Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D
@jasonhiggins.bsky.social
Author of Prisoners after War: Veterans in the Age of Mass Incarceration (OHA Best Book Award 2025) Historian. Editor. Digital Scholarship Coordinator, Virginia Tech Press; assistant prof. My views don’t reflect my employer. https://shorturl.at/HpPO7
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Prisoners after War - University Press Library Open
The United States has both the largest, most expensive, and most powerful military and the largest, most expensive, and most punitive carceral system in the history of the world. Since the American Wa...
uplopen.com
The #OpenAccess version of my new book, Prisoners after War: Veterans in the Age of Mass Incarceration (UMass Press) is now available for free. This is made possible with support from a TOME grant, UMass Press, Virginia Tech, and the new University Press Library Open site. uplopen.com/books/m/356
Content warning:
Alex Pretti was executed while on his knees and unarmed. I can’t help but to see photo the South Vietnamese (our allies) police execution of Nguyễn Văn Lém during the Tet Offensive in 1968.
I’m sorry for sharing images of murder, but we cannot allow this to become normalized.
Alex Pretti was executed while on his knees and unarmed. I can’t help but to see photo the South Vietnamese (our allies) police execution of Nguyễn Văn Lém during the Tet Offensive in 1968.
I’m sorry for sharing images of murder, but we cannot allow this to become normalized.
January 25, 2026 at 7:07 PM
Content warning:
Alex Pretti was executed while on his knees and unarmed. I can’t help but to see photo the South Vietnamese (our allies) police execution of Nguyễn Văn Lém during the Tet Offensive in 1968.
I’m sorry for sharing images of murder, but we cannot allow this to become normalized.
Alex Pretti was executed while on his knees and unarmed. I can’t help but to see photo the South Vietnamese (our allies) police execution of Nguyễn Văn Lém during the Tet Offensive in 1968.
I’m sorry for sharing images of murder, but we cannot allow this to become normalized.
Reposted by Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D
If folks really studied the history of the civil rights movement (not just the feel good parts), then one would learn how the lying about the violence coming from ICE, CPB, and this administration reflects this history. It is not an aberration. One would be naive to argue that "this isn't America."
January 25, 2026 at 3:35 PM
If folks really studied the history of the civil rights movement (not just the feel good parts), then one would learn how the lying about the violence coming from ICE, CPB, and this administration reflects this history. It is not an aberration. One would be naive to argue that "this isn't America."
If I understand anything from studying social movements in U.S. history, it’s that the majority will blame protestors for all violence, whether the tactics used are non-violent civil disobedience or armed self-defense.
January 25, 2026 at 4:13 PM
If I understand anything from studying social movements in U.S. history, it’s that the majority will blame protestors for all violence, whether the tactics used are non-violent civil disobedience or armed self-defense.
Reposted by Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D
💔
I am writing my Senators and Congressman to demand that Congress shut down ICE and stop the killing.
I am writing my Senators and Congressman to demand that Congress shut down ICE and stop the killing.
January 25, 2026 at 2:43 AM
💔
I am writing my Senators and Congressman to demand that Congress shut down ICE and stop the killing.
I am writing my Senators and Congressman to demand that Congress shut down ICE and stop the killing.
As Orwell says, “war is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.”
Murder is preemptive self-defense.
Murder is preemptive self-defense.
January 24, 2026 at 7:00 PM
As Orwell says, “war is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.”
Murder is preemptive self-defense.
Murder is preemptive self-defense.
I had not planned to watch Renee Good’s murder, but I did, even though I didn’t need to see it, to believe it. I also still have not watch the full video of George Floyd’s murder, even though media have played his agonizing final moments over and over again. I do not need to watch this one either.
I wish I hadn't watched that video. I never watched the killing of Renee Good and hope I never have to. I don't need to see it to fight it.
Today at least four federal agents were beating a man and then one of them (I think) shot him point blank while he was on the ground. More agents present.
Today at least four federal agents were beating a man and then one of them (I think) shot him point blank while he was on the ground. More agents present.
January 24, 2026 at 4:02 PM
I had not planned to watch Renee Good’s murder, but I did, even though I didn’t need to see it, to believe it. I also still have not watch the full video of George Floyd’s murder, even though media have played his agonizing final moments over and over again. I do not need to watch this one either.
Who will be left when everyone with integrity resigns?
