Dr. Jim Downs
Author of Author of Maladies of Empire & Sick from Freedom; Stand by Me: The Forgotten History of Gay Liberation; Gilder Lehrman NEH Prof at Gettysburg College; https://www.jimdownsofficial.com
- My article in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Always better in print! “Slavery was central to the presidency. The President’s House should say so” www.inquirer.com/opinion/comm...
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- I wrote an Opinion Essay for the Phila Inquirer. The piece mentions the conference I’m directing for the Library Company of Phila. I’ve gifted the article, so there’s no paywall. www.inquirer.com/opinion/comm...
- Proud to be directing this conference. Even more excited about the speakers. Please share widely and register librarycompany.org/academic-pro...
- Reposted by Dr. Jim DownsBlueskis, studies have shown that when folks see or hear about a book more than five times, they are likely to check it out, and buy it. So in the spirit of creating buzz, here is the gorgeous cover of THE WESTERNERS, which will be published on March 31!
- Reposted by Dr. Jim DownsPleased to share the news that the latest issue of our journal "Civil War History"—edited by @jimdowns.bsky.social, and featuring articles by @legg.bsky.social, @nielseichhorn.bsky.social, and others—is now available at @projectmuse.bsky.social: muse.jhu.edu/issue/56267
- Outrageous: RFK questions germ theory—& wants to revive the Ancient Greek idea of the humors, a framework dismantled by the 17th century & considered atavistic by the time of the Civil War.After decades of scientific progress, this is the direction he’s pointing us. www.instagram.com/reel/DTjBszG...
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- I woke up this morning to an email from Jonathan Ned Katz, the father of gay American history, telling me that my article is in print in The New York Times. I am standing on his shoulders. He paved the way for so many of us to do this work. Thank you, Jonathan!
- Proud to have published January 6 & the Politics of History w/ historians Jill Lepore, Joanne Freeman, Stephanie McCurry, Elizabeth Hinton, Will Sturkey, Julian Zelizer. The book includes a vital debate about historians’ responsibilities as public intellectuals. www.amazon.com/January-Poli...
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- As a historian, I’ve learned to wait on what things mean. Seeing HBO/MAX’s Heated Rivalry become a cultural event felt like a signal. I wrote about that moment in The New York Times. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/o...
- Historian Kim Phillips-Fein in NYT Opinion: “Today people leave New York not because they are afraid of being mugged but because they fear their landlords are about to raise their rents.” www.nytimes.com/2026/01/01/o...
- I write about how Desire is easy but identity is the burden. That’s the logic Heated Rivalry can’t escape — and it’s why the show feels stuck in the past, no matter how hot it gets. slate.com/life/2025/12...
- I wrote about how HEATED RIVALRY popularity is tied to an outdated narrative framework—and why that matters. slate.com/life/2025/12...
- Thrilled to announce our CFP for a new LCP–APS conference on the long history of Black declarations of independence. Presenters will focus on one document to keep the work publicly accessible Please spread the word! librarycompany.org/academic-pro...
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- Big news for the 250th! We at LCP & APS are organizing a conference: BLACK DECLARATIONS OF INDEPENDENCE — Before & After 1776. Please consider submitting a proposal! Featuring Annette Gordon-Reed and Nell Painter! Please spread the word! librarycompany.org/academic-pro...
- Big news for the 250th! We at LCP & APS are organizing a conference: BLACK DECLARATIONS OF INDEPENDENCE — Before & After 1776. Please consider submitting a proposal! Featuring Annette Gordon-Reed and Nell Painter! Please spread the word! librarycompany.org/academic-pro...
- Big news for the 250th! We at LCP & APS are organizing a conference: BLACK DECLARATIONS OF INDEPENDENCE — Before & After 1776. Please consider submitting a proposal! Featuring Annette Gordon-Reed and Nell Painter! librarycompany.org/academic-pro...
- Deeply grateful to my mentors & friends—David Blight, Drew Gilpin Faust, and Stephanie McCurry—for joining me & Scott Hancock in Gettysburg for an inspiring, riveting conversation about the past, present, and future of Civil War studies. We had 380 people in the room and another 250 tuning in online
- I finally caved, and have a website. www.jimdownsofficial.com
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- As the history wars heat up, we’re releasing a new book that brings together some of the nation’s leading voices—Nikole Hannah-Jones, Annette Gordon-Reed, and many others—for an urgent, energizing conversation about the origins of the United States. Preorder is now available.
- Thrilled to receive a Russian copy of my book Maladies of Empire.Even as a supporter of Ukraine, it’s remarkable this translation was completed. I’m glad readers in Russia will have access to this history of transatlantic slave trade, the US Civil War & the origin of epidemiology
- Historians! If you’re within driving distance of Gettysburg, come to the Fortenbaugh next week with David Blight, Drew Faust & Stephanie McCurry. I pushed to try a panel format this year—excited to see it come to life. www.gettysburg.edu/news/stories...
- Reposted by Dr. Jim DownsLook what came in the mail! You can read “Cracks in the Granite: Contested Civil War Memories in the American West” in this year’s December issue of Civil War History. @nielseichhorn.bsky.social. W/great company: @jjacobcalhoun.bsky.social & William S. Kiser. Thanks @jimdowns.bsky.social & staff
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- Reposted by Dr. Jim DownsMore good news from the journal “Civil War History,” which is pleased to welcome Matthew Fox-Amato to its staff as book review editor. He joins editor @jimdowns.bsky.social and associate editor Crystal N. Feimster.
- Excellent article by John Witt on the virtually unknown history of the Garland Fund that “sponsored research, education and news sources that would be outside the influence of the wealthy few. It supported Black civil rights…” nytimes.com/2025/10/06/opi… via @NYTOpinion
- Library Company of Philadelphia is hosting an excellent panel on Black photography during Reconstruction on October 21. Please register for this in person event! support.librarycompany.org/event/the-fo...
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- Trump Admin Removed Rainbow Crosswalk Honoring LGBT Victims Murdered at Pulse Nightclub. I worried this would vanish from memory when I wrote this op-ed. Thanks to the NYT, for being an archive. We are witnessing an erasure of gay history www.nytimes.com/2016/06/13/o...
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- Thrilled to publish this article on queer heritage in the 19th Century and beyond
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- An absorbing article by Salamishah Tillet, which features Erica Armstrong Dunbar's brilliant work as a historical consultant who is also my colleague at HISTORY STUIDO.Erica has the inimitable talent to translate a corpus of scholarrship into legible storyline. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/09/a...
