News came out this week that a reading about slavery by a fifth-grade teacher has produced a lawsuit by a female student's family. According to media reports and the suit, the excerpt from Julius Lester's book, From Slaveship to Freedom Road, contained "racial epithets and racist characterizations" that "affected the conditions of learning duties and … Continue reading Is Slavery Too Offensive to Discuss?
Advice for New History Graduate Students
In 2007, I gave an undergraduate student who was applying to grad schools some advice that I had gleaned from my own experiences. I'm hardly THE expert on how to survive graduate school, and my advice may not be applicable to everyone. But, in the hopes that it might prove useful to someone, here, with … Continue reading Advice for New History Graduate Students
Wrapping Up the 2010 Southern Historical Association Conference
I wanted to give a rundown of the Sunday morning session that I attended, as well as summarize my experience at this year's Southern. After visiting the book exhibit to score some deeply discounted books, I wandered over to the panel on antebellum southern politics. Ron Formisano presided, while he and Michael F. Holt, one of … Continue reading Wrapping Up the 2010 Southern Historical Association Conference
The Hermitage’s Podcast Series: Nashville, 1788
The Hermitage's October podcast, "Nashville: 1788," features Myers Brown, Curator of History & Extension Services at the Tennessee State Museum. He discusses what Nashville would have looked like when Andrew Jackson first arrived on the Middle Tennessee frontier.
The Current and Future State of Publishing in Southern History
The morning session that I attended was on the current state and future of publishing southern history. Stephen Wrinn of the University Press of Kentucky filled in for the absent chair, Lawrence Malley. Chuck Grench (UNC Press), Susan Ferber (Oxford Univ. Press), Joyce Seltzer (Harvard Univ. Press), and my own editor, Rand Dotson (LSU Press), … Continue reading The Current and Future State of Publishing in Southern History
The State of Southern History
Attending the afternoon session on the state of the field of southern history was well worth the trip here. Some caveats about this summary: The references to scholarly works were voluminous, and capturing the many references was impossible in most cases. Sheldon Hackney, the chair of the session, was a no-show, but Philip D. Morgan, … Continue reading The State of Southern History
Slavery and Territorial Expansion
It was an inauspicious start to my first venture in live tweeting. The wireless signal on the second floor of the Westin is low, and my battery life went from 2 hours to 2 minutes in just a few seconds. Apparently, eight-year-old laptop batteries aren't what they used to be. With electrical outlets a scarce … Continue reading Slavery and Territorial Expansion
Live Tweeting from SHA 2010
I'll be live tweeting from panels as long as my battery holds out. #sha2010
Blogging and Tweeting from the Southern
I'll be at the Southern in Charlotte from Thursday-Sunday. I plan to blog/tweet as much as I can on Friday and Saturday. Unless attendees reach consensus on another hashtag, I'll be using #sha2010 to organize my tweets. (Interestingly enough, that hashtag was also used for the Singapore Hit Awards.)
If You Think the 2010 Political Season Was Nasty . . .
Be glad you didn't live during the presidential campaign of 1800:
Jacksonian America: Society, Personality, and Politics 