teeth, among many others. His books have sold more than 200 million copies worldwide, have been translated into forty languages, and have provided the basis for fifteen feature films. He wrote and directed Westworld, The Great Train Robbery, Runaway, Looker, Coma and created the hit television series ER. Crichton remains the only writer to have a number one book, movie, and TV show in the same year.Michael Crichton's 'Author's Message' from the book State of Fear:AUTHOR'S MESSAGEA novel such as State of Fear, in which so many divergent views are expressed, may lead the reader to wonder where, exactly, the author stands on these issues. I have been reading environmental texts for three years, in itself a hazardous undertaking. But I have had an opportunity to look at a lot of data, and to consider many points of view. I conclude:- We know astonishingly little about every aspect of the environment, from its past history, to its present state, to how to conserve and protect it. In every debate, all sides overstate the extent of existing knowledge and its degree of certainty.- Atmospheric carbon dioxide is increasing, and human activity is the probable cause.- We are also in the midst of a natural warming trend that began about 1850, as we emerged from a four-hundred-year cold spell known as the "Little Ice Age."- Nobody knows how much of the present warming trend might be a natural phenomenon.- Nobody knows how much of the present warming trend might be man-made.- Nobody knows how much warming will occur in the next century. The computer models vary by 400 percent, de facto proof that nobody knows. But if I had to guess-- the only thing anyone is doing, really-- I would guess the increase will be 0.812436 degrees C. There is no evidence that my guess about the state of the world one hundred years from now is any better or worse than anyone else's. (We can't "assess" the future, nor can we "predict" it. These are euphemisms. We can only guess. An informed guess is just a guess.)- I suspect that part of the observed surface warming will ultimately be attributable to human activity. I suspect that the principal human effect will come from land use, and that the atmospheric component will be minor.- Before making expensive policy decisions on the basis of climate models, I think it is reasonable to require that those models predict future temperatures accurately for a period of ten years. Twenty would be better.- I think for anyone to believe in impending resource scarcity, after two hundred years of such false alarms, is kind of weird. I don't know whether such a belief today is best ascribed to ignorance of history, sclerotic dogmatism, unhealthy love of Malthus, or simple pigheadedness, but it is evidently a hardy perennial in human calculation.- There are many reasons to shift away from fossil fuels, and we will do so in the next century without legislation, financial incentives, carbon-conservation programs, or the interminable yammering of fearmongers. So far as I know, nobody had to ban horse transport in the early twentieth century.- I suspect the people of 2100 will be much richer than we are, consume more energy, have a smaller global population, and enjoy more wilderness than we have today. I don't think we have to worry about them.- The current near-hysterical preoccupation with safety is at best a waste of resources and a crimp on the human spirit, and at worst an invitation to totalitarianism. Public education is desperately needed.- I conclude that most environmental "principles" (such as sustainable development or the precautionary principle) have the effect of preserving the economic advantages of the West and thus constitute modern imperialism toward the developing world. It is a nice way of saying, "We got ours and we don't want you to get yours, because you'll cause too much pollution."- The "precautionary principle," properly applied, forbids the precautionary principle. It is self-contradictory. The precautionary principle therefore cannot be spoken of in terms that are too harsh.- I believe people are well intentioned. But I have great respect for the corrosive influence of bias, systematic distortions of thought, the power of rationalization, the guises of self-interest, and the inevitability of unintended consequences.- I have more respect for people who change their views after acquiring new information than for those who cling to views they held thirty years ago. The world changes. Ideologues and zealots don't.- In the thirty-five-odd years since the environmental movement came into existence, science has undergone a major revolution. This revolution has brought new understanding of nonlinear dynamics, complex systems, chaos theory, catastrophe theory. It has transformed the way we think about evolution and ecology. Yet these no-longer-new ideas have hardly penetrated the thinking of environmental activists, which seems oddly fixed in the concepts and rhetoric of the 1970s.- We haven't the foggiest notion how to preserve what we term "wilderness," and we had better study it in the field and learn how to do so. I see no evidence that we are conducting such research in a humble, rational, and systematic way. I therefore hold little hope for wilderness management in the twenty-first century. I blame environmental organizations every bit as much as developers and strip miners. There is no difference in outcomes between greed and incompetence.- We need a new environmental movement, with new goals and new organizations. We need more people working in the field, in the actual environment, and fewer people behind computer screens. We need more scientists and many fewer lawyers.- We cannot hope to manage a complex system such as the environment through litigation. We can only change its state temporarily-- usually by preventing something-- with eventual results that we cannot predict and ultimately cannot control.- Nothing is more inherently political than our shared physical environment, and nothing is more ill served by allegiance to a single political party. Precisely because the environment is shared it cannot be managed by one faction according to its own economic or aesthetic preferences. Sooner or later, the opposing faction will take power, and previous policies will be reversed. Stable management of the environment requires recognition that all preferences have their place: snowmobilers and fly fishermen, dirt bikers and hikers, developers and preservationists. These preferences are at odds, and their incompatibility cannot be avoided. But resolving incompatible goals is a true function of politics.- We desperately need a nonpartisan, blinded funding mechanism to conduct research to determine appropriate policy. Scientists are only too aware whom they are working for. Those who fund research-- whether a drug company, a government agency, or an environmental organization-- always have a particular outcome in mind. Research funding is almost never open-ended or open-minded. Scientists know that continued funding depends on delivering the results the funders desire. As a result, environmental organization "studies" are every bit as biased and suspect as industry "studies." Government "studies" are similarly biased according to who is running the department or administration at the time. No faction should be given a free pass.- I am certain there is too much certainty in the world.- I personally experience a profound pleasure being in nature. My happiest days each year are those I spend in wilderness. I wish natural environments to be preserved for future generations. I am not satisfied they will be preserved in sufficient quantities, or with sufficient skill. I conclude that the "exploiters of the environment" include environmental organizations, government organizations, and big business. All have equally dismal track records.- Everybody has an agenda. Except me.AMAZONDavid W. Wildeboer4.0 out of 5 starsRead this book - no matter what side of the debate you're onReviewed in Canada on May 6, 2005Verified PurchaseOne of the masters of the science type thriller (the Jurassic Park books, Timeline, etc.) returns with this compelling and well researched thriller that challenges the bedrock upon which the environmental movement and the global warming debate stand. Using well thought out and documented arguments, Crichton questions the present infatuation with the fear of global warming. As the thriller suggests, anyone with a view contrary to the media and environmental elite is instantly discredited. Using a radical environmental organization's (one that really exists) plans to further their agenda allows the author to expound in laymen's terms on the arguments for (very little reliable and reproducible evidence) global warming and those against it.Crichton also gives the reader a lesson on the pervasiveness of the media in our society and how it can drive opinion even when the evidence isn't there. Dr. Crichton has written an engrossing thriller that can be enjoyed for the thrills alone, yet he's also made an important argument about not blindly believing "everything" but instead, checking the evidence for oneself.No matter what side of the debate about the theory of "global warming" (remember, it is only a theory, it's not a proven scientific fact) and climate change one is on, this book deserves a read. I challenge everyone, no matter how set in your beliefs you are, to read this with skepticism, check out the references and do the research yourself and prove Crichton wrong. Go for it!AMAZONPopular opinions are almost always wrong. That's the theme of this book. The point is made in the context of describing how global warming, as perceived by the public and media, is different from what scientists are describing. Dr. Crichton argues through his story that we can waste a lot of time and resources on popular delusions, and we need to get our facts right. His appendix I on the dangers of politicized science is something everyone should read. The eugenics example is a chilling one.AMAZONMay 24, 2008Brian rated it it was amazing · review of another editionShelves: fiction, 2009"So what [we:] need is to structure the information so that whatever kind of weather occurs, it always confirms your message. That's the virtue of shifting the focus to abrupt climate change. It enables [us:] to use everything that happens. There will always be floods, and freezing storms, and cyclones, and hurricanes. These events will always get airtime. And in every instance, [we:] can claim it is an example of global warming. So the message gets reinforced. The urgency is increased."This from a PR person in the book that works for a large and mainstream environmentalist group. But it could have been spoken by any of the ideologues of the movement as they switch from just global warming to climate change, and try to capitalize on every disaster as a reason for their existence.As I mentioned in one of my updates, this is my first try at a Michael Crichton book and I found it well-informed and fast-paced. The plot is plausible enough (at least until the end) and serves as a rebuttal to the claims of the power hungry environmentalist crowd. It is his case for skepticism on global warming in fictional form.A key graph:"Has it occurred to you how astonishing the culture of Western society really is? Industrialized nations provide their citizens with