Proud to have published January 6 & the Politics of History w/ historians Jill Lepore, Joanne Freeman, Stephanie McCurry, Elizabeth Hinton, Will Sturkey, Julian Zelizer. The book includes a vital debate about historians’ responsibilities as public intellectuals. www.amazon.com/January-Poli...

Right after the January 6 insurrection and in the years afterward, historians wrote about its echoes in the past and its implications for the future. Here is a roundup of their online articles, with links: megankatenelson.com/historians-c...

@jimdowns.bsky.social on ‘Heated Rivalry’ Is Gay Culture’s Next Frontier www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/o...

I really like this column by Jim Downs. Heated Rivalryis a terrific show. It is wonderful to see gay people accurately portrayed on the screen as real human beings. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/o...

Perhaps what excites people most about the show “Heated Rivalry,” Jim Downs writes, “is not the thrill of naked bodies but the shock of being emotionally known. That is what some of us have been missing.”

As a historian, I’ve learned to wait on what things mean. Seeing HBO/MAX’s Heated Rivalry become a cultural event felt like a signal. I wrote about that moment in The New York Times. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/o...

Historian Kim Phillips-Fein in NYT Opinion: “Today people leave New York not because they are afraid of being mugged but because they fear their landlords are about to raise their rents.” www.nytimes.com/2026/01/01/o...

I write about how Desire is easy but identity is the burden. That’s the logic Heated Rivalry can’t escape — and it’s why the show feels stuck in the past, no matter how hot it gets. slate.com/life/2025/12...

I wrote about how HEATED RIVALRY popularity is tied to an outdated narrative framework—and why that matters. slate.com/life/2025/12...

Thrilled to announce our CFP for a new LCP–APS conference on the long history of Black declarations of independence. Presenters will focus on one document to keep the work publicly accessible Please spread the word! librarycompany.org/academic-pro...

Preorder at www.ugapress.org/978082037712...

"It was the first time in American history that literature had been organized under the subject heading of 'gay culture.'" — historian Jim Downs The Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop's grand opening weekend was #OTD 1967 at 291 Mercer Street. 👉 bit.ly/oscar-wilde-...

Big news for the 250th! We at LCP & APS are organizing a conference: BLACK DECLARATIONS OF INDEPENDENCE — Before & After 1776. Please consider submitting a proposal! Featuring Annette Gordon-Reed and Nell Painter! Please spread the word! librarycompany.org/academic-pro...

Big news for the 250th! We at LCP & APS are organizing a conference: BLACK DECLARATIONS OF INDEPENDENCE — Before & After 1776. Please consider submitting a proposal! Featuring Annette Gordon-Reed and Nell Painter! Please spread the word! librarycompany.org/academic-pro...

Big news for the 250th! We at LCP & APS are organizing a conference: BLACK DECLARATIONS OF INDEPENDENCE — Before & After 1776. Please consider submitting a proposal! Featuring Annette Gordon-Reed and Nell Painter! librarycompany.org/academic-pro...

Deeply grateful to my mentors & friends—David Blight, Drew Gilpin Faust, and Stephanie McCurry—for joining me & Scott Hancock in Gettysburg for an inspiring, riveting conversation about the past, present, and future of Civil War studies. We had 380 people in the room and another 250 tuning in online

I finally caved, and have a website. www.jimdownsofficial.com

#History #Blackademics New book from @ugapress.bsky.social that brings together some of the nation’s leading voices— Pulitzer Prize winners Nikole Hannah-Jones and Prof. Annette Gordon-Reed, and many others—for an urgent, energizing conversation about the origins of the U.S." Can be pre-ordered.

As the history wars heat up, we’re releasing a new book that brings together some of the nation’s leading voices—Nikole Hannah-Jones, Annette Gordon-Reed, and many others—for an urgent, energizing conversation about the origins of the United States. Preorder is now available.

Thrilled to receive a Russian copy of my book Maladies of Empire.Even as a supporter of Ukraine, it’s remarkable this translation was completed. I’m glad readers in Russia will have access to this history of transatlantic slave trade, the US Civil War & the origin of epidemiology

Historians! If you’re within driving distance of Gettysburg, come to the Fortenbaugh next week with David Blight, Drew Faust & Stephanie McCurry. I pushed to try a panel format this year—excited to see it come to life. www.gettysburg.edu/news/stories...

Look what came in the mail! You can read “Cracks in the Granite: Contested Civil War Memories in the American West” in this year’s December issue of Civil War History. @nielseichhorn.bsky.social. W/great company: @jjacobcalhoun.bsky.social & William S. Kiser. Thanks @jimdowns.bsky.social & staff

On Nov. 19, our Fortenbaugh Lecture will bring together three of the most influential voices in Civil War history—David Blight, Drew Gilpin Faust, and Stephanie McCurry—for a roundtable discussion moderated by Profs. Jim Downs and Scott Hancock. 🔗 Learn more: bit.ly/4oxDehN

More good news from the journal “Civil War History,” which is pleased to welcome Matthew Fox-Amato to its staff as book review editor. He joins editor @jimdowns.bsky.social and associate editor Crystal N. Feimster.

