Monthly Archives: January 2016

Did Abolitionists Cause the Civil War?

January 31, 2016 · by · in Lectures, Slavery, Videos · 1 Comment

Here’s Professor Manisha Sinha of the University of Massachusetts Amherst delivering a fact-filled lecture on abolitionists. The video’s description says, “In this thought-provoking talk, Professor Manisha Sinha challenges the long-standing notion that abolitionists were irresponsible extremists who helped cause the Civil War. She also questions recent historical wisdom that casts abolitionists as bourgeois reformers burdened […]

Another Confederate Heritage Clown

January 30, 2016 · by · in Neoconfederates, News Stories, Reconstruction · 5 Comments

Georgia State Representative Tommy Benton is the latest in a long line of confederate heritage advocacy clowns. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution gives us this story about this doofus. See also here. In an episode emblematic of what we’ve come to expect from these racist idiots, Mr. Benton actually defended the Ku Klux Klan. He claimed the KKK […]

Presidents and War Powers

January 29, 2016 · by · in Lectures, Lincoln, Videos · Leave a comment

Here’s Brooks D. Simpson in a class on Presidents and their use of war powers. This is from one of his classes at Barrett, the Honors College, part of Arizona State University. The video’s description reads, “Professor Brooks Simpson talked about the role of the president during wars, including wars waged without a formal congressional […]

The Fallout From Secretary Clinton’s Remarks

January 28, 2016 · by · in News Stories, Reconstruction · 1 Comment

The fallout continued today following off-the-cuff remarks by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at a Democratic Presidential Candidates’ Town Hall Meeting in Iowa sponsored by CNN. See here, here, here, here, and here. Secretary Clinton’s Senior Spokesperson, Ms. Karen Finney, released a clarification of her remarks that itself drew more questions. The clarification said, […]

Dear Secretary Clinton

January 27, 2016 · by · in Lincoln, News Stories, Reconstruction · 2 Comments

Dear Secretary Clinton, I see in my news feed that you participated in a CNN town hall meeting in Iowa for Democratic Party presidential candidates and were asked which of our past presidents inspired you the most. Your answer was Abraham Lincoln, and you talked about the challenges he faced while trying to win the Civil […]

The Heritage of Hate Strikes Again

January 26, 2016 · by · in Neoconfederates, News Stories · 8 Comments

We get this story from Prophetstown, Illinois of someone “celebrating” his “southern heritage” by being an obnoxious brat. Chris Kulla, a sophomore at Prophetstown High School, celebrates his “southern pride” by wearing confederate iconography on his clothing in violation of the school’s dress code. Kulla claims, “wearing his Southern pride on his sleeve hasn’t bothered […]

The Complicated History Of The Confederate Flag | Time Capsule

January 25, 2016 · by · in Basics, Videos · 4 Comments

This is an excellent short discussion about the confederate battle flag, including some outstanding commentary by historian John Coski. The video’s description reads, “The confederate flag is a controversial symbol. What it means has changed over time and can depend on who you are and where you come from. And to further complicate this, there […]

More Retreat of Confederate Heritage

January 24, 2016 · by · in News Stories · 17 Comments

Confederate heritage continues to recede. From Baltimore, we have this and this. “The seven-member commission, appointed by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake to consider what to do with Baltimore’s four Confederate-era monuments, voted narrowly to remove two of them. The mayor must now make a final decision.” They recommended to remove a statue to Roger B. Taney, […]

Five Myths About Reconstruction

January 23, 2016 · by · in News Stories, Reconstruction · 6 Comments

This is sociologist James Loewen’s latest contribution to the Washington Post’s “Five Myths About …” series. 1. Reconstruction was a failure.  Loewen tells us, “This view came to dominate public thinking from 1890 until about 1940, when world events and the Great Migration began to reshape the country’s perception of race and racism. … Reconstruction was portrayed […]

Millard Fillmore’s forgotten role in the slavery debate

January 22, 2016 · by · in Secession, Slavery · 9 Comments

Most of us don’t know all that much about Millard Fillmore beyond the fact that he was President of the United States. I came across this post on his birthday, January 7. Like William H. Seward, Fillmore “was a protégé of the state Whig party leader, Thurlow Weed.” He was Zachary Taylor’s vice president in […]

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