unprecedented safety, health, and comfort. Average life spans increased fifty percent in the last century. Yet modern people live in abject fear. They are afraid of strangers, of disease, of crime, of the environment. They are afraid of the homes they live in, the food they eat, the technology that surrounds them. They are in a particular panic over the things they can't even see--germs, chemicals, additives, pollutants. They are timid, nervous, fretful, and depressed. And even more amazingly, they are convinced that the environment of the entire plant is being destroyed around them. Remarkable!"State of Fear GOODREADSSpiritual Ecology Versus ScienceEnvironmentalism as Religion by Michael CrichtonOne of the defining features of religion is that your beliefs are not troubled by facts, because they have nothing to do with facts.Michael CrichtonIn 2003 Michael Crichton sent the Ecology industry into a rage by exposing them as a religion. He can get away with it because he has both the science background and enough money not to be silenced by the eco-lobby. In fact environmentalism is as much a fundamentalist' religion as that of Pat Robertson. He is correct about the religious undertones, but it's also a political movement as he points out.In 2008 global warming has fallen off the radar as the presidential election, high energy costs, and the Wall Street meltdown have dominated the news. But this one article seems to have been left out of the discussion. Besides reports of such record cold in Mongolia killing people and livestock, the December 19, 2007 Washington Times reports:"In Buenos Aires (Argentina), snow fell for the first time since the year 1918. Dozens of homeless people died from exposure. In Peru, 200 people died from the cold...(in 2007) Johannesburg, South Africa, had the first significant snowfall in 26 years. Australia...New Zealand...weather turned so cold..."Remarks to the Commonwealth Club by Michael Crichton San Francisco September 15, 2003 (Extract)I have been asked to talk about what I consider the most important challenge facing mankind, and I have a fundamental answer. The greatest challenge facing mankind is the challenge of distinguishing reality from fantasy, truth from propaganda. Perceiving the truth has always been a challenge to mankind, but in the information age (or as I think of it, the disinformation age) it takes on a special urgency and importance.We must daily decide whether the threats we face are real, whether the solutions we are offered will do any good, whether the problems we're told exist are in fact real problems, or non-problems. Every one of us has a sense of the world, and we all know that this sense is in part given to us by what other people and society tell us; in part generated by our emotional state, which we project outward; and in part by our genuine perceptions of reality. In short, our struggle to determine what is true is the struggle to decide which of our perceptions are genuine, and which are false because they are handed down, or sold to us, or generated by our own hopes and fears.As an example of this challenge, I want to talk today about environmentalism. And in order not to be misunderstood, I want it perfectly clear that I believe it is incumbent on us to conduct our lives in a way that takes into account all the consequences of our actions, including the consequences to other people, and the consequences to the environment. I believe it is important to act in ways that are sympathetic to the environment, and I believe this will always be a need, carrying into the future.I believe the world has genuine problems and I believe it can and should be improved. But I also think that deciding what constitutes responsible action is immensely difficult, and the consequences of our actions are often difficult to know in advance. I think our past record of environmental action is discouraging, to put it mildly, because even our best intended efforts often go awry. But I think we do not recognize our past failures, and face them squarely. And I think I know why.I studied anthropology in college, and one of the things I learned was that certain human social structures always reappear. They can't be eliminated from society. One of those structures is religion. Today it is said we live in a secular society in which many people---the best people, the most enlightened people---do not believe in any religion. But I think that you cannot eliminate religion from the psyche of mankind. If you suppress it in one form, it merely re-emerges in another form. You can not believe in God, but you still have to believe in something that gives meaning to your life, and shapes your sense of the world. Such a belief is religious.Today, one of the most powerful religions in the Western World is environmentalism. Environmentalism seems to be the religion of choice for urban atheists. Why do I say it's a religion? Well, just look at the beliefs. If you look carefully, you see that environmentalism is in fact a perfect 21st century remapping of traditional Judeo-Christian beliefs and myths.There's an initial Eden, a paradise, a state of grace and unity with nature, there's a fall from grace into a state of pollution as a result of eating from the tree of knowledge, and as a result of our actions there is a judgment day coming for us all. We are all energy sinners, doomed to die, unless we seek salvation, which is now called sustainability. Sustainability is salvation in the church of the environment. Just as organic food is its communion, that pesticide-free wafer that the right people with the right beliefs, imbibe.Eden, the fall of man, the loss of grace, the coming doomsday---these are deeply held mythic structures. They are profoundly conservative beliefs. They may even be hard-wired in the brain, for all I know. I certainly don't want to talk anybody out of them, as I don't want to talk anybody out of a belief that Jesus Christ is the son of God who rose from the dead. But the reason I don't want to talk anybody out of these beliefs is that I know that I can't talk anybody out of them. These are not facts that can be argued. These are issues of faith.And so it is, sadly, with environmentalism. Increasingly it seems facts aren't necessary, because the tenets of environmentalism are all about belief. It's about whether you are going to be a sinner, or saved. Whether you are going to be one of the people on the side of salvation, or on the side of doom. Whether you are going to be one of us, or one of them.Am I exaggerating to make a point? I am afraid not. Because we know a lot more about the world than we did forty or fifty years ago. And what we know now is not so supportive of certain core environmental myths, yet the myths do not die. Let's examine some of those beliefs.There is no Eden. There never was. What was that Eden of the wonderful mythic past? Is it the time when infant mortality was 80%, when four children in five died of disease before the age of five? When one woman in six died in childbirth? When the average lifespan was 40, as it was in America a century ago. When plagues swept across the planet, killing millions in a stroke. Was it when millions starved to death? Is that when it was Eden?...In short, the romantic view of the natural world as a blissful Eden is only held by people who have no actual experience of nature. People who live in nature are not romantic about it at all. They may hold spiritual beliefs about the world around them, they may have a sense of the unity of nature or the aliveness of all things...If Eden is a fantasy that never existed, and mankind wasn't ever noble and kind and loving, if we didn't fall from grace, then what about the rest of the religious tenets? What about salvation, sustainability, and judgment day? What about the coming environmental doom from fossil fuels and global warming, if we all don't get down on our knees and conserve every day?Well, it's interesting. You may have noticed that something has been left off the doomsday list, lately. Although the preachers of environmentalism have been yelling about population for fifty years, over the last decade world population seems to be taking an unexpected turn. Fertility rates are falling almost everywhere.As a result, over the course of my lifetime the thoughtful predictions for total world population have gone from a high of 20 billion, to 15 billion, to 11 billion (which was the UN estimate around 1990) to now 9 billion, and soon, perhaps less. There are some who think that world population will peak in 2050 and then start to decline. There are some who predict we will have fewer people in 2100 than we do today.Is this a reason to rejoice, to say halleluiah? Certainly not. Without a pause, we now hear about the coming crisis of world economy from a shrinking population. We hear about the impending crisis of an aging population. Nobody anywhere will say that the core fears expressed for most of my life have turned out not to be true...Okay, so, the preachers made a mistake. They got one prediction wrong; they're human. So what. Unfortunately, it's not just one prediction. It's a whole slew of them. We are running out of oil. (Note: oil has fallen to $45 a barrel June 2017) We are running out of all natural resources. Paul Ehrlich: 60 million Americans will die of starvation in the 1980s. Forty thousand species become extinct every year. (Ehrlich is still at it in 2017. See There's No Man-Made Global Mass Extinction.)Half of all species on the planet will be extinct by 2000. And on and on and on. With so many past failures, you might think that environmental predictions would become more cautious. But not if it's a religion. Remember, the nut on the sidewalk carrying the placard that predicts the end of the world doesn't quit when the world doesn't end on the day he expects.He just changes his placard, sets a new doomsday date, and goes back to walking the streets. One of the defining features of religion is that your beliefs are not troubled by facts, because they have nothing to do with facts....I can cite the appropriate journal articles not in whacko magazines, but in the most prestigious science journals, such as Science and Nature. But such references probably won't impact more than a handful of you, because the beliefs of a religion are not dependant on facts, but rather are matters of faith. Unshakeable belief.See part 2 Religious Fundamentalism Explained by Michael Crichton.Common Sense Environmentalism (Archive)Spiritual Ecology Versus ScienceDr. James Hansen Paid EnvironmentalistGreen Religion Won't Save AppalachiaHow Ecological Homeostasis and Hysteresis Regulate ClimateMichael Crichton Speech - Environmentalism as ReligionDissecting Al Gore's Book Earth in the BalancePostmodernism Attacks Reason, Science, and CultureAges of Gaia Writer James Lovelock Sounds an AlarmWriter James Lovelock Backtracks on Revenge of GaiaHypsithermal Warming Spreads CivilizationShockingly Rapid Climatic Shifts are RealBikini Atoll Recovery From Nuclear BlastsNASA says Earth Going GreenerClimate change changes history:Fall of the Late Roman EmpireEnd of the Vikings in GreenlandLost Colony of Roanoke IslandWhale Fossils Unlock the History of the North[ Challenge to Atheists 1 ] [ Challenge to Atheists 2 ][ Challenge to Atheists 3 ] [ Challenge to Atheists 4 ][ Challenge to Atheists 5 ]Environmental Religion by Michael