Boy was I surprised!

Joy Gawf-Crutchfield

I have never been on a Globus escorted tour in America.  I’ve experienced their tours all over Europe, and have loved them, but I didn’t see how they were going to present my own country to me in a way that was as fascinating, simply because I felt that I had a good overall grasp of America’s historical journey.

I was wrong, and delightfully surprised.

The Globus American Heritage tour exceeded my wildest expectations.  The insight, the perspectives, the historians, and the live performances that were included in the tour gave me an understanding of our amazing country in a way I don’t think any other experience could have done.

I love the way the tour was not just focused on the Revolutionary period, but extended through the Civil War.  

The tour did an excellent job of explaining the motivations of our first settlers, and the visit to Jamestown was truly inspiring.  

Then, both the English and Colonial issues were thoroughly presented so that each tour member knew just what it would have been like to have lived during the mid to late 1700’s in America and the complications that arose during that time period.  The tug between loyalty to the King and rebellion at the oppression were both investigated fully, thoughtfully and fairly.

As we learned, our divisions over slavery were present at the very founding of our country.  Our founding fathers knew slavery was going to be a source of friction from the very start, but before they could address that problem they had to win our independence.   Slavery was a festering wound that became inflamed to the point of war in less than 100 years.  

Both the Northern and Southern perspectives were presented in such depth that it was truly possible to walk away from the tour knowing you understood both sides of the issue and the complexities of each situation.

Even post-Civil War history was examined as those leaders who lived through the Civil War and Reconstruction had their decisions compared and evaluated due to their personal experiences.

This is one tour I would love to do again.  Mount Vernon, Monticello, Gettysburg, Valley Forge, Williamsburg, Jamestown, Staunton, Richmond, Washington DC, Harpers Ferry, Philadelphia, I couldn’t get enough.

If you want to have a deeper understanding of your American Heritage, I heartily encourage you to participate in this tour.  Take the kids and grandkids.  Take your friends.  

When you head home from the tour, your heart will be bursting with pride in what we, as a nation, have faced, overcome and accomplished.  

USAJoy CrutchfieldHistory