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History Starts Now Blog
Although on hiatus after a transfer glitch from WordPress, you can check out some of my older blog posts below. Topics include cultural history tidbits, discussions about teaching and the historian's craft, and most important of all--public history engagement.
History starts now, and it starts with you!
Engage the present. Preserve the past.
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J.T. Carroll, Historian
May 3, 20233 min read
Communing With the Dead: Are Historians Resurrection Specialists?
A paranormal research team is doing a better job of digitizing information and preserving old media formats than most historians. Preserv...
J.T. Carroll, Historian
Jun 13, 20207 min read
A United States 'Under God:' Eisenhower, Cold War Christianity, and the threat of Godless Communism
Since World War II, the influence of evangelical Protestantism upon American politics has grown exponentially. In recent decades,...
J.T. Carroll, Historian
Jun 6, 20208 min read
An Enigma We Should Solve: The Struggle to Memorialize Alan Turing Decades After His Death
Usually the month of June is full of vibrancy with weekends marking PRIDE celebrations across the nation in recognition of the Stonewall...
J.T. Carroll, Historian
Jun 1, 20207 min read
A Shameful Brand of Democracy: Race and Crowd Control in the Trump Era
During the Cold War, America's racial sins were ripe political propaganda for the Soviets, but police brutality and racism remain issues in
J.T. Carroll, Historian
May 27, 20206 min read
Divergent Politics and the Symbolism of Peace in a Nuclear World: Eastern Cranes and Western Doves
In the aftermath of WWII, two divergent symbols of peace appeared. The Eastern world adopted the crane while the West chose Picasso's dove.
J.T. Carroll, Historian
May 24, 20205 min read
Decoration Day--If You Can Reach the Cemeteries
This post marks the Memorial Day holiday by exploring its contested origins as well as the lengths to which a KY preservationist soc...
J.T. Carroll, Historian
May 19, 20204 min read
The Ballet 'Parade,' Slumming, and the Marking of the American Century
This post celebrates the 103rd anniversary of the modernist ballet Parade by looking at the fusion between high modernism and popular cul...
J.T. Carroll, Historian
May 16, 20205 min read
'A Witness to History': The Butler as a Civil Rights Movement Survey
Long-serving White House Butler W.R. Jerman died yesterday from COVID-19. This post recalls his service and discusses the usefulness of...
J.T. Carroll, Historian
May 11, 20204 min read
Recording the “Everyday:” From Mass Observation to Social Media
Histories of the everyday are a new trend in the field, but this British organization has been asking people to preserve their thoughts...
J.T. Carroll, Historian
May 9, 20205 min read
Making History, Marking History: Tokyo 2020 Becomes The First Games Postponed for Health Reasons
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics have been postponed in a rare move by the IOC. This post pairs this decision to the damage done by the mutual boy...
J.T. Carroll, Historian
Apr 29, 20204 min read
History as Participatory: History Starts Now. Engage the Present. Preserve the Past.
Victor Hugo wanted us to invest in our future by taking action today. This post introduces the History Starts Now movement. Engage the Pr...
J.T. Carroll, Historian
Apr 26, 20204 min read
At the Margins of Digital and Public History: Preserve, Share, and Engage
This post is inspired by the digital and public history project, Not Even Past. In it I stress the importance of engaging the present and...
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