CrichtonEnvironmental Religion by Michael Crichton“The Climate Scientists' Register“We, the undersigned, having assessed the relevant scientific evidence, do not find convincing support for the hypothesis that human emissions of carbon dioxide are causing, or will in the foreseeable future cause, dangerous global warming."Click on country name in the following list to see endorsers from that nation:Algéria (1 endorser), Australia (8), Bulgaria (1), Canada (17), Denmark (1),Estonia (1), Finland(1), France (1), Germany (4), Greece (1), India (3),Italy (3), Luxembourg (1), Mexico (1), New Zealand (6), Norway (5),Poland (3), Russia (5), South Africa (1), Sweden(8), United Kingdom (6),United States of America (64).CAMILLE PAGLIAOCTOBER 10, 2007 11:19AM (UTC)I too grew up in upstate New York. I am an environmental groundwater geologist (who almost majored in fine arts). Your take on the Al Gore/global warming pseudo-catastrophe was right on target. Anyone can read up on Holocene geology and see that climate changes are caused by polar wandering and magnetic reversals. It is entertaining, yet sad to read bloviage from Leonardo DiCaprio, who is so self-centered that he thinks the earth's history and climate is a function of his short personal stay on this planet. Still he, Al Gore, Prince Charles and so on, ad nauseam, continue with their jet-set lifestyles. What hypocrisy!Thank you for your input on the mass hysteria over global warming. The simplest facts about geology seem to be missing from the mental equipment of many highly educated people these days. There is far too much credulity placed in fancy-pants, speculative computer modeling about future climate change. Furthermore, hand-wringing media reports about hotter temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere are rarely balanced by acknowledgment of the recent cold waves in South Africa and Australia, the most severe in 30 years.Where are the intellectuals in this massive attack of groupthink? Inert, passive and cowardly, the lot of them. True intellectuals would be alarmed and repelled by the heavy fog of dogma that now hangs over the debate about climate change. More skeptical voices need to be heard. Why are liberals abandoning this issue to the right wing, which is successfully using it to contrast conservative rationality with liberal emotionalism? The environmental movement, whose roots are in nature-worshipping Romanticism, is vitally important to humanity, but it can only be undermined by rampant propaganda and half-truths.https://www.salon.com/2007/10/10/britney/Camille Paglia is a second-wave feminist and an American academic specializing in literature and culture, particularly topics around gender, sex, and sexuality. She has taught at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia since 1984, but is better known for her books and journalism. In 2005 she was voted #20 on a list of top public intellectuals by Prospect and Foreign Policy magazines.[Here are details of leading climate scientists skeptical of Anthropogenic Global Warming as a valid hypothesis. The list includes peer reviewed papers in major science journals. I AM UNAWARE OF ANY ANY PEER REVIEWED RESEARCH SUPPORTING THE IPCC AGW HYPOTHESIS. For example, here is very recent published research in the Environment Pollution Climate Change Journal“Hence, there are no greenhouse gases in reality – as in, gases that can cause warming,” Nikolov said when asked to explain the paper in layman’s terms.“Humans cannot in principle affect the global climate through industrial emissions of CO2, methane and other similar gases or via changes in land use,” he added. “All observed climatic changes have natural causes that are completely outside of human control.”For the first time, Nikolov said, there is now empirical evidence from NASA data that the greenhouse effect of the atmosphere is not caused by the trapping of heat, but by the force of atmospheric pressure.The pressure is the weight of the atmosphere, he added.Citation: Nikolov N, Zeller K (2017) New Insights on the Physical Nature of the Atmospheric Greenhouse Effect Deduced from an Empirical Planetary Temperature Model. Environment Pollution Climate Change Journal 1: 112.See more detail below.The Chinese scholars have addressed the issue head on in research published by the prestigious NATURE JOURNALinstrumental temperature recordNew research confirms the view of leading climate scientists and scholars that trace amounts of Co2 emissions are not destabilizing the planet. Co2 is essential plant food and therefore green energy.The authors Geli Wang & Peicai Yang and Xiuji Zhou are scientists at the CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE andChinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing, China 中国气象科学研究院ANTHROPOGENIC (human activity). The driving forces are“the El Niño–Southern Oscillation cycle and the Hale sunspot cycle, respectively.”The title of the study published in the prestigious NATURE Journal is: Identification of the driving forces of climate change using the longest instrumental temperature recordhttps://www.nature.com/articles/...Their study confirms THE DRIVING FORCES OF GLOBAL WARMING AND CLIMATE CHANGE ARE NATURALThe “driving forces” of climate change are natural and not Co2 plant food emissions. A new Chinese study confirms climate change comes from natural cycles. This research is based on the longest actual temperature data of more than 400 years from 1659 to 2013, including the period of anthropogenic warming.AbstractThe identification of causal effects is a fundamental problem in climate change research. Here, a new perspective on climate change causality is presented using the central England temperature (CET) dataset, the longest instrumental temperature record, and a combination of slow feature analysis and wavelet analysis. The driving forces of climate change were investigated and the results showed two independent degrees of freedom —a 3.36-year cycle and a 22.6-year cycle, which seem to be connected to the El Niño–Southern Oscillation cycle and the Hale sunspot cycle, respectively. [Emphasis added]. Moreover, these driving forces were modulated in amplitude by signals with millennial timescales.MY PUBLISHED COMMENTJames Matkin 
This Chinese research is very relevant and should make climate alarmists pause in their crusade against Co2 emissions from fossil fuels. Far too much focus on Co2 like a one trick pony in a big tent circus where solar radiation is a more compelling show. The thrust of recent research has demonstrated that climate changes continually and is determined by natural forces that humans have no significant control over. Many leading scientists have presented research of other "driving forces" and cautioned against the arrogance of many that "the science is settled." See Judith Curry of the Georgia Institute of Technology and blogger at Climate Etc. talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about climate change. Curry argues that climate change is a "wicked problem" with a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the expected damage as well as the political and technical challenges of dealing with the phenomenon. She emphasizes the complexity of the climate and how much of the basic science remains incomplete. The conversation closes with a discussion of how concerned citizens can improve their understanding of climate change and climate change policy.
http://www.econtalk.org/arc...https://www.nature.com/articles/...This peer reviewed from German scientists demolishs the false idea of a greenhouse effect heating the planet with minute amounts of Co2 plant food emissions from fossil fuels.GERMAN CLIMATE RESEARCH PAPERFalsification Of The Atmospheric CO2 Greenhouse Effects Within The Frame Of PhysicsGerhard Gerlich, Ralf D. Tscheuschner(Submitted on 8 Jul 2007 (v1), last revised 4 Mar 2009 (this version, v4))The atmospheric greenhouse effect, an idea that many authors trace back to the traditional works of Fourier (1824), Tyndall (1861), and Arrhenius (1896), and which is still supported in global climatology, essentially describes a fictitious mechanism, in which a planetary atmosphere acts as a heat pump driven by an environment that is radiatively interacting with but radiatively equilibrated to the atmospheric system. According to the second law of thermodynamics such a planetary machine can never exist. Nevertheless, in almost all texts of global climatology and in a widespread secondary literature it is taken for granted that such mechanism is real and stands on a firm scientific foundation. In this paper the popular conjecture is analyzed and the underlying physical principles are clarified. By showing that (a) there are no common physical laws between the warming phenomenon in glass houses and the fictitious atmospheric greenhouse effects, (b) there are no calculations to determine an average surface temperature of a planet, (c) the frequently mentioned difference of 33 degrees Celsius is a meaningless number calculated wrongly, (d) the formulas of cavity radiation are used inappropriately, (e) the assumption of a radiative balance is unphysical, (f) thermal conductivity and friction must not be set to zero, the atmospheric greenhouse conjecture is falsified.115 pages, 32 figures, 13 tables (some typos corrected)Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics (http://physics.ao-ph)Journal reference: Int.J.Mod.Phys.B23:275-364,2009DOI: 10.1142/S021797920904984XCite as: arXiv:0707.1161 [http://physics.ao-ph](or arXiv:0707.1161v4 [http://physics.ao-ph] for this version)PEER REVIEWIzvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics is a peer reviewed journal. We use a double blind peer review format. Our team of reviewers includes 75 reviewers, both internal and external (90%). The average period from submission to first decision in 2017 was 30 days, and that from first decision to acceptance was 30 days. The rejection rate for submitted manuscripts in 2017 was 20%. The final decision on the acceptance of an article for publication is made by the Editorial Board.Henrik Svensmark: While the Sun Sleeps“In fact global warming has stopped and a cooling is beginning. No climate model has predicted a cooling of the Earth – quite the contrary. And this means that the projections of future climate are unreliable,” writes Henrik Svensmark.A brilliant Danish scientist PROF HENRIK SVENSMARK explained this reality as follows:Svensmark: “global warming stopped and a cooling is beginning” – “enjoy global warming while it lasts”Anthony Watts / September 10, 2009While the sun sleepsTranslation approved by Henrik SvensmarkWhile the Sun sleepsHenrik Svensmark, Professor, Technical University of Denmark, CopenhagenThe star that keeps us alive has, over the last few years, been almost free of sunspots, which are the usual signs of the Sun’s magnetic activity. Last week [4 September 2009] the scientific team behind the satellite SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) reported, “It is likely that the current year’s number of blank days will be the longest in about 100 years.” Everything indicates that the Sun is going into some kind of hibernation, and the obvious question is what significance that has for us on Earth.If you ask the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which represents the current consensus on climate change, the