The Calvinist roots of appreciating Acadia’s scenery
Visitors who delight in nature and stunning scenery at places like Acadia National Park often do not realize their aesthetic debt to Protestant reformer and theologian John Calvin.
Thoughts on visiting the grave of Nathan Bedford Forrest
Contemplating the legacy of Nathan Bedford Forrest at his grave beneath the remains of a Confederate monument in a Memphis park.
Making heroes of church pioneers in the wild west
For early twentieth-century historians, the story of church in the wild west involved a racially informed moral tale of transforming savage disorder to settled order.
Freemasonry in the making of Yellowstone National Park
The history of Freemasonry in Yellowstone National Park coincides with its role in a larger religious history of the American west as agents and evangelists for Manifest Destiny.
Mother Jones in Illinois: A Labor Day Remembrance
It seems fitting on Labor Day to celebrate the wisdom, commitment, and courage of Mother Jones where she chose to be buried beside immigrant mine workers killed in the struggle for labor rights.
The dynamic continuities of history
History is as much about the present as it is about the past. Historical thinking involves connecting our present to a continuity that has been going on for millennia.
On the ranch in 1980
1980 we spent the entire year, all twelve months, on the avocado ranch. It was our magical time in paradise. We were alive then with youth, not quite knowing how happy we were.
Contested parks: recreational enjoyment or profitable development?
America has long been confused about whether nature is for us to adore and enjoy, or for us to profit from. This confusion has been painfully clear in our divisive attitudes toward national parks.
An America of exceptional kindness
Has American exceptionalism ran its course? Perhaps we can become a nation of caring rather than a nation of conquest.
The complex interweavings of American racial histories
The Bear River Massacre occurred in the same month as Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation; killing Indians had a strategic purpose in the war to end slavery.
Border walls have a long history in America
Border walls are rooted in a colonial way of thinking about territory that has been fundamental to American claims to land. Even George Washington suggested that we needed one.
Cars in the parks: a blessing and a curse
Cars have been both a blessing and a curse for national parks. They are how most of us get to the places we love, but they also hurt the places we love.