News & Media
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In conversation with Jessica Rucker and Maya Davis at the National Museum of African American History and CultureA fantastic conversation about Freedom Was In Sight! geared toward educators and co-sponsored by NMAAHC and the Zinn Education Project. We talked about Americans’ efforts, past and present, to confront the legacies of slavery, and about family history, reparations, and more.
teaching/pedagogy related -
Talking with Kevin Levin at Civil War MemoryKevin brought images from the book to our wide-ranging discussion of Reconstruction, teaching, and portraying continuity and change.
teaching/pedagogy related -
Interview with Maya Davis about Freedom Was in Sight!During a visit to DC, I spoke with Maya Davis, executive director of Riversdale House Museum in Prince George’s County, MD. Maya’s questions gave us a chance to delve into the roles of Black women in Reconstruction and in the book itself.
public engagement -
Freedom Was in Sight! featured on Unsung History podcastI spoke with Kelly, the podcast host, and her son Teddy about Freedom Was in Sight: A Graphic History of Reconstruction in the Washington, D.C., Region. This episode emphasizes the importance of education and schools to the history of Reconstruction.
teaching/pedagogy related -
“Designed to Ameliorate the Condition of People of Color: The Reconstruction Republicans and the Question of Affirmative Action”Greg Downs and I wrote in the Journal of American Constitutional History about the flawed “historical” approach many judges take to questions associated with the 14th Amendment and affirmative action.
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A Supreme Fact-CheckTalking about originalism and the Supreme Court with Professors Laura Edwards and Karen M. Tani and journalist Adam Serwer. Courtesy of the Brennan Center for Justice.
public engagement -
The Forgotten Years of the Civil Rights Movementfeaturing Prof. Dylan Penningroth and his 2023 book, Before the Movement: The Hidden History of Black Civil Rights, plus Until Justice Be Done and some discussion of the 14th Amendment and the question of “colorblindness.”
public engagement -
Until Justice Be Done featured on the Strict Scrutiny podcast!podcasts -
Speaking with “Talking Legal History” about Until Justice Be DoneA fun interview with legal historian Siobhan Barco!
podcasts -
“Abortion Rights and Federalism: Some Lessons from the Nineteenth-Century United States”ConLawNOW-(University-of-Akron)-,writing -
“The Progressive State, New Democracy, and the Elision of Race”Tocqueville-21,A review essay on William Novak’s recent book, New Democracy.
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What pre-Civil War history tells us about the coming abortion battleThe-Washington-Post,Fights over fugitive slave laws pitted states against each other and showcased the risks of the federal government not supporting liberty
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Wendy Kromash, “ETHS, Northwestern Join a National Effort to Elevate Forgotten History”Evanston-Roundtable,public engagement -
Christopher Borrelli, “An 1853 law gave Black people 10 days to leave Illinois: You were never taught this history and a Northwestern project hopes to change that”Chicago-Tribune,public engagement -
Digital Exhibit Showcases Build-Up to Illinois’ First Statewide Black Political ConventionKate Masur, a professor at the Northwestern University Department of History, talks about their new virtual exhibit and the importance of contributions from Black leaders battling racial injustice across Illinois in the 19th century.
public engagement -
Adrienne Samuels Gibbs, “The Reckoning Is Here.”Northwestern-Magazine,Northwestern faculty call on educators to teach the full context of American history.
public engagement -
Dan Balz, “Biden pledges to defeat extremism and culture of lies as he confronts Trump’s legacy”Washington-Post,public engagement -
‘Until Justice Be Done’ Examines Northern Free States’ So-Called Black LawsFeature-on-NPR’s-Morning-Edition,public engagement -
Juneteenth Reminds Us Just How Far We Have to GoNew-York-Times,writing -
On-camera expert, State of Play: The First 100 Days of the Biden PresidencyState-of-Play,public engagement -
Lawmaker’s Ridiculous Explanation for the Three-Fifths Compromise on SlaveryCNN,writing -
What Biden Did with His Trump InheritanceCNN,writing
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“Lessons from the Civil Rights Struggle that Began before the Civil War,” Los Angeles Times, April 6, 2021.Los-Angeles-Times,writing -
“Lack of Federal Voting Rights Protections Returns Us to the Pre-Civil War Era,” Made By HistoryWashington-Post,writing
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Professor puts Abraham Lincoln’s complex legacy into historical contextCBSN’s-Red-&-Blue,public engagement -
Alan Greenblatt, “History Matters: Debates About Monuments Reflect Current Divisions”Governing,public engagement -
Jenny Whidden, “In Land of Lincoln, what’s wrong with statues of Honest Abe? And should Ulysses S. Grant be taken off his high horse?”Chicago-Tribune,public engagement
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The Capitol riot is an eerie repeat of this tense era in American historyCNN,public engagement
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John Howell Show, “Common Myths about Lincoln Set Straight”WLS,public engagement -
What 6 historians want you to know about Abraham LincolnCNN,writing
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Olivia B. Waxman, “Politicians Quote Abraham Lincoln a Lot. Historians Say They Don’t Always Do His Words Justice”Time,public engagement -
Lincoln: Divided We Stand
A six-part CNN Original Series that takes a holistic approach to the remarkable and unexpected story of Abraham Lincoln by delving into his complicated inner world, seamlessly interweaving his tragic personal life with his history making political career.
