History

Richard August hosts Patrick Donovan on State of the State

State of the State: Varnum Armory Museum

By Richard August | March 13, 2022 |

Host Richard August speaks with Patrick Donovan of the Varnum Armory Museum.

A water drop and ripples

Why not just leave anachronistic “plantations” in place where it’s historical and difficult to remove?

By Justin Katz | March 8, 2022 |

Patrick Anderson follows up on the state’s ongoing efforts to change its official name everywhere, following a constitutional edit during the last election: You don’t have to look too hard to find the words Providence Plantations on state buildings, a year and a half after Rhode Island voters deleted them from the state name. The…

A drowning person's hand

We’re on a dangerous path with Whoopi Goldberg’s suspension.

By Justin Katz | February 3, 2022 |

She slipped up and exposed the direction of the narrative before all of the necessary special interests were pinned down.  Wokism, intersectionality, anti-racism, proclamations about “white supremacy”… in all of these variations on the theme, whiteness is bad, whiteness is everywhere, and racism only goes one way.  People of European descent are white; Jews are…

A water drop and ripples

Here’s a reminder that something historic is happening in Canada.

By Justin Katz | February 2, 2022 |

These events will surely be mentioned in history books, so it’s very strange that they aren’t a bigger part of the news: The border crossing between Coutts, Alberta (CA) and Sweet Grass, Montana (USA) continues to be blocked as truckers allied against COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine passports are united.  The Alberta protests are in support…

A water drop and ripples

What if Native Americans displaced somebody else?

By Justin Katz | January 20, 2022 |

Rick Moran asks that dangerous question: So what happened to these older, primitive societies — the Clovis people and others who were clearly present in North and Central America before modern Native Americans? They no doubt had what they considered “their land” to hunt and forage. Who stole it from them and wiped them out?…

A water drop and ripples

Hey, why should historians be expected to be able differentiate the start and end dates of major events?

By Justin Katz | January 4, 2022 |

On various issues of public controversy recently (notably transgenderism), some conservatives have suggested that forcing the population to assent to outlandish propositions is the point.  Whether changing how society thinks about a particular matter is the central goal or incidental, progressives want to train the public to accept reality as whatever the activists say it is.…

Giovanni Battista Piranesi's Remains of the Praetorian Castro

Why should soldiers be satisfied with their wages?

By Justin Katz | December 12, 2021 |

John the Baptist’s suggestion to Roman soldiers in today’s Gospel reading at Roman Catholic Mass has always left me feeling as I was missing some historical context: And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” He said to them in reply, “Whoever has two tunics should share with the person who has none.…

Paul Kane painting of a native American encampment

The URI President’s Questionable Claims About Farming and “Unceded Territory”

By Justin Katz | November 29, 2021 |

URI’s newly imported president is casually asserting priorities and history that may undermine his own institution and disrupt Rhode Islanders’ ability to determine their own destiny.

A chart of Native American life expectancy vs. the average

Encouraging fixation on historical harms isn’t helping the disadvantaged.

By Justin Katz | November 18, 2021 |

At the risk of expressing a forbidden opinion, this is not a healthy perspective: Even if Indigenous people spend Thanksgiving with family and festivities, [Tomaquag Museum executive director Lorén Spears] said, “They still know that this isn’t always a happy time for us because it reminds us of all the trauma and loss that our…

Kansas anti-mandate protesters

Historical analogies for the hated other.

By Justin Katz | November 17, 2021 |

If history repeated with a twist, would you notice?  I’ve wondered that often, over the years, and have marveled how difficult it seems for people to spot trends and recognize analogies. A recent example came courtesy of Paul Dion when he commented, “Absolutely disgusting,” while sharing a tweet by “they/them” California techy Chad Loder: In…