Robert E. May
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Articles by Robert E. May
Bucks County, USA
At the outset of the five-part PBS documentary series “Bucks County, USA,” the sounds of a school choir singing “What a Wonderful World” play gently in the background as we hear from residents of that region in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, telling us what they’ve been labeled: “I’ve been called a pedophile.” “I’ve been called a Nazi.” “I’ve been called anti-American.” “I have been called a COVID denier.” “I’ve been called a dyke and a groomer.” That’s some wonderful world.
‘Marxism-Trumpism?’ Trump’s try at a planned economy is still socialism. Original
In a twist that would make Karl Marx smile and Adam Smith spin in his grave, President Trump’s recent economic moves have accidentally created the very socialist system his supporters claim to despise. Through a series of interventions that would make any central planner proud, the champion of free enterprise has become America’s most effective socialist leader. Consider the evidence.
No, our museums cannot just ‘move on’ from slavery — Christmas shows us why Original
I was not surprised by President Trump’s Truth Social post that the Smithsonian and other American museums are excessively focused on “how bad slavery was.” Trump’s post is consistent with MAGA’s triumphalist insistence on eviscerating critical analyses of America’s problematic race relations and history from the nation’s schools, cultural institutions and mass media.
GUEST APPEARANCE: A Hobart student, Christmas, and the 'Lost Cause'
As Christmastime approaches, it is appropriate to recover the surprising role of a Hobart College (as HWS was known in the 1800s) student in the late 19th century movement we call the Confederacy’s “Lost Cause.” The Lost Cause involved writers, newspapers, organizations such as the United Confederate Veterans and the United Daughters of the Confederacy, politicians, church figures, and others.
Liberating the Southern Christmas myth
Given growing evidence of widening racial divisions in the United States, this holiday season seems an unusually fraught time for Americans who believe, in the memorable words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., that "the arc of the moral universe," though long, "bends toward justice." Yet, underreported but dramatic changes in Christmastime programming at Southern plantation and historic home sites suggest the wisdom of King's words.
Slave life’s harsh realities are erased in Christmas tours of Southern plantations
Christmas tours to mansions often present a ‘magical’ experience to tourists, but they ignore the realities of the lives of slaves who worked there. Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau/Flickr, CC BY By Robert E. May, Purdue University This holiday season, many Americans will tour historic mansions in the Southern United States that are beautifully decked out in traditional wreaths, garlands and mistletoe for Christmas.
The bizarre back story of the filibuster
© Getty Images The bizarre back story of the filibuster As Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) dance around whether or not the Senate should end the filibuster's stranglehold over legislation, it is instructive to recall the term's linguistic roots and original meaning. Derived from a Dutch word for freebooter (vrijbuiter), the word first appeared in English before the Civil War.
It’s time to examine the old propaganda about the happy slave Christmas
This Christmas season, America remains mired in debate over the lingering impact of slavery. We are reminded of this by the controversies over Nikki Haley’s comment about whether South Carolina could have removed the Confederate flag this year, news that the University of North Carolina gave the Silent Sam statue to the Sons of Confederate Veterans, and the issue of reparations for slavery at a televised Democratic presidential debate.
Slave lifes harsh realities are erased in Christmas tours
by Robert E. May, The Conversation This holiday season, many Americans will tour historic mansions in the Southern United States that are beautifully decked out in traditional wreaths, garlands and mistletoe for Christmas. At Mount Vernon, George Washington’s Virginia mansion, tourists are promised candlelit tours and a “festive evening” of refreshments, 18th-century dancing and more. Visitors can even meet a reenactor playing Martha Washington, America’s first lady.
Slave life’s harsh realities are erased in Christmas tours of Southern plantations
Christmas tours to mansions often present a ‘magical’ experience to tourists, but they ignore the realities of the lives of slaves who worked there. Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau/Flickr, CC BY Robert E. May, Purdue University This holiday season, many Americans will tour historic mansions in the Southern United States that are beautifully decked out in traditional wreaths, garlands and mistletoe for Christmas.
Slavery’s harsh realities are erased in Christmas tours of Southern plantations
Courtesy of New Orleans Plantation Country CC BY This holiday season, many Americans will tour historic mansions in the Southern United States that are beautifully decked out in traditional wreaths, garlands, and mistletoe for Christmas. At Mount Vernon, George Washington’s Virginia mansion, tourists are promised candlelit tours and a “festive evening” of refreshments, 18th-century dancing and more. Visitors can even meet a re-enactor playing Martha Washington, America’s First Lady.
