Robert D. Bland
@robertdbland.bsky.social
Assistant Professor of History and Africana Studies @ the University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Associate editor @ Journal of Civil War Era/Muster
Scholar of Reconstruction-era and memory. Weekend hiker. Iverson-era NBA apologist.
Associate editor @ Journal of Civil War Era/Muster
Scholar of Reconstruction-era and memory. Weekend hiker. Iverson-era NBA apologist.
Reposted by Robert D. Bland
Renee Nicole Good, the woman shot & killed by an ICE agent, had a young son whose father died in 2023, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune
“There’s nobody else in his life,” the boy’s grandfather told the paper. “I’ll drive. I’ll fly. To come get my grandchild.” www.huffpost.com/entry/latest...
“There’s nobody else in his life,” the boy’s grandfather told the paper. “I’ll drive. I’ll fly. To come get my grandchild.” www.huffpost.com/entry/latest...
January 7, 2026 at 10:53 PM
Renee Nicole Good, the woman shot & killed by an ICE agent, had a young son whose father died in 2023, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune
“There’s nobody else in his life,” the boy’s grandfather told the paper. “I’ll drive. I’ll fly. To come get my grandchild.” www.huffpost.com/entry/latest...
“There’s nobody else in his life,” the boy’s grandfather told the paper. “I’ll drive. I’ll fly. To come get my grandchild.” www.huffpost.com/entry/latest...
A preview of the larger story that you will find in my book, Requiem for Reconstruction. Now available through @uncpress.bsky.social
In today's Muster @robertdbland.bsky.social examines the legacy of the Reconstruction generation www.journalofthecivilwarera.org/2026/01/reme...
Remembering Reconstruction’s Lost Generation - The Journal of the Civil War Era
Benjamin Franklin Randolph was part of a generation that changed the nation’s political history. Born free and raised in Ohio, he attended Oberlin College and after graduating he served as a principal...
www.journalofthecivilwarera.org
January 7, 2026 at 6:18 PM
A preview of the larger story that you will find in my book, Requiem for Reconstruction. Now available through @uncpress.bsky.social
Reposted by Robert D. Bland
It's our first pub day of 2026 🎉 From the fascinating world of crayfish to uncovering the untold complexities of Reconstruction, to clothing, culture, and violence in the Civil War Era these new releases make for a powerful start the year 📚
Check them out 👇
uncpressblog.com/2026/01/06/n...
Check them out 👇
uncpressblog.com/2026/01/06/n...
New This Week: January 6th 2026 - UNC Press Blog
Today calls for celebration—it’s our first publication day of 2026! We’re thrilled to kick off the new year with three incredible titles that span a wide range of topics: from the fascinating world of...
uncpressblog.com
January 6, 2026 at 10:29 PM
It's our first pub day of 2026 🎉 From the fascinating world of crayfish to uncovering the untold complexities of Reconstruction, to clothing, culture, and violence in the Civil War Era these new releases make for a powerful start the year 📚
Check them out 👇
uncpressblog.com/2026/01/06/n...
Check them out 👇
uncpressblog.com/2026/01/06/n...
I had a great conversation with @thesullivansummer.bsky.social and @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social about my book, Requiem for Reconstruction, which will be officially released tomorrow (1/6) through @uncpress.bsky.social. You can listen to that interview here newbooksnetwork.com/requiem-for-...
Robert D. Bland, "Requiem for Reconstruction: Black Countermemory and the Legacy of the Lowcountry's Lost Political Generation" (UNC Press, 2026) - New Books Network
newbooksnetwork.com
January 5, 2026 at 2:24 PM
I had a great conversation with @thesullivansummer.bsky.social and @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social about my book, Requiem for Reconstruction, which will be officially released tomorrow (1/6) through @uncpress.bsky.social. You can listen to that interview here newbooksnetwork.com/requiem-for-...
Reposted by Robert D. Bland
In today's Muster, @richcondon.bsky.social explores the recent Netflix series Death by Lightning and its portrait of James Garfield as the last "Lincoln Republican" www.journalofthecivilwarera.org/2025/12/deat...
Death by Lightning - An Ode to Service - The Journal of the Civil War Era
In his inaugural speech on March 4, 1881, newly elected President James Garfield emphasized the importance of ongoing Reconstruction, asserting that the “elevation of the negro race from slavery to th...
www.journalofthecivilwarera.org
December 22, 2025 at 2:47 PM
In today's Muster, @richcondon.bsky.social explores the recent Netflix series Death by Lightning and its portrait of James Garfield as the last "Lincoln Republican" www.journalofthecivilwarera.org/2025/12/deat...
