Author Archives: Will
Obama Agrees With Me
Back in October, during the catharsis after Virginia gay marriage legalization, I argued that “the political momentum for gay marriage has built so quickly because it has become a treacly feel-good issue for liberal politicians who want to deliver a … Continue reading
Exploring Modern Popular Meanings of Capitalism
This semester I am teaching a new course that I’m very excited about, which I’ve titled Cultural History of Capitalism, which will mostly focus on the United States. It’s a senior-level undergraduate seminar, in which we will study some economic … Continue reading
Independent Upstate Has a Name
Secession movements have a rich history in New York State. Alexander Hamilton, a politician who made no small plans, began by threatening to push for New York City’s secession from the broader state during the New York’s ratifying convention in … Continue reading
I Couldn’t Have Said It Any Better Myself
With the latest news out of the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati, the march towards a national resolution of the gay marriage question has hit a roadblock. By a 2-1 majority, a 3-judge panel of the 6th circuit upheld gay marriage … Continue reading
A Special Halloween Post
It’s that time of year again: Halloween, and map quizzes in my US History survey. These two events converge in the single most common undergraduate typo: the labeling of the “Eerie Canal” through upstate New York. Reliably, every year a … Continue reading
Posted in Historian in the World
Tagged Canals, Erie Canal, Halloween, History, Rust Belt, Upstate, Utica
Leave a comment
Gay Marriage Was The Easy Fight
Undoubtedly, the last few days has been an emotional roller coaster of excitement and triumph, from the Supreme Court’s unexpected and exciting denial of cert, to the almost immediate changes that began to appear on the landscape here in Virginia. … Continue reading
Posted in Historian in the World
Leave a comment
I Guess It’s Over (For Us)
For those of you who haven’t been glued to your computer all day, today the Supreme Court denied cert on gay marriage appeals cases from the Fourth, Seventh, and Tenth Circuits. In each of those cases, the circuit court had overturned gay … Continue reading
Posted in Historian in the World
1 Comment
The Moral Entanglements of Defending Capitalism
The early Americanist internet exploded last night with the news that The Economist had given a negative review to Ed Baptist’s magisterial new book, The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism. The shocking part is that the main criticism … Continue reading
The “Coarsening of Culture” in Historical Context
The twin horrors of Ferguson and James Foley have been bombarding me this week, and each has offered plenty of opportunities for observers to complain about the “coarsening of culture.” Predictably enough, right-wing commentators have attributed both Michael Brown’s death … Continue reading
Posted in Historian in the World
2 Comments
Sowing Chaos in Virginia
Today the Fourth Circuit in Richmond denied the Prince William County Clerk Michele McQuigg’s request that they stay their decision finding Virginia’s gay marriage ban unconstitutional. This is obviously great and welcome news, not least because the Family Foundation of Virginia thinks … Continue reading
Posted in Historian in the World
Tagged gay marriage, Landscape of Slavery, Virginia
Leave a comment