Slave life's harsh realities are erased in Christmas tours of Southern plantations
Eds: This story was supplied by The Conversation for AP customers. The Associated Press does not guarantee the content. (THE CONVERSATION) This holiday season, many Americans will tour historic mansions in the Southern United States that are beautifully decked out in traditional wreaths, garlands and mistletoe for Christmas. At Mount Vernon, George Washington’s Virginia mansion, tourists are promised candlelit tours and a “festive evening” of refreshments, 18th-century dancing and more.
Slave life's harsh realities are erased in Christmas tours of Southern plantations
Eds: This story was supplied by The Conversation for AP customers. The Associated Press does not guarantee the content. (THE CONVERSATION) This holiday season, many Americans will tour historic mansions in the Southern United States that are beautifully decked out in traditional wreaths, garlands and mistletoe for Christmas. At Mount Vernon, George Washington’s Virginia mansion, tourists are promised candlelit tours and a “festive evening” of refreshments, 18th-century dancing and more.
Slave life's harsh realities are erased in Christmas tours of Southern plantations
Eds: This story was supplied by The Conversation for AP customers. The Associated Press does not guarantee the content. (THE CONVERSATION) This holiday season, many Americans will tour historic mansions in the Southern United States that are beautifully decked out in traditional wreaths, garlands and mistletoe for Christmas. At Mount Vernon, George Washington’s Virginia mansion, tourists are promised candlelit tours and a “festive evening” of refreshments, 18th-century dancing and more.
Slave life's harsh realities are erased in Christmas tours of Southern plantations
This holiday season, many Americans will tour historic mansions in the Southern United States that are beautifully decked out in traditional wreaths, garlands and mistletoe for Christmas. At Mount Vernon, George Washington’s Virginia mansion, tourists are promised candlelit tours and a “festive evening” of refreshments, 18th-century dancing and more. Visitors can even meet a re-enactor playing Martha Washington, America’s First Lady.
Slave life's harsh realities are erased in Christmas tours of Southern plantations
Written by Robert E. May, Professor Emeritus of History, Purdue University This holiday season, many Americans will tour historic mansions in the Southern United States that are beautifully decked out in traditional wreaths, garlands and mistletoe for Christmas. At Mount Vernon[1], George Washington’s Virginia mansion, tourists are promised candlelit tours and a “festive evening” of refreshments, 18th-century dancing and more.
Slave Life's Harsh Realities Are Erased In Christmas Tours Of Southern Plantations
Opinion Christmas tours to mansions often present a ‘magical’ experience to tourists, but they ignore the realities of the lives of slaves who worked there. Photo Credit: Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau/CC BY Written by Robert E. May, Purdue University ____ This holiday season, many Americans will tour historic mansions in the Southern United States that are beautifully decked out in traditional wreaths, garlands and mistletoe for Christmas.
Slavery and Your Upcoming Christmas Tour
by Robert E. May Robert E. May, Professor Emeritus of History, has just published Yuletide in Dixie: Slavery, Christmas, and Southern Memory (University of Virginia Press). He is the author of several previous works treating slavery and the South including Slavery, Race, and Conquest in the Tropics (a finalist selection for the Gilder Lehrman Lincoln (Book) Prize) and John A. Quitman: Old South Crusader (which won the book prize of the Mississippi Historical Society).
GUEST APPEARANCE: Robert E. Lee and us
Charlottesville, Virginia is roiling over the city council’s planned removal from a local park of a bronze statute of Robert E. Lee, seated upon his horse Traveller, with its replacement by a memorial to enslaved people. The controversy reignites contested issues that have played out frequently in recent years regarding the status and continuance of not only Confederate monuments but also Confederate flags and place names.
"Filibuster" Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Does
The word “filibuster” might call to mind endless speeches and Senate gridlock. But did you know that the term used to refer to Americans who went to foreign countries to fight in their wars without the government’s permission? Robert E. May looks into the history of the adventurous, problematic practice—and uncovers women’s hidden role.
Op-ed: Trump’s ‘sad’ grasp of history
For the past week, President Donald Trump's quips about how Andrew Jackson could have prevented the Civil War have caused great controversy in the media, and made the president the butt of ridicule for apparently not realizing Jackson was long dead when the war started. Actually, Trump's comments are not nearly as far-fetched in a historical sense as his most outraged critics claim. But his statements are deeply troubling, nonetheless.
Fractional Farthing LE Lathe Cut Series
This campaign started on Dec 06 and will close on January 15, 2015 (11:59pm PT). This campaign will receive all funds raised even if it does not reach its goal.
Why celebrating the Confederacy is offensive
I would be the last person to claim knowledge of why any individual person decides to raise, wear or otherwise display Confederate flags and related memorabilia. Is the purpose to intimidate African-Americans with a symbol of white racial supremacy? Undoubtedly so, for many displayers.
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