Excellent article by John Witt on the virtually unknown history of the Garland Fund that “sponsored research, education and news sources that would be outside the influence of the wealthy few. It supported Black civil rights…” nytimes.com/2025/10/06/opi… via @NYTOpinion

Library Company of Philadelphia is hosting an excellent panel on Black photography during Reconstruction on October 21. Please register for this in person event! support.librarycompany.org/event/the-fo...

So much efficiency!

Trump Admin Removed Rainbow Crosswalk Honoring LGBT Victims Murdered at Pulse Nightclub. I worried this would vanish from memory when I wrote this op-ed. Thanks to the NYT, for being an archive. We are witnessing an erasure of gay history www.nytimes.com/2016/06/13/o...

NEW ARTICLE: @jimdowns.bsky.social explores the fascinating history of queer history in a recent article for ANCH: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Thrilled to publish this article on queer heritage in the 19th Century and beyond

Making the Medieval Archive: Celebrating Elizabeth A. R. Brown at Penn In-person & online conference Sept. 12 2025 Penn Libraries www.library.upenn.edu/events/makin...

Donald Trump, if you will not stand down, California will be forced to lead an effort to redraw our maps to offset the rigging of maps in red states. If the other states call off their redistricting efforts, we will do the same. And American democracy will be better for it.

An absorbing article by Salamishah Tillet, which features Erica Armstrong Dunbar's brilliant work as a historical consultant who is also my colleague at HISTORY STUIDO.Erica has the inimitable talent to translate a corpus of scholarrship into legible storyline. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/09/a...

Thea was born on July 4. I think about her almost every day. I still deeply miss our friendship, her beautiful mind, and her uproarious laughter. www.theatlantic.com/education/ar...

For PRIDE, here are some articles that I wrote over the years on queer history. www.newyorker.com/culture/cult...

“For 30 or 40 miles…I staggered on, fearing every instant I should be …crushed within the jaws of some disturbed alligator. The dread of them now almost equalled the fear of the pursuing hounds.” -Solomon Northrup, Twelve Years a Slave

SCOTUS just declared that parents can pull their kids out of an elementary class when gay history is mentioned. This undermines teachers’ authority & shows how LGBT history continues to be silenced & erased from curriculum. This is why those in higher ed must insist on teaching queer studies.

Activist Jonathan Ned Katz shared his archival discoveries about the parallels between Black and gay history in the form of a play, "Coming Out!," that premiered #OTD in a West Village firehouse in 1972. @jimdowns.bsky.social traced the history of LGBT history @nehgov.bsky.social: loom.ly/6bfUqq8

This happened because of you. You protested at TeslaTakedowns and made his name and his company’s product reviled. You protested outside federal agencies slated for DOGE cuts. You barred doors, protected data. You sued and won. You WORE HIM OUT. Don’t let them spin it any other way.

Just a reminder that enslaved people invented Memorial Day in the aftermath of the Civil War. I wrote about this history and it’s published in TIME MAGAZINE. time.com/3894406/who-...

A deftly written post today by @tenuredradical.bsky.social on WW2, the power of journalism and the stunning reporting (career) of Dorothy Thompson. Like a Fist, by @TenuredRadical open.substack.com/pub/clairepo... open.substack.com/pub/clairepo...

I’m thrilled to organize this event at the Library Company of Philadelphia for Juneteenth. Please consider attending. Registration is free and open to the public. support.librarycompany.org/event/junete...

So much gratitude. The journal Civil War History published a forum on Freeman's Challenge--and look at this cover. Thank you, @jimdowns.bsky.social, @historianheather.bsky.social, @crystallynnweb.bsky.social, @profkori.bsky.social, and more for your deep, kind, sharp engagement. I'm so moved.

Congratulations to the AHA members who have been named as 2025 Guggenheim Fellows: Marcia Chatelain, Thomas D. Conlan, Jim Downs, Nicole E. Eustace, Mark A. Graber, Karen B. Graubart, Kristin L. Hoganson, Katherine L. Jansen, Martha S. Jones, and Quinn E. Slobodian. 🗃️

🥳 Congratulations to OAH speakers Jim Downs, Nicole Eustace, and Kristin Hoganson on receiving a prestigious 2025 Guggenheim Fellowship from @guggfellows.bsky.social! This well-deserved recognition is a testament to the impact of their scholarship. www.gf.org/stories/anno...

#Unheard spotted in a Singapore bookshop next to one of my faves - Maladies of Empire by @jimdowns.bsky.social! Thanks to @hanaayoob.co.uk for the photo.

I won a Guggenheim! Thank you to all those who supported me over the years! The Philadelphia Inquirer featured me in a story & all the #guggfellows2025 were listed in the New York Times on Sunday. Thank you!

Next was "Maladies of Empire" by @jimdowns.bsky.social. This book explores the beginnings of epidemiology and public health more broadly as fields, detailing their inextricable link with colonialism, slavery, and war. Highly recommend Full review: bookwyrm.social/user/bwaber/... (4/5)

The Trump administration doesn't even want our military to know anything about its own history. This will most certainly make it easier for Trump's goons to whitewash its history even further.