Brooks D. Simpson
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Brooks D. Simpson
@bds77.bsky.social

Historian. Islanders/Yankees fan. Opinions are my own. Has it ever been otherwise?

Brooks Donohue Simpson is an American historian and an ASU Foundation Professor of History at Arizona State University, specializing in American political and military history, especially the American Civil War and Reconstruction eras and the American presidency. .. more

Political science 51%
Business 21%

I used to think Andrew Johnson was our worst president.

Used to.

It is surreal. Yet somehow I am not surprised. Neither are you.
This is surreal. 4 Oglala Lakota men kidnapped by ICE in Minneapolis have finally been located. One of them was released but the other 3 are being held at Fort Snelling, a former concentration camp used to imprison Native people incl. the Dakota 38 during Dakota Wars.

ictnews.org/news/north-c...
Four Oglala detainees located, three still in ICE custody - ICT
The four Lakota detainees were reportedly sent to a former concentration camp used during the Dakota Wars
ictnews.org
This is surreal. 4 Oglala Lakota men kidnapped by ICE in Minneapolis have finally been located. One of them was released but the other 3 are being held at Fort Snelling, a former concentration camp used to imprison Native people incl. the Dakota 38 during Dakota Wars.

ictnews.org/news/north-c...
Four Oglala detainees located, three still in ICE custody - ICT
The four Lakota detainees were reportedly sent to a former concentration camp used during the Dakota Wars
ictnews.org

We've gone from the bully pulpit to simply being a bully.

Wait until Speaker Mike Johnson says he has not seen the video of the ICE agent murdering a woman in Minneapolis, so he cannot comment.

For anyone interested in the American Civil War ...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFlJ...
September 29, 2025: Smith Civil War Lecture - Brooks Simpson, Ph.D.
YouTube video by Ohio Wesleyan University StreamOWU
www.youtube.com

On January 6, 2021, Republicans accepted and defended what they opposed between 1861 and 1865.

Never forget.

The threat remains. If anything, it's worse.

I wonder how many pro-Trump neoConfederates who attack Lincoln's actions in the Fort Sumter crisis are celebrating Trump's actions today.

I would encourage the president to follow his own path on this matter, which is a clear demonstration of his superior performance on cognitive tests.
CNN: Trump said about taking more aspirin than his docs recommend that 'I want nice thin blood pouring through my heart.' Does that make sense?

REINER: No. It actually makes nonsense... if you're bruising a lot & your doctor says you're on too much aspirin, why wouldn't you go down to a lower dose?
CNN: Trump said about taking more aspirin than his docs recommend that 'I want nice thin blood pouring through my heart.' Does that make sense?

REINER: No. It actually makes nonsense... if you're bruising a lot & your doctor says you're on too much aspirin, why wouldn't you go down to a lower dose?

Erika Kirk teaches us all how to move on.

I have heard that you don't trade him.
Monday during Hero of the Week, @seanyhockey.bsky.social named Emil Heineman his #Isles Hero of the Week! How have you felt about the Heineman addition? Get the show at youtu.be/ALZtLJ9SH84 #NHL

Reposted by Brooks D. Simpson

Monday during Hero of the Week, @seanyhockey.bsky.social named Emil Heineman his #Isles Hero of the Week! How have you felt about the Heineman addition? Get the show at youtu.be/ALZtLJ9SH84 #NHL

Dust jackets can conceal what you are really reading.

And yes, it was Sadat at Gettysburg. Misspoke.

Their followers believe what they say. The question is how many voters who supported Trump are open to empirical evidence and experience.

So much lying.
Every time I listen to Trump, Bessent or Lutnick talk about economic conditions, it is always completely obvious how utterly disconnected they are from the everyday struggles the average American working family is dealing with right now. They simply can’t relate to normal people.

Reposted by Brooks D. Simpson

Every time I listen to Trump, Bessent or Lutnick talk about economic conditions, it is always completely obvious how utterly disconnected they are from the everyday struggles the average American working family is dealing with right now. They simply can’t relate to normal people.

Could you be a little more specific? Best about what? 😉

If you think that the military history of the Civil War is simply a story of generals and battles, you haven't kept up with the literature.

For decades.

At best, it's ignorance. At worst, it's insulting.

It's also sooooo yesterday.

Slob.
There’s no way this is real

It smacks of a self-congratulatory assessment resting on the construction of strawmen. Just doesn't come across well.

But clearly it has our attention.

Should it?

The other thing that strikes me as odd about this exchange is that it sounds like an academic conference. I've given this lecture ... as a lecture, alone ... and I thought the idea was to bring some historical insight to a broader audience. Gatekeeping? Really? Whatever. Who cares about infighting?

I guess I don't follow this line of discussion. There's a lot of stereotyping hiding behind a refusal to name names. This sort of thing tells me more about the people making the arguments and how they view things than it does about whatever is being described.

Jim Downs's assertion in this regard is ... interesting.

What I notice is how non-military historians of the ACW sometimes flaunt their ignorance of military issues, often to their detriment.

Maybe Jim needs to read more.

Reposted by Brooks D. Simpson

There’s no way this is real

Fight like it's 1846.
What the hell: The US accidentally invaded Mexico on Monday, storming a beach and planting DoD “restricted area” signs claiming the land for “the commander,” and triggered a standoff with armed Mexican security forces, all because Trump’s government can’t even identify a border on a map. 🧵 1/
What the hell: The US accidentally invaded Mexico on Monday, storming a beach and planting DoD “restricted area” signs claiming the land for “the commander,” and triggered a standoff with armed Mexican security forces, all because Trump’s government can’t even identify a border on a map. 🧵 1/

Clay Higgins apparently craves attention.