Christmas came early in East TN. 📚
December 23, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Christmas came early in East TN. 📚
Requiem for Reconstruction is now available for presale. It is still a bit surreal to know that it is actually going to be out in the world. If you buy the book through UNC press, you can get 30% off with the promo code 01UNCP30. uncpress.org/book/9781469...
Requiem for Reconstruction | Robert D. Bland | University of North Carolina Press
The promise of Reconstruction sparked a transformative era in American history as free and newly emancipated Black Americans sought to redefine their place i...
uncpress.org
April 23, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Requiem for Reconstruction is now available for presale. It is still a bit surreal to know that it is actually going to be out in the world. If you buy the book through UNC press, you can get 30% off with the promo code 01UNCP30. uncpress.org/book/9781469...
Reposted by Robert D. Bland
📚🚨It’s Book Pub Day for @hngreen.bsky.social's Unforgettable Sacrifice: How Black Communities Remembered the Civil War 📚🚨 www.fordhampress.com/978153150852...
Get your copy and request it from your library.
#booksky #blackskybookclub
Get your copy and request it from your library.
#booksky #blackskybookclub
Unforgettable Sacrifice
Rediscover the Civil War through the voices that refused to be silencedUnforgettable Sacrifice offers a groundbreaking exploration into the heart of African ...
www.fordhampress.com
February 4, 2025 at 11:58 AM
📚🚨It’s Book Pub Day for @hngreen.bsky.social's Unforgettable Sacrifice: How Black Communities Remembered the Civil War 📚🚨 www.fordhampress.com/978153150852...
Get your copy and request it from your library.
#booksky #blackskybookclub
Get your copy and request it from your library.
#booksky #blackskybookclub
Reposted by Robert D. Bland
At some point today, perhaps around noon, take some time to read Lincoln’s words for yourself. It will do you good. 🗃️ kevinmlevin.substack.com/p/i-needed-t...
I Needed To Read Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address Today. You Should Too.
On this inauguration day I find myself, once again, reading Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, which was delivered 160 years ago this coming March.
kevinmlevin.substack.com
January 20, 2025 at 12:59 PM
At some point today, perhaps around noon, take some time to read Lincoln’s words for yourself. It will do you good. 🗃️ kevinmlevin.substack.com/p/i-needed-t...
Reposted by Robert D. Bland
I pray this helps some of you today. We have a duty to Dr. King whose life was taken because he dared demand that this country face itself, to demonstrate that his work & sacrifice was not in vain. Let’s do it together. Please share. And subscribe.
open.substack.com/pub/sherrily...
open.substack.com/pub/sherrily...
It Is MLK Day. Do Not Despair. This Year Especially, We Have Work To Do.
With delicious anticipation, we imagined it.
open.substack.com
January 20, 2025 at 1:04 PM
I pray this helps some of you today. We have a duty to Dr. King whose life was taken because he dared demand that this country face itself, to demonstrate that his work & sacrifice was not in vain. Let’s do it together. Please share. And subscribe.
open.substack.com/pub/sherrily...
open.substack.com/pub/sherrily...
Reposted by Robert D. Bland
Best data from the article.
December 21, 2024 at 9:07 PM
Best data from the article.
Reposted by Robert D. Bland
The December issue of the JCWE is now available. This special issue on Black Internationalism is edited by Brandon Byrd, associate professor of history at Vanderbilt University and author of The Black Republic: African Americans and the Fate of Haiti www.journalofthecivilwarera.org/june2024142/
Current Issue - The Journal of the Civil War Era
Volume 14, No. 3 December 2024 This is a special issue on Black Internationalism organized and edited by Brandon Byrd. Introduction – Brandon Byrd This introductory essay offers a historical and histo...
www.journalofthecivilwarera.org
December 6, 2024 at 2:33 PM
The December issue of the JCWE is now available. This special issue on Black Internationalism is edited by Brandon Byrd, associate professor of history at Vanderbilt University and author of The Black Republic: African Americans and the Fate of Haiti www.journalofthecivilwarera.org/june2024142/
Reposted by Robert D. Bland
The Rise and Rapid Fall of the First US Department of Education
The department, established in 1867, faced opposition from Southern congressmen, who associated it with education for the formerly enslaved. 🗃️
www.history.com/news/departm...