answer is a reassuring “nothing”. But history and recent research suggest that is probably completely wrong. Why? Let’s take a closer look.2. Scrutinizing the atmospheric greenhouse effect and its climatic impactDOI: 10.4236/ns.2011.312124 15,065 Downloads 36,460 Views CitationsGerhard Kramm, Ralph DlugiABSTRACTIn this paper, we scrutinize two completely different explanations of the so-called atmospheric greenhouse effect: First, the explanation of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) and the World Meteorological Organization (W?MO) quan- tifying this effect by two characteristic temperatures, secondly, the explanation of Ramanathan et al. [1] that is mainly based on an energy-flux budget for the Earth-atmosphere system. Both explanations are related to the global scale. In addition, we debate the meaning of climate, climate change, climate variability and climate variation to outline in which way the atmospheric greenhouse effect might be responsible for climate change and climate variability, respectively. In doing so, we distinguish between two different branches of climatology, namely 1) physical climatology in which the boundary conditions of the Earth-atmosphere system play the dominant role and 2) statistical climatology that is dealing with the statistical description of fortuitous weather events which had been happening in climate periods; each of them usually comprises 30 years. Based on our findings, we argue that 1) the so-called atmospheric greenhouse effect cannot be proved by the statistical description of fortuitous weather events that took place in a climate period, 2) the description by AMS and W?MO has to be discarded because of physical reasons, 3) energy-flux budgets for the Earth-atmosphere system do not provide tangible evidence that the atmospheric greenhouse effect does exist. Because of this lack of tangible evidence it is time to acknowledge that the atmospheric greenhouse effect and especially its climatic impact are based on meritless conjectures. [Emphasis added]KEYWORDSPhysical Climatology; Statistical Climatology; Atmospheric Greenhouse Effect; Earth-Atmosphere SystemCite this paperKramm, G. and Dlugi, R. (2011) Scrutinizing the atmospheric greenhouse effect and its climatic impact. Natural Science, 3, 971-998. doi: 10.4236/ns.2011.312124.“In fact global warming has stopped and a cooling is beginning. No climate model has predicted a cooling of the Earth – quite the contrary. And this means that the projections of future climate are unreliable,” writes Henrik Svensmark.Environment Pollution andClimate Change JOURNALNew Insights on the Physical Nature of the Atmospheric GreenhouseEffect Deduced from an Empirical Planetary Temperature ModelNed Nikolov* and Karl ZellerAbstractA recent study has revealed that the Earth’s natural atmospheric greenhouse effect is around 90 K or about 2.7 times stronger than assumed for the past 40 years. A thermal enhancement of such a magnitude cannot be explained with the observed amount of outgoing infrared long-wave radiation absorbed by the atmosphere (i.e. ≈ 158 W m-2), thus requiring a re-examination of the underlying Greenhouse theory. We present here a new investigation into the physical nature of the atmospheric thermal effect using a novel empirical approach toward predicting the Global Mean Annual near-surface equilibrium Temperature (GMAT) of rocky planets with diverse atmospheres. Our method utilizes Dimensional Analysis (DA) applied to a vetted set of observed data from six celestial bodies representing a broad range of physical environments in our Solar System, i.e. Venus, Earth, the Moon, Mars, Titan (a moon of Saturn), and Triton (a moon of Neptune). Twelve relationships (models) suggested by DA are explored via non-linear regression analyses that involve dimensionless products comprised of solar irradiance, greenhouse-gas partial pressure/density and total atmospheric pressure/density as forcing variables, and two temperature ratios as dependent variables. One non-linear regression model is found to statistically outperform the rest by a wide margin. Our analysis revealed that GMATs of rocky planets with tangible atmospheres and a negligible geothermal surface heating can accurately be predicted over a broad range of conditions using only two forcing variables: top-of-the-atmosphere solar irradiance and total surface atmospheric pressure. The hereto discovered interplanetary pressure-temperature relationship is shown to be statistically robust while describing a smooth physical continuum without climatic tipping points. This continuum fully explains the recently discovered 90 K thermal effect of Earth’s atmosphere. The new model displays characteristics of an emergent macro-level thermodynamic relationship heretofore unbeknown to science that has important theoretical implications. A key entailment from the model is that the atmospheric ‘greenhouse effect’ currently viewed as a radiative phenomenon is in fact an adiabatic (pressure-induced) thermal enhancement analogous to compression heating and independent of atmospheric composition. Consequently, the global down-welling long-wave flux presently assumed to drive Earth’s surface warming appears to be a product of the air temperature set by solar heating and atmospheric pressure. In other words, the so-called ‘greenhouse back radiation’ is globally a result of the atmospheric thermal effect rather than a cause for it. Our empirical model has also fundamental implications for the role of oceans, water vapour, and planetary albedo in global climate. Since produced by a rigorous attempt to describe planetary temperatures in the context of a cosmic continuum using an objective analysis of vetted observations from across the Solar System, these findings call for a paradigm shift in our understanding of the atmospheric ‘greenhouse effect’ as a fundamental property of climate.Received November 11, 2016;Accepted February 06, 2017;Citation: Nikolov N, Zeller K (2017) New Insights on the Physical Nature of the Atmospheric Greenhouse Effect Deduced from an Empirical Planetary Temperature Model. Environment Pollution Climate Change Journal 1: 112.https://www.researchgate.net/pro...STUDY BLOWS 'GREENHOUSE THEORY OUT OF THE WATER''All observed climatic changes have natural causes completely outside of human control'Published: 07/08/2017 at 8:53 PMRead more at Study blows ‘greenhouse theory out of the water’ - WNDBOZEMAN, Mont. – A new scientific paper contends the entire foundation of the man-made global-warming theory – the assumption that greenhouse gases warm the atmosphere by trapping heat – is wrong.If confirmed, the study’s findings would crush the entire “climate change” movement to restrict CO2 emissions, the authors assertSome experts contacted by WND criticized the paper, while others advised caution.Still others suggested that the claimed discovery represents a massive leap forward in human understanding – a “new paradigm.”The paper argues that concentrations of CO2 and other supposed “greenhouse gases” in the atmosphere have virtually no effect on the earth’s temperature.They conclude the entire greenhouse gas theory is incorrect.Instead, the earth’s “greenhouse” effect is a function of the sun and atmospheric pressure, which results from gravity and the mass of the atmosphere, rather than the amount of greenhouse gases such as CO2 and water vapor in the atmosphere.The same is true for other planets and moons with a hard surface, the authors contend, pointing to the temperature and atmospheric data of various celestial bodies collected by NASA.So precise is the formula, the authors of the paper told WND, that, by using it, they were able to correctly predict the temperature of other celestial bodies not included in their original analysis.The paperThe paper, published recently in the journal “Environment Pollution and Climate Change,” was written by Ned Nikolov, a Ph.D. in physical science, and Karl Zeller, retired Ph.D. research meteorologist.The prevailing theory on the earth’s temperature is that heat from the sun enters the atmosphere, and then greenhouse gases such as CO2, methane and water vapor trap part of that energy by preventing it from escaping back into space.That theory, which underpins the anthropogenic global-warming hypothesis and the climate models used by the United Nations, was first proposed and developed in the 19th century.However, the experiments on which it was based involved glass boxes that retain heat by preventing the mixing of air inside the box with air outside the box.The truth about global warming is no further than the WND Superstore, where “Climategate,” “The Greatest Hoax,” and more publications are available.The experiment is not analogous to what occurs in the real atmosphere, which does not have walls or a lid, according to Nikolov and Zeller.The new paper, headlined “New Insights on the Physical Nature of the Atmospheric Greenhouse Effect Deduced from an Empirical Planetary Temperature Model,” argues that greenhouse theory is incorrect.“This was not a pre-conceived conclusion, but a result from an objective analysis of vetted NASA observations,” Nikolov told WND.The real mechanisms that control the temperature of the planet, they say, are the sun’s energy and the air pressure of the atmosphere. The same applies to other celestial bodies, according to the scientists behind the paper.To understand the phenomena, the authors used three planets – Venus, Earth and Mars – as well as three natural satellites: the Moon of Earth, Titan of Saturn and Triton of Neptune.They chose the celestial bodies based on three criteria: having a solid surface, representation of a broad range of environments, and the existence of reliable data on temperature, atmospheric composition and air pressure.“Our analysis revealed a poor relationship between global mean annual temperature] and the amount of greenhouse gases in planetary atmospheres across a broad range of environments in the Solar System,” the paper explains.“This is a surprising result from the standpoint of the current Greenhouse theory, which assumes that an atmosphere warms the surface of a planet (or moon) via trapping of radiant heat by certain gases controlling the atmospheric infrared optical depth,” the study continues.image:The paper outlines four possible explanations for those observations, and concludes that the most plausible was that air pressure is responsible for the greenhouse effect on a celestial body.In essence, what is commonly known as the atmospheric “greenhouse” effect is in fact a form of compression heating caused by total air pressure, the authors told WND in a series of e-mails and phone interviews, comparing the mechanics of it to the compression in a diesel engine that ignites the fuel.”And that effect is completely independent of the so-called “greenhouse gases” and the chemical composition of the atmosphere, they added.“Hence, there are no greenhouse gases in reality – as in, gases that can cause warming,” Nikolov said when asked to explain the paper in layman’s terms.“Humans cannot in principle affect the global climate through industrial emissions of CO2, methane and other similar gases or via changes in land use,” he added. “All observed climatic changes have natural causes that are completely outside of human control.”For the first time, Nikolov said, there is now empirical evidence from NASA data that the greenhouse effect of the atmosphere is not caused by the trapping of heat, but by the force of atmospheric pressure.The pressure is the weight of the atmosphere, he added.And the combination of gravity and the mass of the atmosphere explains why the Earth, for example, is warmer than the moon.