Breaking NYT:
The FBI agent who sought to investigate the federal immigration officer who fatally shot Renee Good has resigned from the bureau, according to two people familiar with the matter, after leadership pressured her to discontinue a civil rights inquiry into the officer.
The FBI agent who sought to investigate the federal immigration officer who fatally shot Renee Good has resigned from the bureau, according to two people familiar with the matter, after leadership pressured her to discontinue a civil rights inquiry into the officer.
F.B.I. Agent Who Tried to Investigate ICE Officer in Shooting Resigns
www.nytimes.com
January 24, 2026 at 12:11 PM
Who will be left when everyone with integrity resigns?
You know the other regime that would digitally alter photographs to influence public memory?
January 23, 2026 at 11:48 AM
You know the other regime that would digitally alter photographs to influence public memory?
Reposted by Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D
We cannot escape the fact that George Washington enslaved people, and he knew he could not escape that fact either. Signs may come down (for now), but good history is out there, starting with: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i...
January 22, 2026 at 11:46 PM
We cannot escape the fact that George Washington enslaved people, and he knew he could not escape that fact either. Signs may come down (for now), but good history is out there, starting with: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i...
Ever since Outlook added reactions to emails, my students have been giving me a thumbs up like they’re Fonzie. When did email become Facebook? Time to retire.
January 22, 2026 at 12:25 PM
Ever since Outlook added reactions to emails, my students have been giving me a thumbs up like they’re Fonzie. When did email become Facebook? Time to retire.
Clio and the Contemporary is calling for contributors. It’s a pleasure to work with their editorial team.
January 21, 2026 at 1:04 PM
Clio and the Contemporary is calling for contributors. It’s a pleasure to work with their editorial team.
Y’all really need to read, Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working-Class by @profblmkelley.bsky.social wwnorton.com/books/978163...
January 19, 2026 at 9:23 PM
Y’all really need to read, Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working-Class by @profblmkelley.bsky.social wwnorton.com/books/978163...
Just a reminder that the Twin Cities are the homes of the largest population of Hmong in the United States. The Hmong fought as allies of the U.S. during the war in Vietnam and fled persecution and resettled as refugees in the 1970s and 80s. We can imagine this man’s life history.
Hmong man detained by ICE today in St. Paul, Minnesota.
(Photo via Reuters)
(Photo via Reuters)
January 19, 2026 at 1:45 PM
Just a reminder that the Twin Cities are the homes of the largest population of Hmong in the United States. The Hmong fought as allies of the U.S. during the war in Vietnam and fled persecution and resettled as refugees in the 1970s and 80s. We can imagine this man’s life history.
You can tell a lot about a person from which speech or letter they quote by Dr. King.
January 19, 2026 at 1:07 PM
You can tell a lot about a person from which speech or letter they quote by Dr. King.
Reposted by Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D
Catherine Kudlick on the 504 protests:
“Save Changes”: Telling Stories of Disability Protest
At first, it was a simple case of “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,” as I worked with WikiEducation Foundation to teach a methods course in which students created disability history content. But th…
nursingclio.org
January 18, 2026 at 2:25 PM
Catherine Kudlick on the 504 protests:
I spent the day writing a summer fellowship application, and I feel good about it. I’ve been planning to write an article, tentatively titled, “Revisiting the Spitting Image: Collective Memories of Betrayal among Vietnam War veterans.
January 18, 2026 at 2:34 AM
I spent the day writing a summer fellowship application, and I feel good about it. I’ve been planning to write an article, tentatively titled, “Revisiting the Spitting Image: Collective Memories of Betrayal among Vietnam War veterans.
“I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin... the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society.…
January 17, 2026 at 11:38 AM
“I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin... the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society.…
Reposted by Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D
“It is deeply offensive and ironic that the first people of this land would be subjected to questions around their citizenship” Jacqueline De Leon, senior staff attorney Native American Rights Fund Isleta Pueblo. “Yet nevertheless, that is exactly what we’re seeing.”
www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
Native Americans detained in Trump's Minnesota ICE raids
On Jan. 13, the Oglala Sioux Tribe said three men are still in detention after being transferred to an ICE detention center.
www.usatoday.com
January 17, 2026 at 12:15 AM
“It is deeply offensive and ironic that the first people of this land would be subjected to questions around their citizenship” Jacqueline De Leon, senior staff attorney Native American Rights Fund Isleta Pueblo. “Yet nevertheless, that is exactly what we’re seeing.”
