I'm doing everything at the last minute, as usual, but I'm starting to get really excited about my experimental History Through Graphic Novels course 😬 Here's what we're reading 🧵
First up, in a section on graphic novels and archives: Ghost River. They've created such a rich online set of resources to go along with the book! ghostriver.org/book/
Dec 9, 2019 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
For the last book in Am Rev, we're reading @iamaraindogtoo's graphic adaptation of the U.S. Constitution. A good way to round out the semester! If you're willing to answer some questions, my students have a few of them for you. No pressure, but here they are:
@iamaraindogtoo What do you think you can do with graphic history that you can't do with the written word?
Sep 15, 2019 • 8 tweets • 2 min read
A few words about "harmless fun." It is actually very worth our time to linger on the meaning and history of those words. When the words "harmeless fun" are tossed around in reference to sexual aggression, they represent a test: Will women accept their place and play along?
If women complain about indignity or assault, if they demand respect or equal treatment, they fail the test. If women don't accept the ubiquity of a party penis, if they deny the dick as the price of admission, if they see it as anything other than "harmless fun," they fail.
Jul 4, 2019 • 7 tweets • 1 min read
Let’s do this thing!
"He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good."
"He has endeavored to prevent the population of these States, for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands."
Jun 11, 2019 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
This piece by @kawulf has me thinking about historical language. The Roberts/Wolf gaffes rested on a failure to understand the historical meaning of words: abortion, death. All historians deal with this. What words have you had to unpack in your work? washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/0…
One I’ve had to unravel is the legal meaning of the word “trespass.” It’s a common word used in freedom suits in late 18/early 19c. Many enslaved people sued for freedom on actions of trespass. I initially thought it was just standard legalese. But there’s a deeper history to it:
“Before the vote, Kiffmeyer said at a news conference that adding “Bdote” to the sign “IS GREATLY OBJECTED TO* by many people, and the historical society has been quite resistant to listen and to make changes.”
