Very good to see Brown University joining MIT in declining to sign up to the Adminstration's proposed "Compact for Academic Excellence" www.brown.edu/news/2025-10...

I know certain members of society are tired of hearing about "how bad slavery was" but this book just received the American Historical Association's award for an author’s first book on American History, and is also a finalist for the Frederick Douglass Prize.

The Buddhist view of suffering youtube.com/shorts/mRfg_...

The AHA is pleased to announce the winners of its 2025 prizes, which honor exceptional books, distinguished teaching and mentoring in the classroom, public history, and other historical projects. Congratulations to the 2025 awardees! #AHAPerspectives🗃️

The problem isn’t lack of spending on education, which has increased. The theorized problems are distractions (smartphones) and low expectations. My expectations of U.S. adults are constantly being refined.

This week’s mantra from a couple friends of mine.

MSU doesn't give us today off (we get Mon & Tues off next week as a "fall break"), but this is in my Latin lesson. Felicem Diem Populōrum Indigenōrum!

Another gem open during the government shutdown. They have a great tour that gives a good amount of attention to the enslaved people as well as to Mr. Jefferson. They’re not federally funded, so are not affected by the current administration’s war with historical accuracy. www.monticello.org

1/2 From The book I’m reading, "John Quincy Adams: A Man for the Whole People." Like her husband John, Abigal Adams was no fan of monarchy. By age 17, John Q. had resided in or visted Spain, France, the Netherlands, Poland, Prussia, and Russia. Abigal wrote of him to her cousin Cotton Tuffs:

From the “Cosmos” TV series.

Another step in the right direction- toward equality. Britain has already had female prime ministers. Maybe someday the USA will be enlightened enough to elect a woman president.

For those who have been lying awake at night wondering which plays to read. youtube.com/watch?v=7Zn7...

A new term: Enshitification youtube.com/watch?v=YcW9...

It’s Banned Books Week, Oct. 5-11.

What are they afraid of? “The most commonly banned books in U.S. schools include LGBTQ titles, international bestsellers, teen romantasy novels and a 1962 classic…More than 6,800 book bans were enacted during the 2024-25 school year in 87 public school districts.” www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-...

Writing a book…

This article manages to name her husband before it names… her.

This is a great little gem in DC, unaffected by the shutdown…

“Hegseth’s words … reaffirmed an administration-wide posture that chooses conquest over justice and erasure over truth, one that treats Native peoples not as sovereign nations but as obstacles to a narrative of American greatness built on violence.”

A visa limited to just 4 years means that no international students could enroll in a history PhD program at a US university. Not to mention the postdocs and faculty who contribute so much to US higher education. Please let the federal government know what you think about this proposal! 🧵🗃️

A few photos from my recent trip to Wales to uncover some Medieval history: Cardiff Castle (11th century) and Caerphilly Castle (13th century). I half expected to encounter Monty Python tossing objects down upon my head.

Responding to Milo Yiannopoulos #maklelan2916 youtu.be/jb7I5nZm1Os

This is responding to the Administration’s review, following Trump’s statement: “we want the museums to talk about the history of our country in a fair manner, not in a woke manner or in a racist manner, which is what many of them, not all of them, but many of them are doing.”

Regarding U.S. history, “it really concerns me to simplify and even falsify that story into a false uniformity because, if you can erase people from the past, it becomes legitimation for erasing people from the present and the future.” -Chandra Manning, Georgetown U youtube.com/watch?v=zba7...

The Netflix short series “Adolescence” is worth watching.

In 18th-century Britain, “critics blustered from pulpits that the preventive technique challenged God’s power to use disease to punish sin.” From 1912, in the U.S., “an average of 6,000 measles-related deaths were recorded each year for a decade… history is being thrown into reverse”

What if you strip away the myth from the man (to borrow a line from Jesus Christ Superstar)? Professor Lopez argues that you don’t have much left as he discusses remythologizing the Buddha.

I permanently deleted my Facebook account yesterday, and guess what. The sun still rose this morning!

Choose your friends wisely. youtube.com/shorts/VsuUo...

A star for the man who taught us to look to the stars. Congrats to our 2010 Humanist of the Year, Bill Nye, on his Hollywood Walk of Fame star! So well deserved.

Read author Steven Bachelor's interview with @publisherswkly.bsky.social  on his book Buddha, Socrates, and Us.

You only have one more day to watch this video.

“No right was deemed by the fathers of the Government more sacred than the right of speech. It was in their eyes…the great moral renovator of society and government….Liberty is meaningless where the right to utter one’s thoughts and opinions has ceased to exist.”

From the book I’m reading. John Adams writes to his son John Q, July 1777: “I hope that you will…remember how many losses, dangers and inconveniences have been borne by your parents and the inhabitants of Boston in general…1/2 www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/704840...

Neville Chamberlain’s ghost would like a word with King Charles.

Hispanic Heritage month begins on Sept. 15 each year. This is to coincide with Independence Day of many Central American countries, marking the anniversary of their freedom from Spanish rule.

Some interesting data: As world population grew, the % of Muslims increased while the % of Christians decreased. The religiously unaffiliated were the only other category that grew as a % of the population.

Are they protecting people with fragile consciences? People should have the opportunity to learn the truth about our nation’s past: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

"At Manassas National Battlefield Park in Virginia, Trump officials have instructed park employees to take down a sign that criticizes the post-Civil War 'Lost Cause' ideology, which romanticized the Confederacy and denied slavery’s central role in the conflict." www.nytimes.com/2025/09/16/c...

We the People: A Yorktown Battlefield Event - Get your FREE tickets for your family! This is a big event! On Saturday, September 20th, head to the Yorktown Battlefield for an unforgettable evening. www.williamsburgfamilies.com/we-the-peopl...

From 1992, and still so painfully relevant today, What you go and do You go and give the boy a gun Now there ain't place to run to Ain't no place to run But one fine day All our problems will be solved Bang bang bang We'll shoot him down youtu.be/IrRA7WMI1ks?...

Some days it feels like this.

The modern equivalent of the political broadsides posted around American cities in the 1770s.

Working on a book about the Americas? 🌎 Apply for the Writer's Award residency. Winners will get exclusive access to our collection, platform their work at Hay Festival events around the world, and £20,000 to develop their publication. Submissions close 12 Sep: bit.ly/BL-WritersAward2025

Pentagon Orders Portrait of Robert E. Lee to be Reinstalled at West Point 🗃️ open.substack.com/pub/kevinmle...

I learned something about group projects in college. Social psychologists call it social loafing. I relearned it in the workplace.

This would have been me.

President Obama’s 2025 summer reading list is here – but this year, he added something new. Alongside the books, you’ll find his own handwritten reflections on why each one made the list. ✍🏾 📖: obama.org/stories/pres...