“The moon receives about the same amount of heat from the sun as Earth, yet it is 90 degrees [Celsius] colder than the Earth, because it has no atmosphere,” Nikolov explained.Read more at https://www.wnd.com/2017/07/study-blows-greenhouse-theory-out-of-the-water/#FPuf1lW59KOtRBxu.99“In fact global warming has stopped and a cooling is beginning. No climate model has predicted a cooling of the Earth – quite the contrary. And this means that the projections of future climate are unreliable,” writes Henrik Svensmark.Leading climate scientists who doubt the science of the IPCC and Al Gore alarmism.Nobel Laureate in Physics Dr. Ivar Giaever; "Global Warming is Pseudoscience"MIT Professor Richard Lindzen and his recent lecture:ConclusionSo there you have it. An implausible conjecture backed by false evidence and repeated incessantly has become politically correct ‘knowledge,’ and is used to promote the overturn of industrial civilization. What we will be leaving our grandchildren is not a planet damaged by industrial progress, but a record of unfathomable silliness as well as a landscape degraded by rusting wind farms and decaying solar panel arrays. False claims about 97% agreement will not spare us, but the willingness of scientists to keep mum is likely to much reduce trust in and support for science. Perhaps this won’t be such a bad thing after all – certainly as concerns ‘official’ science.There is at least one positive aspect to the present situation. None of the proposed policies will have much impact on greenhouse gases. Thus we will continue to benefit from the one thing that can be clearly attributed to elevated carbon dioxide: namely, its effective role as a plant fertilizer, and reducer of the drought vulnerability of plants. Meanwhile, the IPCC is claiming that we need to prevent another 0.5◦C of warming, although the 1◦C that has occurred so far has been accompanied by the greatest increase in human welfare in history.Notes1. ‘This is the first time in the history of mankind that we are setting ourselves the task of intentionally, within a defined period of time, to change the economic development model that has been reigning for at least 150 years, since the Industrial Revolution.’PDF version of this lecture: https://www.thegwpf.org/content/...

DUELING IN EARLY AMERICAViolence as Part of Regime ChangeIt is a dictum of history that, “all revolutions devour their own children.” Any cursory study of the topic appears to bear out this claim. Certainly a pattern of violence notoriously appeared in the French Revolution of the late eighteenth-century, and this pattern was repeated in the Russian Revolution and the Chinese Revolution that followed in the twentieth century. It is logical if regrettable that during a period of major upheaval when a long-standing government has been overturned, and the old channels of power and its expression have been destroyed, that a period of experimental violence would follow as disparate factions grab for dominance and settle old debts. But in America, at least, there was no Reign of Terror; there was no corresponding period of organized domestic violence among our burgeoning political factions.Thomas Jefferson famously said, “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.” But he was remarkably chary with his own. He also supported the bloody excesses of the French Revolution long after his contemporaries had backed away in horror. So here in America, while we clearly had the rhetoric, not so the widespread or politically targeted bloodshed.There are undoubtedly several reasons for this. For one thing, we had a unique viewpoint regarding our politicians and politics. In the beginning, belonging to a party or a faction was actually considered to be just plain wrong. Factions were presumed to be corrupt. Therefore engaging in “politics” was evil, and being called a “politician” was a mortal insult. Men of good conscience and ability were expected to think independently for themselves, be guided by their principles, and then act for the common welfare. Our Constitution was actually written and our government formed with absolutely no conception of political parties. By the same token, for most of our history it was considered wrong to campaign for the presidency. The applicable maxim was, “The office should seek the man, the man should not seek the office.” Only in the openly venal 20th century did our presidential candidates begin to openly campaign for the job.George Washington never considered himself to be a member of any political party, and he would have been deeply outraged by anyone who suggested otherwise. Today historians classify him as a Federalist because of his beliefs and policies. This general abhorrence of politics and distaste for political faction would certainly have had a dampening effect on the passions of the earliest participants in our political system. But while keeping politics personal might have solved some problems, it would have exacerbated others. In a time when the abstraction of political parties was avoided, or at least viewed with suspicion, a proportionately greater burden would have been borne by the individual. It would have proved difficult, if not impossible, to separate one’s personal persona from a civic persona, or personal honor from a public reputation. What mechanisms existed in the early republic to resolve these challenges to belief and character? The answer was just one—the private duel.History of DuelingDueling had certainly existed in the Colonies long before the War of Independence, and was always the preferred method for gentlemen to settle affairs of honor. In fact, dueling came to our shores along with the pilgrims. The first recorded American duel took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1621, between Edward Leicester and Edward Doty, both of whom were actually servants rather than gentlemen. In this particular instance the weapons were swords and both parties were only mildly injured.The rules for dueling were fairly simple, and a code duello with 25 rules was established in Ireland in the 1770s, and widely used here. The injured party chose a “second” to act as a go-between. The second delivered the challenge to the “injurer,” who could apologize at any time and end the matter. Alternatively, the injurer could accept the challenge, in which case he got to pick the weapons, the time, place, and conditions for the duel. His second would meet with the injured party’s second to arrange the details.In America, the dueling weapon of choice was most often the smooth-bore flintlock pistol. Since these weapons were highly inaccurate and prone to misfire, this meant that the chances of anyone being killed were usually pretty slim. Duels were usually not fought to the death. With swords, “first blood” was often considered to be enough to satisfy honor, while with guns a single inconclusive volley was often judged sufficient to end the matter. On the other hand, a severe blow to one’s honor might demand a more drastic outcome, with as many as five volleys or more. And in those days there was an omnipresent threat of septicemia and even a minor wound could prove fatal—so there was inevitably a genuine degree of risk.Famous DuelersAfter the American War of Independence, political, as well as private duels became relatively commonplace. A politician’s personal honor was inseparable from his political reputation, so public attacks, no matter how partisan, often demanded redress upon the field of honor. Samuel Johnson expressed it well: “A man may shoot the man who invades his character, as he may shoot him who attempts to break into his house.” Many of our most famous political and historical figures fought duels. For example, a signer of the Declaration of Independence named Button Gwinnet was killed in a duel with General Lachlan McIntosh. Three framers of our Constitution were killed in duels—Gwinnet, Richard Dobbs Spaight, and Alexander Hamilton. Dueling was common enough in these early days for both George Washington and Benjamin Franklin to feel compelled to publicly condemn the practice.A famous duel occurred in 1802 between DeWitt Clinton (see below) and John Swartwout, a close friend of Aaron Burr’s.Clinton was challenged by Swartwout, who claimed he had tried to cast aspersions on his good friend Burr. The duel was fought with pistols and went on for five rounds. Swartwout was shot twice, once in the ankle and once in the thigh, but he refused to quit unless Clinton would sign an apology. It ended when Clinton simply refused to shoot any more holes into the wounded man. Swartwout survived and was one of Burr’s seconds in his later duel with Alexander Hamilton. Clinton went on to become the Mayor of New York City and a famous Governor of New York State.Hamilton and BurrThe prototypical American political duel took place on July 11, 1804 between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton has come down to us as the good guy, while Burr is portrayed as the villain of the piece, but the actual details are well worth a closer look. For starters, both participants had a staggering amount in common. At least one historian has suggested that they each viewed the other as his “evil twin,” and the idea bears serious consideration. Both Hamilton and Burr were short, slight, and good looking, and both flattered themselves to be ladies’ men, although Burr undoubtedly had better cause. Both had genuinely distinguished careers as army officers in the War of Independence, both saw more than their share of front line action, and both had served as aides-de-camp to General George Washington. Hamilton stayed in this position for four years, becoming one of Washington’s most trusted advisors, while Burr apparently didn’t get along with the great man and only lasted for two weeks.After the war the two were friends—each had a successful practice as a lawyer in New York City. They moved in the same circles, attended the same parties, dined together, and even occasionally worked the same cases—sometimes in consultation, and sometimes as opposing counsels. In the end it was politics that came between them, with Hamilton founding the Federalist Party, and Burr becoming a prominent Republican. Both were budding financiers—Hamilton founded the Bank of New York, while Burr founded the Bank of the Manhattan Company, which later became the Chase Manhattan Bank. Both men were ambitious over-achievers. Hamilton rose as high as becoming the first Secretary of the Treasury and later was briefly appointed as the commanding general of the United States Army. Burr’s military career peaked as a lieutenant colonel in the Continental Army and he was the third Vice President of the United States.They first fell afoul of each other in 1791, when Burr (see above), then attorney-general of the state of New York, defeated Philip Schuyler, Hamilton’s father-in-law and became the Senator from the same state. In the presidential election of 1800, when Burr was tied with Jefferson in the Electoral College vote, Hamilton intervened. He threw all of