MakingHistory

A quick take on the idea of writing history through the stories of unusual people, since I've just begun the Ranney Letters series on the podcast here as well. 

The second Ranney letter and the first from Lucius to Henry, announcing Lucius' arrival in Allen Michigan in May 1842. 

An introduction to the Ranney family and their origins, and the first letter of the series, dated May 19, 1839, from Lewis G. Ranney in Phelps New York to Henry S. Ranney in Ashfield Massachusetts.

Announcing the Ranney Letters, a collection of over five dozen personal letters saved by Henry S. Ranney in Ashfield Massachusetts, written by his seven brothers as they lived, worked, and traveled across the continent between 1839 and the end of the century. I found these in a file folder in the Ashfield Historical Society Museum, and they kindly allowed me to photograph, transcribe, and report o...

A description of the Monte Verde archaeological site in southern Chile, which native Americans occupied nearly 15,000 years ago. I also mention Clovis and stone tools a bit, too. 

Chapter 4 of my US History I course at Bemidji State University, Fall 2020.

Lawyer and diplomat Adolf A. Berle wrote about capitalism in 1954. His description of monopoly sounds remarkably like Zephyr Teachout's recent take-down in Break 'Em Up . 

A History in 7 episode covering the 1973 coup in Chile and Chile's copper economy. 

Chapter Four in my Modern World History course at Bemidji State University, Fall 2020.

Over a hundred children in Massachusetts between 1800 and 1850 were named after Darwin. Not Charles Darwin, but his grandfather Erasmus. This says something remarkable about the interests and reading habits of regular people in early America -- especially rural people. 

A quick explanation why it's misleading to say the ancestors of Native Americans came via a land bridge from Asia.

My first History in 7 pod, in which I talk for about six and a half minutes about the Italian partisan folk song, Bella Ciao. I'll be tryin gto post a History in 7 daily, so there's never been a better time to subscribe!

The third installment of my US History I course, Fall 2020.

The third installment in my Modern World History series, describing what happened when Europeans "discovered" the Americas. 

My quick take on a Freakonomics podcast rebroadcast (#356) I listened to this week, about Michael Porter and Katherine Gehl's ideas regarding the nature of government, from their 2017 Harvard Business School publication and interviews.

The Republican Party was a coalition of abolitionists and Whigs. And they had a war to win. The results weren't inevitable, but they're understandable. A short lecture I wrote for my Gilded Age and Populism class. 

Chapter Two of my US History I course at Bemidji State University, fall 2020.

Lecture two of Modern World History at Bemidji State University, fall 2020.

Albert May Todd's 1898 speech on the floor of the House of Representatives, reminding Congress of the Crédit Mobilier scandal and the fraud and collusion of the railroads. Todd was a successful businessman as well as a Populist. His story is interesting, especially in light of the belief today that business and the people are on different sides. 

The first lecture of my Modern World History course at Bemidji State University, Fall 2020.

A short introduction to the background students ought to have to make the most of my Modern World History course at Bemidji State University this fall.

My first lecture of my fall US History course at Bemidji State University, titled "Setting the Scene", in which I describe the cultures of the three continents that contributed to populating the US: the Americas themselves, Europe, and Africa.

This is my praise and critique of the first chapter, " Indigenous America " of the popular open educational resource (OER), The American Yawp , published by Stanford University. I'm reading examples of good OERs like this one as I write my own.