Is "OK" properly written as initials or as a word? What does it mean? You've probably heard at some point that the word "okay" is derived from the initials "O.K.," which can be traced back to Martin Van Buren's nickname, "Old Kinderhook." (Kinderhook was Van Buren's birthplace in New York, as well as where he … Continue reading OK, O.K., or Okay?
The Best Books on Writing and Publishing, Part 1
Learning to write more effectively seems like it's going to be a lifelong process, as it should be. Three books have really helped me understand not only how to write more clearly for my audience but also what is involved in the publication process, about which I was taught nothing in graduate school. I'll deal with each … Continue reading The Best Books on Writing and Publishing, Part 1
“Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” To Close on Broadway
I guess I missed my chance to see Andrew Jackson get all sexypants. "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson" (BBAJ) is finishing its run on Broadway in early January. I hope that the show goes on the road to the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, which would give me the chance to see it. By the way, if you're … Continue reading “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” To Close on Broadway
Recommendations for Presidential Biographies
A colleague and I are working on revamping the American presidency course that is in our course catalog. Currently, it is listed as under political science, but we have requested that it be crosslisted with history. Our hope is to use the course to rebuild the political science program, which disappeared into academic purgatory several years ago. … Continue reading Recommendations for Presidential Biographies
Review of Gene Dattel’s Cotton and Race in the Making of America
Gene Dattel's Cotton and Race in the Making of America: The Human Costs of Economic Power (Ivan R. Dee, 2009) is a book for which I had been looking. While one can find plenty of studies of slavery and the Old South, book-length works focused on cotton's role, specifically its economic influence, in shaping the … Continue reading Review of Gene Dattel’s Cotton and Race in the Making of America
Life Portrait of James K. Polk
As I take a break for the Thanksgiving holiday, enjoy this life portrait of James K. Polk. This video was part of a series on U.S. presidents produced by C-Span in the late 1990s. Blog posts will resume on Monday, Nov. 29. Happy Thanksgiving!
Conspiracy Thinking in the Early Republic
Many of you know that I have an abiding interest in conspiracy theories. Not that I believe them, mind you, but I am fascinated with their prevalence in American and Western history. My own interest stems from my fundamentalist Baptist background. I grew up reading books and hearing stories that were permeated with conspiracy theories about the … Continue reading Conspiracy Thinking in the Early Republic
What’s Jon Meachem Doing Nowadays?
As readers probably know, Jon Meacham, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his 2008 biography of Andrew Jackson, American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House, exited as editor of Newsweek in August. (Newsweek is merging with The Daily Beast.) He is moving to Random House as its executive vice president and executive editor in … Continue reading What’s Jon Meachem Doing Nowadays?
The Partisan Media: Then and Now
In a recent editorial, well-known TV personality Ted Koppel criticized the state of today's media cacophony: We live now in a cable news universe that celebrates the opinions of [Keith] Olbermann, Rachel Maddow, Chris Matthews, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly - individuals who hold up the twin pillars of political partisanship and who are encouraged … Continue reading The Partisan Media: Then and Now
First Photo of Humans?
The daguerreotype was the earliest form of photography. (Read some of the history here.) NPR recently posted daguerreotypes of Cincinnati from 1848 that show what may be the first candid photos of humans. Even more interesting, a blogger named Hokumburg responded to the story with what may the first photograph of humans, taken by Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre himself in 1838. … Continue reading First Photo of Humans?
Jacksonian America: Society, Personality, and Politics 