Moving Forward, Looking Backward

Posted on December 1, 2016

or à la On The Media:
Breaking News Consumer’s Handbook: History edition

For many Americans, these are scary times. While historians don’t have any clear answers on what to do next, our training and knowledge (or, at the very least, mine!) do suggest some trends and tropes to watch for. As both media consumers and political actors, we should beware of the following when journalists, pundits, or politicians reference history. Read More

Historians Take on Hamilton

Posted on June 12, 2016

Historians are, by and large, delighted that Hamilton has brought so much attention and interest to the founding era in American history. Lin-Manuel Miranda has attracted diverse, young audiences and made them excited about history in unprecedented fashion. There are many songs that are historically on-point, although as a piece of art, the play takes some liberties with chronology and alters some historical events. What concerns historians most are two of the main messages of the show: Read More

Cultural & Gender History of the Founders

Posted on June 12, 2016

This reading list is a supplement to my talk, “Making the Historical Personal: The Founding Fathers, Gender, and the Cultural Turn,” at the Society for United States Intellectual History Annual Conference, Oct. 17, 2015, Washington, DC Read More