The year 2011 is off to a strong start in the field of Jacksonian studies. I'm currently reading Haynes' book and hope to get a chance to review it and the others in the near future. (All book descriptions are excerpted from History Book Club.) Patricia Brady, A Being So Gentle: The Frontier Love Story of Rachel … Continue reading New Jacksonian Books: Feb. 2011 Edition
The Hermitage’s Podcast Series: Privilege vs. Equality
From The Hermitage's podcast series: Listen in on a conversation with Dr. Robert Wettemann, Director of the Center for Oral History at the United States Air Force Academy, as he explains what happened during the War of 1812 and how the Battle of New Orleans changed the face of the military.
R.I.P. Terry Holcomb
On Thurs., 27 Jan. 2011, my friend and colleague, Terry Holcomb, passed away. I got to know Terry over the past few months as we discussed life, students, politics, and history. I was looking forward to hearing his feedback on the Jackson biography and working with him on revitalizing the political science program. Terry lived … Continue reading R.I.P. Terry Holcomb
Humpty Dumpty History
In a an editorial last month, Stanley Kutler criticized American political conservatives for misusing history for their own purposes: Serious history, serious scholarship and serious discussion of facts and ideas are dismissed with tunnel vision. In Lewis Carroll’s “Through the Looking Glass,” Humpty Dumpty scornfully said “when I use a word, it means just what I choose it to … Continue reading Humpty Dumpty History
My Journey to Studying History
I am teaching our department's historical methods course this semester. One of the questions that I asked the students was why they chose to study history. Answers ranged from "I chose it by default" to "I've always loved reading and writing, so history was a natural fit." I shared with them my reason for majoring in … Continue reading My Journey to Studying History
The British Rank the U.S. Presidents
The Institute for the Study of the Americas recently conducted a survey of U.S. presidents: Through the agency of its United States Presidency Centre [USPC], the Institute for the Study of the Americas (located in the University of London’s School of Advanced Study) has undertaken the first ever UK academic survey to rate US presidents. This polled the opinion … Continue reading The British Rank the U.S. Presidents
What Do Sarah Palin and William Henry Harrison Have in Common?
Nick Jans' recent editorial piece on Sarah Palin struck me as humorous. Jans criticized Palin's "glaring, city-slicker klutziness" as she attempts to portray herself as a woman of the Alaskan land on her reality TV show. I haven't watched Palin's show, but what he describes doesn't surprise me, given the genre and the participant. What struck me most in Jans editorial are two … Continue reading What Do Sarah Palin and William Henry Harrison Have in Common?
Upcoming Article in History Compass
The abstract for my forthcoming History Compass article, "Andrew Jackson, Slavery, and Historians," is now available online. The article should be out by the end of February. Historians have neglected to give full consideration to the place of slavery in Andrew Jackson’s private and public life. They rarely move beyond a few well-known examples of Jackson’s treatment … Continue reading Upcoming Article in History Compass
Huck Finn and Censorship
If you've been paying attention, then you know that a censored edition of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is being published. This proposed edition will eliminate the word "nigger," "Injun," and "half-breed," replacing them with "slave," "Indian," and "half-blood." These changes have produced much discussion in the blogosphere, including a thoughtful post by a former student of … Continue reading Huck Finn and Censorship
Beware of Augustus C. Buell: He’s A Fraud
We hear far too often today about historians who plagiarize from their peers or who fabricate data. I've written here about Michael Bellesiles, but there are certainly plenty of others who have disgraced the profession. One example from the past is Augustus C. Buell. While not an historian, Buell (1847-1904) continues to mislead biographers of Andrew Jackson. Buell was a journalist … Continue reading Beware of Augustus C. Buell: He’s A Fraud
Jacksonian America: Society, Personality, and Politics 