Zachary Bennett @ZMBennett

@PhilKlay All early nineteenth writers? Many literary scholars I know would say America was mostly aping British lit then, and that Mark Twain was the first truly American writer.

Haiti is often proclaimed to be the first free black republic in history. But was Haiti a republic? The nation didn't have elections until the late 20th century. Looking for clarification or correction here.

Kinda like how the Medicis picked the Pope

Catholic Arena @CatholicArena

4 days ago

Pope Leo's brother Louis attended the UFC event at the White House.

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@ThoughtfulSaint I’d recommend John G. Turner’s series on Joesph Smith with John Dehlin on Mormon Stories. The playlist provided is neither balanced nor an accurate representation of what historians think about JS

I never met Gordon Wood, but I have a story about him. In one of my grad school seminars, we read Wood’s Creation of the American Republic. The sheer erudition and evidentiary depth of the book bowled me over. Back then, before kids and before life accelerated to warp speed, I used to call my mother every Sunday to catch up. Lots of times, we ended up talking about what I was reading that week in my grad seminars or for leisure. Mom had an omnivorous mind, and she was always looking for something else to read. She was a true intellectual—curious about almost everything, always eager to integrate new arguments or ideas into her existing schemas of how the world worked or to have those schemas challenged and changed. When we talked that particular Sunday, I think I tried to describe to her part of Wood’s argument about the relationship between the state constitutions during the Articles of Confederation era and the federal Constitution. Maybe I was tired, maybe I didn’t completely understand her questions, but the end result of the conversation was that Mom had questions about Wood’s argument that I didn’t answer satisfactorily. I told her that she should probably just read the book, and we said goodbye. She did eventually read the book, but the next Sunday, Mom started our conversation by saying, “Well, I had a lovely conversation with Gordon Wood this week.” For a split second, I thought she was joking, but then I remembered who I was dealing with. I started to sweat. “How?” I asked. A whole variety of unlikely scenarios in which the foremost historian of the American Revolution and my mother, who lived in Wichita, Kansas, might have met ran through my mind. “Oh, I just looked up his office phone number on Brown’s website and called, and he picked up!” Mom said. I decided I would have to find another profession. As it ended up, Gordon Wood spent about an hour on the phone with my mother answering her questions about the Constitution. Ever since, I’ve had a soft spot for the man when I imagine him picking up the phone in Providence and finding Becky Elder from Wichita on the other end of the line. His generosity in that moment spoke very well of him. Rest in peace, professor.

Sad news in the history world. Wood was the greatest living historian of the American Revolution. Read his work if you haven't to better understand the USA's 250th birthday! nytimes.com/2026/06/08/boo…

@BasedMikeLee Islam recognizes Jesus as an important prophet comparable to Mohammed...but that doesn't make them Christian.

@jgmahoney just look at the names on the walls once you enter the Boston Public Library

Remineder that mid 20th century “urban renewal” ethos stemmed from imagination of WW2 aerial bombardment campaigns.

Daniel Wortel-London @dlondonwortel

3 weeks ago

Proposal for the complete destruction/reconstruction of Boston, 1944. I have absolutely no problem with this.

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"Would you like me to add a 96th thesis?"

@LaocoonofTroy As someone who went through seven years of graduate training in American history, it was understood that Zinn was something you probably read in high school, and was afforded a comensurate level of respect by academic standards.

A key point @jennfrey makes here is that despite hand-waiving about the student-customer model, the humanities are often cut even when student demand is high. Heard the same from folks at Chicago last year—cuts to the classics despite an explosion in classics interest nationally.

Jennifer A. Frey @jennfrey

4 weeks ago

I'm grateful to @DouthatNYT for inviting me on his podcast to discuss the fate of the liberal arts and humanities in the age of AI. I hope that all those who follow higher ed and care about the liberal arts will listen. nytimes.com/video/opinion/… nytimes.com/video/opinion/…

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Augustine’s Confessions

"In this engaging and original new book, Zachary M. Bennett takes readers on a journey through New England’s rivers over centuries of colonization, encouraging us to see the region’s waterways as sites and sources of power. A marvelous achievement." —Andrew Lipman

The blurbs are out for my book! Contested Currents: Rivers and the Remaking of New England will be coming out in October pennpress.org/9781512830156/…

Great article on America's river restoration revolution: "Last year, more sections of the country’s rivers were reconnected thanks to dam removals than at any other time in history" nytimes.com/2026/05/07/cli…

@tomagain @CharlesCMann Yes, see Stephen Ambrose and Doris Kearns Goodwin. I think Lepore wouldn’t disagree that she stopped being a serious academic historian a while ago.

If a rehabilitation of Nixon happens, it means Boomer liberalism is truly over There is no figure Boomer liberals hated more than Nixon & a massive amount of their movement (vaporization if the press, anti-war) all comes from this exp of their formative yrs & endless retelling

Richard Nixon Foundation @nixonfoundation

a month ago

National treasure

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A lot to think about here. African slaves raise their hands in supplication to Christ in this mural of the French slave ship Le Saphir (1741) pop.culture.gouv.fr/notice/palissy…

@Legal_Fil @BrandonWarmke or, rebranding majors in a way that makes them seem more like job training