Longtime readers will remember that I wrote a couple of posts (here and here) about Andrew Jackson Donelson's home in Bolivar County, Mississippi. The Preservation in Mississippi blog posted about the home today. The post doesn't add much more information to what I knew before, but I appreciate seeing the photos.
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Jacksonian America: 2015 in Review
WordPress prepared a year-end report for this blog. Here are the highlights: Total blog views: 49,289 Most active month in views: October (7,872)) Ten most-viewed posts of 2015 (2015 posts in bold): 1. Debunking the Lincoln-Kennedy Federal Reserve Meme 12,437 2. Andrew Jackson’s Profane Parrot 10,023 3. The Man Who Wanted to Kill Andrew Jackson 2,794 4. Was Calvin Coolidge … Continue reading Jacksonian America: 2015 in Review
Andrew Jackson’s Otherworldly Regrets
Betsy Phillips at the Nashville Scene has written an interesting piece on nineteenth-century Spiritualism's treatment of Andrew Jackson. In particular, she noted the claims by Isaac and Amy Post, in their 1852 Voices from the Spirit World, that Jackson told them that he "was wrong in almost every thing" that he did during his lifetime. If you're like me, you probably … Continue reading Andrew Jackson’s Otherworldly Regrets
Donald Trump: A Modern-Day Andrew Jackson?
In a recent Minnesota Star Tribune editorial, Stephen B. Young, global executive director of the Caux Round Table, calls Donald Trump a modern-day Andrew Jackson. His argument centers on an understanding of both men as populist tribal leaders defending the middle class against "the effete elite." Some of Young's analysis rings true, but he repeats some … Continue reading Donald Trump: A Modern-Day Andrew Jackson?
Library of Congress Digitizes Andrew Jackson Papers
The Library of Congress has digitized its collection of Andrew Jackson's papers. You can find a description of the collection's organization at the link. While the papers have been digitized, they have not been transcribed or annotated. Still, this project opens up enormous possibilities for those who study Jackson's personal life and political career. The … Continue reading Library of Congress Digitizes Andrew Jackson Papers
How to Teach in an Age of Distraction
If you are in higher education, Sherry Turkle's piece in the CHE is one that you should stop and read right now. There are a lot of good thoughts in Turkle's critique of the inattentive age, but two things stood out to me. One was her emphasis on "intellectual serendipity." She argues that meeting in … Continue reading How to Teach in an Age of Distraction
Books for Spring 2016
Conspiracy Theories Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic Visions in Contemporary America (Univ. of California Press, 2013) ISBN 9780520276826 D.J. Mulloy, The World of the John Birch Society: Conspiracy, Conservatism, and the Cold War (Vanderbilt Univ. Press, 2014) ISBN 9780826519818 Kathryn Olmsted, Real Enemies: Conspiracy Theories and American Democracy, World War I to 9/11 (Oxford Univ. Press, 2011) … Continue reading Books for Spring 2016
Beloit Mindset List for Class of 2019
The annual Beloit Mindset List is out to make people like me feel older than dirt. I wanted to share the misery of middle-age malaise, so here are some highlights: 3. They have never licked a postage stamp. 4. Email has become the new “formal” communication, while texts and tweets remain enclaves for the casual. … Continue reading Beloit Mindset List for Class of 2019
New Book Series on Jacksonian America
Beth Salerno and I are co-editing a new book series at Vanderbilt University Press (VUP). Entitled New Perspectives on Jacksonian America, the series will examine the period from 1812-1861, which generally spans the decades when Andrew Jackson was a significant figure in life and death. The chronological definition of the series recognizes the importance of the War … Continue reading New Book Series on Jacksonian America
Removing a Local Confederate Monument
The controversy over Confederate monuments has come to Lebanon, Tennessee. Someone in a local newspaper suggested removing the statue of Confederate general Robert Hatton, which sits in the middle of the town square. You can read my entire post about the controversy at the CU history blog. Reading the comments section of the article is fascinating in … Continue reading Removing a Local Confederate Monument
Jacksonian America: Society, Personality, and Politics 