public history & consulting -
In Lincoln’s Words: Inaugural AddressesCabinet-Conversations,-Ford’s-Theatre,public engagement -
Dora Mekour, “What Happens If a President Refuses to Leave”Voice-of-America,public engagement -
From the Civil War to the Capitol Insurrection: The History of White Violence in AmericaThe-Takeaway,public engagement -
Kate Masur and Gregory P. Downs, “Yes, Wednesday’s Insurrection Is Who We Are,” Made By HistoryWashington-Post,writing
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Nora McGreevy, “Five Things to Know About the 1876 Presidential Election”Smithsonian-Magazine,public engagement -
Chris Megerian and Arit John, Activists brace for voter intimidation efforts on election day”LA-Times,public engagement
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Greg Downs, Hilary N. Green, Scott Hancock, and Kate Masur, “We Want More History: A National Day of Action”Perspectives,-Magazine-of-the-American-Historical-Association,writing
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Sean Adams, “Civil War historians, authors call for ‘good history’ to counter Confederate monument ‘propaganda’”Penn-Live,public engagement -
Eileen Kinsella, “As Debates Over Public Art Rage, Chicago Announces a New Plan to Review Controversial Monuments and Consider Future Ones”ArtNet-News,public engagement -
Rebecca Shabad, “Sen. Tom Cotton under fire for comments on slavery”NBC-News,public engagement -
Ravi Baichwal, “Chicago Columbus statue protests expose tensions between Italian Americans, Native Americans, supporters”ABC-Eyewitness-News,public engagement -
Brian Lyman, “Fact check: Yes, historians do teach that first Black members of Congress were Republicans,” USA Today, June 18, 2020.USA-Today,public engagement -
Reconstruction: America After the Civil WarThis 4‑part documentary, produced by Henry Louis Gates Jr. presents explores the transformative years following the American Civil War, when the nation struggled to rebuild itself in the face of profound loss, massive destruction, and revolutionary social change.
public history & consulting -
Age of Jacksonpodcasts -
Seizing Freedompodcasts -
Teaching Hard History (episode on Reconstruction)podcasts -
We the People (National Constitution Center) on the Gettysburg Addresspodcasts -
Zinn Education ProjectI joined educator Jessica Rucker and the Zinn Education Project to talk about the central themes of Until Justice Be Done and how they resonate in the present. I’m proud to be an advisor of ZEP’s Teach Reconstruction campaign.
teaching/pedagogy related -
Fortifying Our Democracy: Lincoln’s Lyceum AddressA series of three short documentaries on Lincoln’s 1838 Lyceum Address and its resonance in our own time, created by the Lincoln Presidential Foundation.
public engagement -
Free & EqualI was delighted to consult on Free & Equal, an audio and augmented reality journey exploring a key moment in the history of Civil Rights. Using GPS, this Walking Cinema app guides you from site-to-site through the National Reconstruction Era Historical Park in Beaufort, South Carolina.
public history & consulting -
Jennifer Schuessler, “Amid the Monument Wars, a Rally for ‘More History,’” New York Times, Sept. 28, 2020.public engagement
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Slavery and the ConstitutionHistory As It Happens
podcasts -
Reconstruction and the Origins of Jim CrowThe National World War I Museum hosted me for a talk on the challenges Americans faced after the abolition of slavery, the era’s bold effort to create a multi-racial democracy, and the fierce opposition that ultimately brought that experiment down.
public engagement -
Featured historian speaking Lincoln’s Second InaugurationBiden Inaugural Committee programming, Jan. 2021public engagement -
Reconstruction 360Reconstruction 360 features 360-degree interactive video and short documentaries, and includes lesson plans, primary documents and curriculum standards.
public history & consulting -
Abridged Presidential Historiespodcasts