his influence against Burr, even though it meant that the House of Representatives then elected Thomas Jefferson as president. Hamilton was the head and founder of the Federalist Party at the time. Since Jefferson was his life-long rival and the head of the opposing Republican Party, Hamilton’s reason for challenging Burr was clearly personal.Even with Hamilton’s help, it took a whopping 36 ballots for Jefferson to defeat Burr for the presidency. When Jefferson did gain the office, Burr became vice president, but Jefferson never trusted him again. Realizing that his future as a Republican was now dim, Burr tried to redeem his political fortunes by running for the governorship of New York. He was resoundingly beaten by a complete unknown, largely due to a smear campaign launched by Hamilton. Burr’s patience was already wearing thin when he was informed that Hamilton (see below) had expressed a “despicable” opinion of him. This, by the standards of the day, was unforgivable.Burr wrote repeatedly to Hamilton asking for an explanation of this remark. It was well understood by all that a failure to produce a satisfactory explanation or an apology would result in a duel. No one was more aware of the consequences than Hamilton—just three years earlier his son Philip was killed in a duel while defending his father’s reputation. Still, Hamilton responded to Burr’s increasingly urgent requests with several rounds of lawyerly hairsplitting and weasely prevarication. His reaction is a bit mystifying, even to this day. If he wasn’t prepared to explicitly repeat his insult, and he clearly wasn’t, then he could quite easily have deflected all consequences merely by suggesting that he had spoken in error. But he did neither. In the end Burr had no choice but to challenge his rival to a duel. At that time, there was simply no other mechanism for equitably resolving this conflict, and it would surely have been fatal to Burr’s status to allow such a blatant insult to stand.In 1804, dueling in New York was enough of a problem to have already been outlawed—the punishment for a conviction on the charge was severe—death. But it still occurred so often that the woodsy plateau of Weehawken, just across the Hudson was a regular meeting place for gentlemen to settle each other’s “hash,” along with their differences. At least eighteen duels are known to have occurred there. New Jersey had also outlawed the practice, but didn’t prosecute the crime quite as aggressively as her sister state across the Hudson.Whatever Hamilton’s true intentions, his chicanery now becomes quite Machiavellian. The night before the duel he penned a verbose statement descrying the practice of dueling and denying any intention of actually shooting Burr. But everything he did subsequently seems to contradict this testament. As the challenged party, Hamilton had the right to choose the weapons. At dawn the next morning, he showed up with a particularly large-barreled and lethal set of matched pistols. These particular pistols, crafted by a famous gunsmith named Wogden, had already exercised a powerful effect on the lives of the two principals. Five years earlier they were used in a duel between Burr and one of Hamilton’s brothers-in-law, and miraculously Burr’s only injury on that occasion was to have one of the buttons on his coat was shot off. But make no mistake, these pistols were thoroughly lethal.These were also precisely the same pistols used in Philip Hamilton’s fatal duel, which also had taken place at Weehawken. Additionally, these pistols, which still exist, each had a secret and optional hair trigger setting. Exerting the necessary ten pounds or more of pressure on a trigger could easily cause a pistol to wiggle in one’s hand—spoiling the aim. But a hair-trigger eliminated problem Since this setting was unknown to Burr, Hamilton would have retained a considerable advantage over his opponent. The pistols were actually the property of John Barker Church, Hamilton’s close friend and brother-in-law, and one of Hamilton’s sons were named after him. But Church was also a business partner of both Hamilton’s and Burr’s. Lastly, Burr had actually engaged in another duel with Church four years before, but on that occasion no one had been injured and they had used pistols supplied by Burr, since he had been the challenged party.In keeping with the customs of dueling, each participant brought an official “second” to the event. Burr’s second was his long-time close associate William Van Ness and they were accompanied by Samuel Swartwout, another Burr intimate. Van Ness, an attorney and prominent Republican, had worked hard back in 1800, in a vain attempt to swing the presidential vote in the House for Burr instead of Jefferson. In 1803 Van Ness actually wrote a book defending his friend from the charges of his enemies. Future president Martin Van Buren later served in his law office.Swartwout was another close ally of Burr’s in the New York State political scene, and he was also involved in Burr’s later notorious adventures. Like Burr, he too would be arrested for treason, but the charges were quickly dropped. Swartwout later became a close associate of President Andrew Jackson, who appointed him to the position of Collector of the Port of New York. But he is best known to history for his participation in what became known as the Swartwout-Hoyt Scandal. Swartwout supposedly embezzled something in the neighborhood of $2 million and fled to Europe, replaced as Collector by one Jesse Hoyt. Several years later it came to light that Hoyt too, was possessed of sticky digits. This episode became the origin of an old expression which has since fallen into disuse—any person who stole federal funds and fled to another country in the hopes of evading extradition was said to have, “Swartwouted out.”Hamilton’s second was Judge Nathaniel Pendleton and they were accompanied by Dr. David Hosack. Pendleton was a Revolutionary War veteran and prominent attorney who had been appointed to a federal judgeship by George Washington. Hosack, a native New Yorker was a renowned physician, as well as a leading educator and botanist. Ominously, the good doctor had also ministered to Hamilton’s son Philip, when he was fatally injured three years earlier in a duel at precisely the same spot.Burr’s party arrived on the scene around 6:30 am, and they busied themselves with removing underbrush from the field of fire. Hamilton and his companions appeared about 7:00 am, carrying the fateful pistols with them as was Hamilton’s right as the challenged party. Peculiarly, and adding to the confusion later, at the duel’s climax these seconds turned their backs on the principals and did not actually watch the exchange of fire. All participants were concerned by the legal niceties of the event and if called upon to testify they wished to be able to truthfully claim that they had seen nothing. And it’s surely no coincidence that of the six participants, three were lawyers and one a judge.Just before the two adversaries squared off, Hamilton carefully pulled on a pair of spectacles—obviously unnecessary if he planned to miss. Hamilton also carefully balanced the pistol in his hand and repeatedly sighted along the barrel—more strange behavior if there was no violence in his heart. Also, there was a well known and commonly used tactic of the day for saving face and throwing away a shot rather than shooting at your opponent. It was called deloping, and required the duelist to hold his pistol pointed to the side in an obvious manner. If a duelist telegraphed his intentions in this way, his opponent was honor bound to do the same. By all witness accounts, Hamilton never chose to delope.In the event, two shots were definitely fired, separated only by a second or two. The first shot seems to have been Hamilton’s. He fired high and severed a branch above Burr’s head. Burr apparently took an extra second to aim and his shot caught Hamilton in the lower abdomen. Hamilton immediately dropped his pistol and crumpled to the ground. Burr appeared to be horror stricken by the result and in concern started to approach his fallen adversary, but he was then hustled away by William Van Ness. When Dr. Hosack drew near him, Hamilton whispered, “This is a mortal wound, doctor,” before fainting away. When Hamilton regained consciousness, he told Hosack to be careful as his pistol was still loaded and added that “Pendleton knows I did not mean to fire at him.” This suggests that Hamilton may have been his own victim. Due to the hair trigger he had set, he might have discharged his weapon somehow without realizing what he had done. But under the circumstances, Hamilton’s written and verbal statements must be viewed with enormous suspicion.Burr was always convinced that Hamilton had done his best to destroy his career and then to kill him, and many historians share the opinion that Hamilton’s written statement was merely a malicious attempt to ruin Burr in the event that Hamilton lost the duel. If so, Hamilton succeeded. Burr’s bullet not only killed his hated rival, but also dealt a death blow to his own political ambitions. The stricken Hamilton was rowed back across the river and taken to the home of a friend in Greenwich Village, where he died the following day.Burr was charged with Hamilton’s murder in both New York and New Jersey, but was never brought to trial. After briefly fleeing the unexpected uproar with a trip to South Carolina, Burr returned to finish his term as Vice President with probity and dignity. Even his enemies reportedly cried at his farewell speech. But despite these crocodile tears, his political career was over.Burr Treason TrialSeveral years later Burr was tried for treason at President Jefferson’s insistence. Burr was apparently trying to retrieve his fortunes by engaging in military adventurism in either Mexico or the Southwest. He may have had the goal of forming an independent state, or of carving out a principality and then returning to the U.S. in triumph. (If so, then he was ahead of the curve—in the future other defeated politicians would move West in an effort to reinvent themselves and revitalize their ambitions—Sam Houston and Davy Crockett come to mind.) Whatever Burr’s intentions, there was never any genuine evidence against him and accordingly, despite Jefferson’s best and quite partisan efforts, he was acquitted. But the older Burr (see below) was never able to regain the former eminence he enjoyed in his younger years. His reputation would have been served better if he had died dramatically with Hamilton. He returned to New York to practice law and slowly sank into gray obscurity.Andy Jackson, Frontier DuelistWhatever his repute as a statesman, in his lifetime Andrew Jackson was well known as a hot-tempered and vengeful man—quick to take offense, and quick too, to resort to violence. In addition to the fact that in that day political passions tended to run high, Jackson’s personal life was a considerable source of aggrievement to him. The delight of his existence was his wife, Rachel, née Donelson, and the loving couple was joined together in marriage in 1791. The problem was that at that moment Rachel was still married to her first husband, and so she was technically guilty of bigamy. Apologists posit that communications were quite imperfect in rough and tumble frontier Tennessee, and that Rachel had sincerely believed