The first BrANCH session I attended was "Exploration, Experiment, and Display: Uses and Abuses of African Americans in the Nineteenth Century." (Three caveats: I sat halfway back in a large tiered classroom and had a hard time hearing the two presenters at some points. The Powerpoints were also a bit hard to read due to … Continue reading BrANCH 2012: Uses and Abuses of African Americans in the 19th Century
BrANCH 2012: Slave Communities and Southern Honor
By the time you read this, I should be at Northumbria University in Newcastle-upon-Tyne for this year's BrANCH conference. (The program is here.) This is my first BrANCH (British American Nineteenth Century Historians) conference experience, and I'm glad it's being held in one of my favorite areas of England. I try to post my conference … Continue reading BrANCH 2012: Slave Communities and Southern Honor
The Working Class and Higher Education, Pt. 2
Part 1 is here. Just as I took my time with my first stab at this topic, I've been putting off writing a second post. An IHE article on mid-tier doctoral programs prompted me to the keyboard again. Dean Dad starts with this question, "Why do people continue to apply to, and attend, nothing-special doctoral programs in … Continue reading The Working Class and Higher Education, Pt. 2
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
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
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
R.I.P. Eugene Genovese
The Historical Society reported yesterday that historian Eugene Genovese passed away. Genovese was a masterful scholar noted for his Marxist interpretation of the Old South in his early career and for his political conservatism in his later career. As I noted previously, reading Genovese in grad school was an exhilarating experience. I didn't always understand … Continue reading R.I.P. Eugene Genovese
Two Thoughts about Publishing from Mary Beth Norton
Last week, Historiann (Ann M. Little) posted a three-part interview with esteemed historian Mary Beth Norton. You should read all three parts, especially if you are interested in the development of women's history as a field. Two things jumped out at me from the final interview installment. The first was Norton's advice not to commit oneself … Continue reading Two Thoughts about Publishing from Mary Beth Norton
The Evolution of a Book, Pt. 8: Working with Your Copy Editor
(Previous entries in this series: Pts. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7.) Another extremely important relationship that you'll have as you see your book manuscript through to publication is the one with the copy editor. Much of the previous advice I've given about referees and editors applies to copy editors as well, but let me expound on this relationship a … Continue reading The Evolution of a Book, Pt. 8: Working with Your Copy Editor
The Murder of Lt. Daniel Smith Donelson, C.S.A.
Too frequently, historians stumble across mysteries that they lack the evidence to solve. Most of the time, those mysteries are relegated to a folder, where they sit and nag at the mind. While writing the Donelson biography, I came across one such mystery: the murder of Andrew Jackson Donelson's son, Daniel Smith Donelson (1842-1864). The … Continue reading The Murder of Lt. Daniel Smith Donelson, C.S.A.
Jacksonian America: Society, Personality, and Politics 