Category Archives: Historian in the World
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
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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
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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
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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
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Tagged gay marriage, Landscape of Slavery, Virginia
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College Admissions and the Commodification of Experience
The academic social-media-o-sphere has been abuzz for the past couple of weeks with discussion of William Deresiewicz’s piece in the New Republic entitled “Don’t Send Your Kid to the Ivy League.” The piece was an obvious piece of clickbait (as Salon put … Continue reading
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Tagged Academia, Higher Education, History, Tourism
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LOLmstead: 19th Century Landscape Design and Penises
This tumblr has been making the social media rounds among my running friends, and it’s easy to see why, because it’s brilliant. A copywriter named Claire Wycokoff has been using the run tracking feature of her Nike+ to draw … Continue reading
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Reflections on #SHEAR14
I just returned home from my most digitally enhanced annual meeting of the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic (SHEAR) yet, so it only makes sense that I capture my reflections on that experience in digital form. As … Continue reading
Posted in Digital Life, Historian in the World
Tagged Digital Humanities, dooo, fi, Philadelphia, SHEAR, twitter
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Tantalizing Title of the Week
Thomas Gordon, A Gazetteer of the State of New Jersey: Comprehending a General View of Its Physical and Moral Condition, Together with a Topographical and Statistical Account of Its Counties, Towns, Villages, Canals, Rail Roads, &c., Accompanied by a Map … Continue reading
The Great Tim’s Mart Scavenger Hunt
This post goes out to Fredericksburgers, history buffs, online sleuths, and students who could use a little bit of cash. A scavenger hunt is on. The building housing Tim’s Mart at 1010 Caroline Street in downtown Fredericksburg is for sale, and the city’s … Continue reading
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