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 […]
slavery
Albert Raboteau, RIP
Princeton University religion professor Albert Raboteau‘s book Slave Religion was the first book I ever read on the history of the religion and the African American experience. Here is Adelle Banks at Religion News Service: Albert J. Raboteau, an American […]
The Author’s Corner with Eric Herschthal
Eric Herschthal is Assistant Professor of History at the University of Utah. This interview is based on his new book The Science of Abolition: How Slaveholders Became the Enemies of Progress (Yale University Press 2021). JF: What led you to write The Science […]
Episode 89: The Heretical John C. Calhoun
John C. Calhoun is among the most notorious and enigmatic figures in American political history. In this episode we talk with Robert Elder, author of Calhoun: American Heretic. Elder shows that Calhoun’s story is crucial for understanding the political climate in […]
Slavery at Boston’s Old North Church
Here is Artemis Moshtaghian at CNN: On Tuesday, the National Endowment for the Humanities announced that the Old North Church Foundation was awarded a $75,000 grant. Stewart says the foundation plans on creating a program that reinterprets the church and its congregation’s […]
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 do Americans really think about critical race theory?
According to an Reuters-Ipsos poll 43% of Americans said they are “familiar” with critical race theory. 30% have never heard of it. Other findings from this poll: 24 % of Americans know about the 1619 Project. 22% know about the […]
Annette Gordon-Reed talks race and American history
Here is a taste of Chauncey DeVega’s interview with Gordon-Reed at Salon: Why are so many (white) people upset by basic facts about the color line and its centrality to American history? Guilt. That is why there are people who […]
Jack Hibbs dabbles in American history and it is a disaster. We need another Dudley Rutherford moment!
In 2011, Dudley Rutherford, the pastor of the Shepherd of the Hills Church in Porter Ranch, California, sat down in front of a camera and told the inspiring story behind the writing of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” (The video has been removed from […]
“1776” or “Hamilton”?
How about both? Over at The Washington Post, historian Zachary Clary argues that the musical “1776” is a better portrayal of the American founding because it “tackles slavery head on.” I have never seen the play, but I thoroughly enjoy […]
The descendants of enslaved persons at James Madison’s Montpelier will now share in the governance of the site
This is unprecedented. Here is a taste of the Montpelier’s press release: In a first-ever milestone for museums and historic sites that are former places of enslavement, The Montpelier Foundation (TMF) board of directors voted Wednesday, based on a proposal […]
Juneteenth roundup
Here’s what you need to know about Juneteenth: Some basics It is now a federal holiday. NPR staff members read the Emancipation Proclamation: A Juneteenth playlist Kate Masur: Juneteenth is just the start Can the Juneteenth holiday be Black and […]
The Juneteenth National Independence Day Act passes House, Senate.
When Biden signs the bill June 19th, the day celebrating the emancipation of enslaved Americans, will become a federal holiday. On Tuesday, the Senate endorsed the bill unanimously. Yesterday, the House passed the bill by a vote of 415-14. Here […]
Frederick Douglass: “We must never forget that victory to the rebellion meant death to the republic”
150 years ago yesterday, Douglass delivered this Decoration Day speech at Arlington National Cemetery. Decoration Day was the predecessor of Memorial Day. Learn more about it here. Here is Douglass: The Unknown Loyal Dead Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, on Decoration […]
Texas is trying to whitewash its history
One of these days I will try to put together a list of state education boards trying to change their history curriculums so that students do not come face to face with the many sins of America’s past. Texas will […]
Does your church have a racist past?
Check out Mark Wingfield’s piece at Baptist World Global titled “What to do if you unearth a history of slavery in your church, college, or institution?” Here’s a taste: With increasing attention to the roots of American slavery in religious […]
The ever-usable John Brown
Here is Yale graduate student Bennett Parten at History Today: …John Brown became an American sensation, a source of both fear and enchantment. Slaveholders reviled him; abolitionists wept for him, tolled bells in his honour and came to see him […]
A conservative case for reparations
I spent a day with Washington Post contributor and Ohio journalist Gary Abernathy in February 2020, just before the pandemic hit. He was part of a group of students and teachers who visited Messiah University as part of a Georgetown […]
“Much of what we know about the domestic slave trade…in the United States is wrong”
Here is University of Alabama historian Joshua Rothman: Much of what we think we know about the domestic slave trade and domestic traders of enslaved people in the United States is wrong. To the extent most Americans think about the […]
Preserving the Great Dismal Swamp
The Great Dismal Swamp is a massive swamp located along the border of Virginia and North Carolina. George Washington was a shareholder in the Dismal Swamp Company, a venture in land speculation that tried to drain the swamp and turn […]