that her divorce was complete when the papers had merely been filed. But there is also evidence that she cohabited with Andrew and titled herself as “Mrs. Jackson” even before the wedding took place. In any event, proprieties being what they were, a nasty little scandal ensued. A second marriage ceremony was conducted in 1794, after Rachel’s divorce was finalized. Despite the belated resolution, this affair provided a permanent chink in the armor of this cranky and belligerent politician. And it was impossible that an imbroglio as juicy as this would not be used repeatedly by Jackson’s adversaries.Only two are well documented, but “Old Hickory” claimed to have fought the prodigious total of fourteen duels over his career. Considering a character as preternaturally touchy as his, this gory aggregate offers no serious strain to credulity. Jackson had been wounded so frequently in these brouhahas that in later life it was said that he “rattled like a bag of marbles.” While politicians usually fought duels with the goal of protecting their reputations, this tactic could also backfire. In 1806, the young Andrew Jackson fought such a duel with Charles Dickinson. Dickinson had published an attack on Jackson (Rachel again), and Jackson had typically responded by issuing a challenge to a duel. The outcome would be notorious and the effects long-lasting.Jackson’s pistol failed to go off while Dickinson’s bullet wounded his adversary. Under the code duello, this exchange should have ended the matter, but Jackson was incensed. He cold-bloodedly pulled back the flintlock and fired again, this time striking his opponent dead. By the rules governing “affairs of honor” this was pretty close to outright murder. Dickenson’s bullet had lodged close enough to Jackson’s heart that doctors refused to remove it. For the rest of his life it occasionally caused “Old hickory” to cough up blood. Another lasting result was the damage that the Dickinson duel did to Jackson’s reputation. Contemporary judgments were somewhat arbitrary, but in this instance Jackson was commonly felt to have crossed the line of gentlemanly conduct. But overall, and unlike Burr, Jackson’s penchant for violence and his many exercises in defense of his honor enhanced rather than hurt his standing. Andrew Jackson is the only American president known to have killed another man in a duel. And on the very last day of his presidency, the cantankerous Tennessean expressed but two regrets, that he “had been unable to shoot Henry Clay or to hang John C. Calhoun.”By the time of the Burr-Hamilton duel, the custom was already falling seriously out of favor in the North. A number of anti-dueling organizations had formed, and ministers and public officials were regularly speaking out against it. Prosecution had become vigorous. But the practice was much more resilient in the South. Interestingly, the majority of Southern duels were fought by politicians and lawyers. Legislators, judges, and even governors used dueling to sort out their disagreements, and politicians regularly continued their “debates” on the dueling ground. South of the Mason-Dixon Line, a man who refused a duel was punished by being “posted”—a notification of his cowardice was either printed in a local newspaper or hung up in a local place.John Randolph, Jefferson’s Eccentric CousinOne of the most interesting politicians of the early republic who also dabbled in dueling was John Randolph of Roanoke. A scion of one of Virginia’s leading families, Randolph was a first cousin to President Thomas Jefferson, and the nephew of Edmund Randolph, the first Attorney General of the United States and the second Secretary of State. Tall and lanky, as a young man John was good looking, but an unusual disease described as a form of “tuberculosis” left him smooth cheeked, high voiced, and probably sexually impotent. He spent most of his career as a gadfly Congressman, although he also served one term as a U.S. Senator.Randolph was an eccentric character, famous for his “flashy” dress, often showing up in the House booted and spurred and swishing a riding crop. Wherever he went he would often appear surrounded by his slaves and a frolicsome pack of hunting dogs. He was always a notable speaker, and at his best he could be a highly effective orator—he would become famous for his invective. When an opponent in the House had the temerity to imply that he was sexually incapable, he responded in an aristocratic Southern drawl, “You pride yourself upon an animal faculty, in respect to which the negro is your equal and the jackass infinitely your superior.” In criticizing the appointment of a politician he felt unqualified to the position of Secretary of the Treasury he commented, “Never were abilities so much below mediocrity so well rewarded; no, not when Caligula’s horse was made Consul.”As would be expected of such a volatile character, living in such times, Randolph fought his share of duels, often with little cause. While attending college as a young man, dueling was considered to be an essential part of a Southern gentleman’s education. Randolph had a dispute with a fellow Virginian student over nothing more weighty than the pronunciation of a word. Still, they fought a duel to settle the matter and Randolph shot his opponent, who luckily survived.Under the code of dueling, the greatest insult of all was to refuse a challenge on the grounds that your antagonist was too far beneath you to merit a response. In 1807 Randolph refused to duel with the notorious General James Wilkinson, the commanding officer of the U.S. Army. The irate Wilkinson responded by “posting” Randolph for cowardice. Randolph, who had seemingly spoken ill of Wilkinson, held his object in such contempt that he felt he owed him no explanation—Wilkinson possessed no honor to be tarnished. He coldly replied, “I cannot descend to your level.” The posting by Wilkinson was entirely ineffective in damaging Randolph’s reputation. The general was a particularly shady character who had been revealed to a paid agent in the employ of the Spanish government and who had also conspired with Aaron Burr in the latter’s aborted scheme for conquest in the Southwest.One of the major issues in Randolph’s political career was a notorious swindle called the Yazoo Land Fraud. Even when he chose not to duel, his passions ran high. He had a violent argument over this issue with an individual named Wright, whom he clearly felt to be wrong. In a quaint letter he asks one of his seconds to arrange the affair without bloodshed. “I threw a tumbler at him, which hit him in the head. He returned, and, while my friends very kindly pinioned me, struck me twice in the face. You will oblige me by settling matters with him, or his friend, as soon as may be, in such a way as you know calculated to give me ease.”Despite his bellicosity, Randolph actually had decidedly mixed feelings towards dueling. He thought the mechanism was used too often and too lightly, but that ultimately the practice was a necessary evil. In another letter he said, “Abolish dueling and you encourage bullies as well in number as in degree, and lay every gentleman at the mercy of a cowardly pack of scoundrels. In fine, my good friend, the Yahoo must be kept down, by religion, sentiment, manners if you can—but he must be kept down.”Late in his career, long painful illnesses seemed to have taken a toll on Randolph’s mental stability and his enemies had occasion to accuse him of insanity. In this period he had a serious falling out with the famous Henry Clay, who challenged Randolph to a duel in 1826. Randolph immediately accepted. At the event he was oddly attired in a long dressing gown, which Clay managed to put two bullet holes in, while Randolph himself managed to perforate Clay’s own coat. Meeting in mid-field, Randolph remarked to Clay that he now owed him a coat. The “Great Compromiser” responded, “I am glad the debt is no greater.” With honor served, the two quickly restored their former cordial relationship. Among Randolph’s many friends were Francis Scott Key, composer of our National Anthem, and Thomas Hart Benton, the famous Congressman and Senator from Missouri. Coincidentally, Benton, a seminal figure in early nineteenth-century American politics was also a violent and touchy man, famous for his own duels. We’ll come back to him.Commodore Decatur, Naval DuelistProbably the most popular dueling site in America was located at Bladensburg, Maryland. Dueling was strictly illegal in the new capital of Washington, D. C., and the laws were strictly enforced. But for a time Maryland offered no such encumbrances and Bladensburg was just across the Potomac. One of the most famous Americans to duel there was the renowned Commodore Stephen Decatur, a sterling figure and one of the very greatest heroes of the United States Navy. Dueling was amazingly commonplace in early nineteenth century navy as Decatur’s life illustrates.One particular story of Decatur’s first voyage as a midshipman aboard the frigate U.S.S. United States bears telling. The ship was on duty in the Mediterranean Sea, and Decatur had become close friends with another midshipman named Richard Somers. One day he and Somers playfully mocked each other, but overhearing, the other midshipmen aboard demanded that Somers challenge Decatur for his supposed insult. Instead, Somers challenged all of the messmates and requested Decatur to serve as his second. Decatur tried to assuage the situation, but Somers was adamant. In a scene reminiscent of The Three Musketeers, Somers challenged all of the ship’s complement of midshipmen, arranging to meet each officer at subsequent hours.In his duel with the first midshipman, Somers was wounded in the left arm. In his second duel he was “pinked” in the thigh and fainted from the blood loss. Decatur offered to take his place, but the defiant Somers refused. Firing from a sitting position he still managed to wound his third opponent, whereupon the other officers acknowledged his courage and the affair ended. In light of subsequent events, it’s fascinating to note that Decatur’s training officer at the time was First Lieutenant James Barron, ten years his senior. Describing their close relationship, Decatur was to say, “I was more indebted to him than my own father.”Decatur fought his own first duel in Philadelphia in 1799, while a young lieutenant, still stationed aboard the United States. This time the Chief Mate of a British Indiaman made the mistake of making a number of derogatory remarks about Decatur and the American navy. When the man refused to apologize, Decatur challenged him to a duel. The young lieutenant was a crack shot and he contented himself with wounding his adversary in the hip.In 1801 the First Barbary War began, when Jefferson opted to send a U.S. naval force to do battle with the Barbary States rather than to continue to pay tribute to them. In 1804, Decatur distinguished himself in this conflict by taking the captured Philadelphia in Tripoli harbor and setting fire to the ship, depriving the pirates of her use. For his feat, Decatur became the youngest man in American naval history to hold the rank of captain. He fought heroically in further fleet actions and the following year the Bashaw of Tripoli surrendered. The dashing Decatur married young Susan Wheeler, the daughter of the mayor of the naval town of Norfolk, Virginia. She