Earlier this week my U.S. history survey students answered a final exam essay question on the short-term causes of the American Civil War. I haven’t graded their essays yet, but if their blue books do not contain something about Roger...
racism
Confederates at Gettysburg
I was going to take some students in my Civil War America course to Gettysburg this weekend. They were excited about going to the cemetery and reading the Gettysburg Address on November 19, the day it was delivered by Lincoln...
Slavery was the cause of the American Civil War
Most historians agree with the title of this post. So do many Americans. But there are others who still claim that the Civil War was about something other than slavery. Watch: Yesterday I showed this video to my Civil War...
What do Americans think about Confederate flags and monuments?
Public Religion Research Institute just released a very revealing study about Confederate flag and Confederate monuments in America. You can read the entire report here. Here are a few of the findings that caught my attention: 72% of Americans believe...
White supremacy in American history textbooks
Over at Esquire, Abigail Covington interviews Harvard historian Donald Yacovone on his recent book, Teaching White Supremacy: America’s Democratic Ordeal and the Forging of Our National Identity. Here is taste: ESQUIRE: You make it very clear from the start that...
Black pastor confronts Robert Jeffress on the legacy of racism at First Baptist-Dallas
Robert Jeffress, the Trump-loving pastor of Dallas’s First Baptist Church, should get credit for showing-up at this event. It’s a step in the right direction. Here is Matt Goodman at Dallas Magazine: Monday evening at SMU’s Dallas Hall, Dr. Michael Waters,...
Professor: “May [Queen Elizabeth’s] pain be excruciating”
Recently someone criticized me for suggesting that there are those on the political left whose rhetoric is just as damaging as those on the right. In response to this critic I offer the case of Uju Anya, a professor of...
Redlining: 1860-Present
ArcGIS Story Maps has published a very valuable resource on redlining in American history. Redlining is perhaps the best illustration we have of systemic racism in America. Indeed, white people created public policy in American cities to keep Blacks segregated...
How private interests led the way on urban segregation in America
Historian Colin Gordon argues that the federal housing policies contributed to segregation in cities, but private interests led the way. Here is a taste of his piece at Dissent: Recent scholarship and reporting on racial disparities in the United States...
The Author’s Corner with Holly A. Pinheiro Jr.
Holly A. Pinheiro Jr. is Assistant Professor of African American History at Furman University. This interview is based on his new book, The Families’ Civil War: Black Soldiers and the Fight for Racial Justice (University of Georgia Press, 2022). JF:...
Orthodox Presbyterian Church apologizes for racist remarks
Daniel Silliman has the story at Christianity Today. A taste: On Thursday afternoon, the proceedings were interrupted by a report from moderator David Nakhla, who said the General Assembly was in danger of getting kicked off the Eastern University campus...
Why does an image of the lynching of a Black man in Texas appear in a family photo album with vacation and wedding photos?
I will let historian Jeffrey Littlejohn explain. Here is a taste of his piece at The Conversation: As a historian and director of the Lynching in Texas project, which has documented more than 600 racial terror lynchings, I receive regular emails from journalists, scholars...
The Author’s Corner with Josiah Rector
Josiah Rector is Assistant Professor of History at the University of Houston. This interview is based on his new book, Toxic Debt: An Environmental Justice History of Detroit (University of North Carolina Press, 2022). JF: What led you to write...
The Author’s Corner with David Silkenat
David Silkenat is Senior Lecturer of American History at the University of Edinburgh. This interview is based on his new book, Scars on the Land: An Environmental History of Slavery in the American South (Oxford University Press, 2022). JF: What...
Glenn Youngkin’s Virginia history
Washington Post writer Dana Milbank got his hands on a 7th grade Virginia history textbook used in the commonwealth’s public schools from the 1950s through the 1970s. Here is a taste of his piece: Virginia’s Glenn Youngkin opened a tip line so...
Tim LaHaye had some choice words for Wheaton College when the evangelical school hosted a memorial service for Martin Luther King Jr.
On April 7, 1968, Wheaton College, an evangelical Christian school in Wheaton, Illiinois, hosted a “community-wide memorial service” for Martin Luther King Jr. in the wake of King’s assassination in Memphis on April 4, 1968. The final paragraph of this...
The latest Christian Right critique of the 1619 Project is full of problems. Let’s break it down.
Jerry Newcombe is a writer and local Florida radio host who comes out of the D. James Kennedy (Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church of Ft. Lauderdale) wing of conservative evangelicals. He is also the president of a Christian nationalist historical organization...
David Barton’s son talks slavery and Black history with sportswriter Jason Whitlock. It is a train wreck.
Tim Barton, the son of David Barton, appeared on sports writer Jason Whitlock‘s show “Fearless.” The show is part of Glenn Beck’s “Blaze Media.” Whitlock joined Blaze Media because he “wanted to partner with people who wouldn’t look at me...
Pew Research: “Republicans are far more likely than Democrats to say increased attention to the history of slavery and racism is bad for the country”
Here is a taste of the recent Pew Research study: Among U.S. adults overall, 53% say increased attention to that history is a good thing for society, while 26% say it is a bad thing and another 21% say it...
What is–and isn’t–Critical Race Theory?
Recently someone asked me for a good working definition of Critical Race Theory. Delgado and Stefancic is a good place to start. I tried to summarize some of their work here. Click here for all our posts on CRT. I...