www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
Are you teaching students to produce historical scholarship? I'm the faculty advisor of Virginia Tech Undergraduate Historical Review, which publishes #OpenAccess original research, historiography, and reviews by undergrads. Please feel free to share with your history majors. vtuhr.org
Virginia Tech Undergraduate Historical Review
vtuhr.org
January 16, 2026 at 8:51 PM
Are you teaching students to produce historical scholarship? I'm the faculty advisor of Virginia Tech Undergraduate Historical Review, which publishes #OpenAccess original research, historiography, and reviews by undergrads. Please feel free to share with your history majors. vtuhr.org
Reposted by Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D
#tdih 1865
Demands by Black ministers after Ebenezer Creek Massacre led to Special Field Order #15: a short-lived land distribution to freed people.
They established civic institutions, schools, militia (for defense from Klan), & more. #TeachReconstruction 🧵
www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/sp...
Demands by Black ministers after Ebenezer Creek Massacre led to Special Field Order #15: a short-lived land distribution to freed people.
They established civic institutions, schools, militia (for defense from Klan), & more. #TeachReconstruction 🧵
www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/sp...
Jan. 16, 1865: Special Field Order No. 15
Demands by Black ministers after the Ebenezer Creek Massacre led to the short-lived land distribution during Reconstruction known as Special Field Order No. 15.
www.zinnedproject.org
January 16, 2026 at 12:43 PM
#tdih 1865
Demands by Black ministers after Ebenezer Creek Massacre led to Special Field Order #15: a short-lived land distribution to freed people.
They established civic institutions, schools, militia (for defense from Klan), & more. #TeachReconstruction 🧵
www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/sp...
Demands by Black ministers after Ebenezer Creek Massacre led to Special Field Order #15: a short-lived land distribution to freed people.
They established civic institutions, schools, militia (for defense from Klan), & more. #TeachReconstruction 🧵
www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/sp...
Reposted by Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D
I am so humbled and thrilled to say that my first book, Opium Slavery: Civil War Veterans and America’s First Opioid Crisis, is a finalist for the Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize! 🗃️ @uncpress.bsky.social www.gilderlehrman.org/book-prizes/...
Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize | Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize | |
www.gilderlehrman.org
January 14, 2026 at 11:58 PM
I am so humbled and thrilled to say that my first book, Opium Slavery: Civil War Veterans and America’s First Opioid Crisis, is a finalist for the Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize! 🗃️ @uncpress.bsky.social www.gilderlehrman.org/book-prizes/...
Reposted by Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D
I curate the history series at public media's trade journal Current. We're looking for pieces on the history of NPR, PBS and its affiliates, with some space to imagine public media's future. We accept academic articles repurposed for wide readership. Plus, we pay. Please circulate!
Rewind: The Roots of Public Media
This series features scholars of media history looking back at both familiar and lesser-known chapters in public broadcasting’s evolution. “Rewind” is presented in partnership with the Radio Preservat...
current.org
January 11, 2026 at 9:42 PM
I curate the history series at public media's trade journal Current. We're looking for pieces on the history of NPR, PBS and its affiliates, with some space to imagine public media's future. We accept academic articles repurposed for wide readership. Plus, we pay. Please circulate!
My dogs’ favorite letter is W.
I regret to inform you that when my dog hears me spell out "W-A-L-K," he hears it as the word "dubbleyooayelkay," which he understands as meaning "Walk."
January 11, 2026 at 8:35 PM
My dogs’ favorite letter is W.
Reposted by Jason A. Higgins, Ph.D
The Church Committee's investigation into the crimes of the intelligence community is about as good a model as we have for the kind of investigation into the crimes of ICE and other agencies. This is really a must-read for understanding our own moment.
With MLK day approaching, worth reading what the official Senate investigation found about surveillance, sabotage, and blackmail as part of the FBI's "war" on Martin Luther King.
"No holds were barred. We have used [similar] techniques against Soviet agents...This is a rough, tough business."
"No holds were barred. We have used [similar] techniques against Soviet agents...This is a rough, tough business."
The Church Committee Report: Revelations from the Bombshell 1970s Investigation Into the National Security State
Revelations from the Bombshell 1970s Investigation Into the National Security State
bookshop.org
January 11, 2026 at 6:48 PM
The Church Committee's investigation into the crimes of the intelligence community is about as good a model as we have for the kind of investigation into the crimes of ICE and other agencies. This is really a must-read for understanding our own moment.