was a great beauty and quite vivacious—her earlier suitors had included Jerome Bonaparte, the younger brother of Napoleon, and that ubiquitous roué, Aaron Burr.In 1807, the notorious Chesapeake-Leopard Affair took place, an international incident which would eventually lead to Decatur’s final duel. In June of that year the frigate U.S.S. Chesapeake set sail under the command of Commodore James Barron and headed for the Mediterranean Sea. Shortly afterwards they were accosted by the British frigate, H.M.S. Leopard, whose captain demanded to search the American ship for British naval deserters. Barron properly refused and shockingly, without warning the Leopard opened fire, savaging the Chesapeake, killing three of her crewmembers and wounding eighteen others. Have just left port, the Chesapeake was unprepared for battle and could not return fire. Barron struck his ship’s colors and was forced to allow the British to board him. The Chesapeake eventually limped back to port with two crippled masts and twenty-two shot holes peppering her oaken sides.As a consequence, Commodore Barron was court-martialed and Decatur was ordered to serve on the board. Barron was disgraced—the court found him guilty of “unpreparedness,” and he was barred from command for a period of five years. As a final insult, the navy appointed Decatur to command the refitted Chesapeake. By the time the War of 1812 broke out, Decatur was now captain of the 44 gun frigate U.S.S. United States. In a famous battle he defeated and captured the British frigate H.M.S. Macedonia. Decatur also served with distinction in the Second Barbary War of 1815.In October of 1818, Decatur was asked to serve as a “second” in a duel between his good friend Oliver Hazard Perry, another renowned hero of the War of 1812, and Marine Captain John Heath. Heath fired and missed, while Perry declined to shoot. The seconds performed their part in smoothing things over, both parties agreed that honor had been satisfied, and the affair ended without casualty. But Decatur’s next duel would not end so felicitously.In 1820 Commodore James Barron challenged Decatur over remarks the latter had made regarding the Chesapeake-Leopard Affair of thirteen years earlier. Barron had just returned to the U.S. after a number of years in “exile” in Copenhagen, and was now seeking reinstatement in the navy. Decatur, among other officers, blocked this return to duty, and so Barron chose to call him out. At this point in time dueling between naval officers was so prevalent that it was actually causing a serious shortage of qualified personnel. In Decatur’s case, the dangers of the duel were magnified by the sinister element of betrayal.Barron’s second was Captain Jesse Elliott, a pugnacious fellow well known to dislike Decatur. But Decatur’s second was his erstwhile friend, Commodore William Bainbridge. Decatur was too generous of nature to realize it, but the older Bainbridge was jealous of his fame and not inclined to do him any favors. Under the code of dueling, the first duty of the principals’ seconds is to resolve the affair peacefully, if this is in any way possible. Not only did Elliott and Bainbridge make no serious effort to do this, but the details they arranged virtually guaranteed that the encounter would be lethal.The combatants met at Bladensburg on March 22nd, at a popular dueling venue known locally as “The Valley of Chance.” They faced off at the extremely close range of only eight paces. Both men fired simultaneously, and not unexpectedly, both were badly wounded. Decatur tried vainly to staunch his wound and said, “Oh, Lord, I am a dead man.” Lying in a puddle of blood Barron told him that he forgave him from the bottom of his heart. As his opponent was carried away, he cried out, “God bless you, Decatur.”Decatur died at 10:30 that night in his elegant mansion on Lafayette Square, near to the White House. Barron was lucky enough to eventually recover from his wounds. Decatur’s funeral became a national event, with President James Madison prominent among the mourners. Afterwards, the reprehensible conduct of the seconds became known and Decatur’s widow spent many years vainly pursuing justice for “the assassins.” At his death the naval paragon was only forty-one. Barron would eventually be reinstated, but he was never to command a ship again.Senator Thomas Hart BentonThomas Hart Benton was born in 1782, and in his long life he served five terms as the powerful Senator from Missouri, and he was also the leading exponent of westward expansion—the policy that would become known as “Manifest Destiny.” But Hart’s beginnings were a bit more checkered. In 1799, while studying law at the University of North Carolina he was expelled after admitting that he had stolen money from his fellow students. Those same students jeered him as he left the campus and he responded colorfully by saying, “I am leaving here now but damn you, you will hear from me again.” He eventually moved his family to Tennessee, completed his legal studies, and became a state senator. There he attracted the attention of Andrew Jackson.During the War of 1812, Benton received a commission as a lieutenant colonel and became General Jackson’s aide-de-camp. But both Benton and Jackson were famed for their belligerence, and only a year later there was seriously bad blood between the two. This resulted in a nasty fracas which contemporaries quaintly described as a “tavern brawl,” but which today would undoubtedly be classified as a “fire fight.” In any event, it never came close to rising to the civilized level of a duel. On September 4, 1813, Thomas Benton and his brother Jesse arrived in Nashville, Tennessee and went to the City Hotel. Each of the brothers was carrying two pistols. Immediately afterwards, Jackson also entered Nashville, accompanied by John Coffee and a young man named Stockley Hays, who had been with Aaron Burr on the latter’s infamous expedition to the Southwest. All were heavily armed. The action that followed was confused, but this is roughly what took place.Jackson and Coffee approached the hotel’s porch where Benton was standing, and the general brandished a whip, shouting, “Now, defend yourself you damned rascal!” Jackson drew a pistol but was shot from behind by Jesse Benton. Thomas Benton fired twice more at Jackson as he toppled over. John Coffee took a shot at Benton and missing, tried to grapple with him. Benton staggered and fell backwards down a flight of stairs. Stockley Hays tried to skewer Jesse Benton with a sword cane, but the point caught on a button and the narrow blade snapped. Jesse then attempted to shoot Hays but his pistol misfired. When the smoke cleared, Jackson’s left shoulder had been shattered by a bullet and the wound was serious enough to have nearly required an amputation. But when doctors attempted to perform the operation, the steely “Old Hickory” replied, “I’ll keep my arm.”In 1815, Benton moved to the new Missouri Territory. Describing himself, he once said, “I never quarrel, sir, but I do fight, sir, and when I fight, sir, a funeral follows, sir.” Two years later he proved the truth of this. In 1817 he engaged in a bona fide duel with an opposing attorney named Charles Lucas. They first clashed in court, calling each other liars. At a later date Lucas accused Benton of being ineligible to vote, and the colonel had responded by dismissing Lucas as a “puppy.” Lucas then formally challenged Benton to a duel. The practice was already illegal, so they met on a sandbar in the middle of the Mississippi River between Illinois and Missouri. It was called “Bloody Island” because of the many duels it had hosted.They fought with pistols at thirty paces, but the first volley was ineffective. Their arguing continued and they met again the following month. On that occasion, only nine feet apart, Benton fired first and fatally wounded Charles Lucas. Benton went on to have a highly impressive career as one of the senators from the new state of Missouri. He and Jackson managed to put their personal differences aside and became political allies. Benton’s steadfast championing of the gold standard earned him the nickname of “Old Bullion.” He pushed tirelessly for westward expansion and was the author of the first Homestead Act. John C. Frémont, “the Pathfinder,” became his son-in-law. He was also an advocate of the intercontinental railroad and the new invention of the telegraph. One of his most famous utterances was, “Benton and the people, Benton and Democracy are one and the same sir, synonymous terms, sir…” On his deathbed, nearly forty years after the event, Benton regretted the killing of Lucas.Abe LincolnOne of the most unlikely duelists of early America was a gangly fellow from Illinois, named Abraham Lincoln, who was actually challenged to a sword fight by a state official named James Shields. Lincoln had adopted a number of pseudonyms and under them published a series of satirical letters mocking Shields. But in this case, as in so many others, a woman would be central to the quarrel. Doubtless inspired by her beau’s wit, young Mary Todd and a friend wrote several more letters which unfortunately strayed across the boundary from satire to outright insult. Shields blamed Lincoln for all of this and immediately challenged the “Rail Splitter.” Unwilling to be disgraced and anxious to impress his betrothed, Lincoln accepted.As the challenged party it was Lincoln’s privilege to choose both the weapons and conditions for the duel. Accordingly he selected cavalry broadswords and in hopes of limiting the damage he dictated that the contest be held in a large pit, with a board separating the two combatants. On September 22, 1842 the two met to settle the affair. Lincoln deliberately occupied himself by slashing off branches from a high tree limb. Noticing how much longer the lanky Lincoln’s arms were than his own, Shields began to have second thoughts. Lincoln’s seconds did their part by using every blandishment to soothe Shields. Lincoln explained that he had not actually penned all of the letters and apologized for the entire misunderstanding. Shields accepted and became a prominent U.S. Senator. Lincoln, too, reportedly went on to a career in politics.Dueling Winds DownUltimately, it was the Civil War that marked a precipitous decline in dueling, particularly in the South where it had still been prevalent. Evidently this national bloodbath served to cool the warm passions and perpetual quest for gentlemanly honor that were for so long hallmarks of the American Southland. Certainly by the 1870s social standards had changed and political and personal honor were no longer identical. By that point there were other, more peaceful mechanisms in place for defending one’s good name and reputation.By contrast, in Europe the practice of dueling still thrived until they had their own epiphany after the apocalypse of the first World War. But during the early days of our republic, when the nation’s growing pains might so easily have turned to excess and resulted in politically directed bloodshed on a wide-spread scale, dueling seems to have absorbed this excess energy and vitriol and served to make the American scene a safer and more stable place. And it will likely remain the mootest of points whether today’s politicians are more genteel than their counterparts of old, or just totally lacking in even pretensions to honor.