Mark R. Cheathem 9/11, Abraham Lincoln, Film and history

My Problems with the New Lincoln Movie Trailer

The new Lincoln movie trailer is out. The latter part of it definitely piqued my interest more than the original trailer. I found the beginning of the trailer a bit off-putting, though, in its claim that Lincoln united all Americans. I know I'm once again probably being too picky, but that claim ignores the southern … Continue reading My Problems with the New Lincoln Movie Trailer

Mark R. Cheathem Andrew Jackson Donelson, Bolivar County, Historic preservation, Mississippi

Andrew Jackson Donelson’s Mississippi Plantation: A Follow-up

During the early days of Jacksonian America, I wrote a post about Andrew Jackson Donelson's home in Bolivar County, Mississippi. Recently, Bob Lovinggood, a descendant of Captain J.T. Lovinggood, contacted me about photographs of the home. Captain Lovinggood owned the home after the Donelsons and sold it to the Yates family in 1912. Much of … Continue reading Andrew Jackson Donelson’s Mississippi Plantation: A Follow-up

Mark R. Cheathem Education reform, Higher education, Jonathan Rees, Teaching

MOOCs and the History Classroom

One of my favorite bloggers, Jonathan Rees, has been hammering the MOOC (massive open online course) that he enrolled in. Led by Princeton University history professor Jeremy Adelman, the MOOC is offered by Coursera, one of the leading companies pushing for free courses that are open to anyone. Rees is an outspoken critic of online … Continue reading MOOCs and the History Classroom