Wow - so if you ever wanted to know about mid-19th century Irish immigration and Irish involvement in the American Civil War this is your guy. We discuss all kinds of stuff, including Damian's most recent book, The Forgotten Irish. I had a great time speaking with Damian - I am more than certain you will enjoy the talk too. SO LISTEN UP :)

I could talk about this stuff all day (well, I sort of do...) and so I am thrilled to offer this fascinating conversation with Alexis Hlavaty. I think most are unaware of how vibrant the free black community was in New Orleans during the antebellum years - and we talk about why these folks are relatively unknown today. We also get way into the radicals after the war in the Reconstruction period and all the way to the infamous Plessy case. Just for fun - and I won't spoil it - but Alexis hits us with some straight up controversy right away (hint: neo-Confederates be warned...). So listen up. This is important stuff.

I love speaking with my fellow high school teachers - and I am thrilled to have such an inspiring educator on the show. Chris and I have collaborated in the past, and I am looking forward to some upcoming projects - we talk about those AND how he gets his students actively engaged both in and out of the classroom. You'll want to listen especially to Chris's experiences with a Rogue Historian alum - Joe McGill...kind of a once in a lifetime thing.

What if the CSI crew were around to help bring John Wilkes Booth to justice? That's what Lance Mosier has his 8th graders imagine...Seriously, if he had been my history teacher in middle school - I might have paid closer attention. In this episode, Lance and I talk shop about how we reach our students in creative ways - ways that help them engage with the history - Not. Just. Memorize. It. I mean, where is the fun in that? This show is a must for all teachers out there and those who are considering teacher middle or high school as a career. LISTEN!!! There's great stuff here :)

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This episode is sponsored by

· Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

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There is really no way that we, as Americans in the 21st century, will ever know what it was really like to experience what slaves did in the Ante-Bellum South. However, we can get closer to understanding it - archival research is a good start. But, as Joe McGill illustrates, the actual slaves dwellings, many of which are still standing, offer a great deal of the story - and engaging with the physical artifact can only add to our understanding. In this episode, Joe explains his Slave Dwelling Project - an effort to educate about the realities of slavery and his campaign to save the places where slaves lived their lives. Joe is also a living historian - recreating a soldier from the famous 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. We talk a great deal about Black men in the Civil War - both North and South.  So if you think about it, this is two-for-one episode. Enjoy!!

Toni is a historian and genealogist who is doing some outstanding work researching the lives of slaves and former slaves in the so-called Low Country. If you do not know where that is then you need to listen - like right now. I am really happy to finally get to talk with Toni about how she connects people with their ancestors and all of the things she is doing with African American public history.

You know...many of us with advanced degrees in the humanities started off in this with one intention, others were not quite sure what to make of the whole thing...and we wound up teaching history at private high schools. My good friend Amy Rebecca Jacobs chose this path (as did I) and loves it. Her passion shows through in this episode, where we take on the notion of making a career in secondary education plan A.

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This episode is sponsored by

· Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

· Matt D'Elia is Confused Podcast: On Matt D'Elia is Confused, host Matt D’Elia invites guests of all stripes to have a civil discussion with him about the varying topics of today. https://open.spotify.com/show/6fCsVSSmB582879V8YCprE?si=Hbmt9YiqT-2pehJ4_vo1kg

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Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-rogue-historian/message

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Okay so we took a short break to recover from the election. 'Nuff said. But we're back and I am freakin' stoked to be talking digital history with Patrick Lewis - director of the Civil War Governors of Kentucky Digital Documentary project. Yo, this is some of the most innovative work in the digital humanities that I have ever encountered. Peeps - pay attention and follow suit. State archivists should especially listen - you will be doing yourself (and researchers) a favor.

The 1915 silent film, The Birth of a Nation, is about as controversial as a film can get. Why? Because racism. What you might not know is that the film is based in part on a novel - a historical romance, really - written by Thomas Dixon. The name of the book is The Clansman...and it is some of the most vile racist propaganda of its day. Today we talk to historian Lynn Lyerly, who is currently working on a book about Dixon, and sort through the heritage of racism and its legacy. Listen...and pay attention. This shit is important, yo.

You know what? Banjo music makes me happy. So I am super stoked to have Dusty on the show - he is a first-rate banjo player and a really cool dude. Dusty plays NINE instruments - can you believe it? Today we are focusing on the banjo - its origins and some different playing styles in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Cool shit, yo - have a listen.