The department, established in 1867, faced opposition from Southern congressmen, who associated it with education for the formerly enslaved. 🗃️
www.history.com/news/departm...
The Rise and Rapid Fall of the First US Department of Education | HISTORY
The department, established in 1867, faced opposition from Southern congressmen, who associated it with education for the formerly enslaved.
www.history.com
December 6, 2024 at 2:46 PM
The Rise and Rapid Fall of the First US Department of Education
The department, established in 1867, faced opposition from Southern congressmen, who associated it with education for the formerly enslaved. 🗃️
www.history.com/news/departm...
The department, established in 1867, faced opposition from Southern congressmen, who associated it with education for the formerly enslaved. 🗃️
www.history.com/news/departm...
Reposted by Robert D. Bland
Hypothermia alert for DC tonight. It's been a dangerously cold day & will be a dangerously cold night. Precautions are needed by all & compassion towards the unhoused. @remorahousedc.bsky.social @knilirabaj.bsky.social @jl3001.bsky.social @ginatb2.bsky.social
December 3, 2024 at 11:01 PM
Hypothermia alert for DC tonight. It's been a dangerously cold day & will be a dangerously cold night. Precautions are needed by all & compassion towards the unhoused. @remorahousedc.bsky.social @knilirabaj.bsky.social @jl3001.bsky.social @ginatb2.bsky.social
Reposted by Robert D. Bland
The co-winners of the Frederick Douglass Book Prize are Marlene Daut for “Awakening the Ashes” (@uncpress.bsky.social) & Sara Johnson for “Encyclopédie Noire:” (OIEAHC and UNC)!!!!!!!!
macmillan.yale.edu/glc/stories/...
macmillan.yale.edu/glc/stories/...
Yale Announces 2024 Frederick Douglass Book Prize Winners
macmillan.yale.edu
December 3, 2024 at 6:29 PM
The co-winners of the Frederick Douglass Book Prize are Marlene Daut for “Awakening the Ashes” (@uncpress.bsky.social) & Sara Johnson for “Encyclopédie Noire:” (OIEAHC and UNC)!!!!!!!!
macmillan.yale.edu/glc/stories/...
macmillan.yale.edu/glc/stories/...
Reposted by Robert D. Bland
This thanksgiving, I'm thinking about how we've been complaining about losing recipes for years, and need to get intentional about preserving them.
open.substack.com/pub/naimacoc...
open.substack.com/pub/naimacoc...
November 28, 2024 at 10:39 PM
This thanksgiving, I'm thinking about how we've been complaining about losing recipes for years, and need to get intentional about preserving them.
open.substack.com/pub/naimacoc...
open.substack.com/pub/naimacoc...
Reposted by Robert D. Bland
History Interns at Old Dominion Work to Reconnect Virginia Families Separated by Enslavement www.odu.edu/article/hist... "Focusing on people enslaved by the Custis-Washington-Lee clan, they are combing through tax lists, wills and inventories to reveal broken family links."
History Interns Work to Reconnect Families Separated by Enslavement
By Sam McDonald Two Old Dominion University student interns are growing their knowledge of American history as they seek to reunite Virginia families pulled apart long ago by the institution of slaver...
www.odu.edu
November 27, 2024 at 11:52 AM
History Interns at Old Dominion Work to Reconnect Virginia Families Separated by Enslavement www.odu.edu/article/hist... "Focusing on people enslaved by the Custis-Washington-Lee clan, they are combing through tax lists, wills and inventories to reveal broken family links."
Reposted by Robert D. Bland
W. Ralph Eubanks explores his family's connection to Mileston, MS: “Black farmers owning their own land and profiting from it was what my father thought would lift the Delta out of poverty.”
Read: ow.ly/XnnE50Ugf3Y
📷 Marcella Plantation, 1939, FSA/LOC
Read: ow.ly/XnnE50Ugf3Y
📷 Marcella Plantation, 1939, FSA/LOC
November 26, 2024 at 8:57 PM
W. Ralph Eubanks explores his family's connection to Mileston, MS: “Black farmers owning their own land and profiting from it was what my father thought would lift the Delta out of poverty.”
Read: ow.ly/XnnE50Ugf3Y
📷 Marcella Plantation, 1939, FSA/LOC
Read: ow.ly/XnnE50Ugf3Y
📷 Marcella Plantation, 1939, FSA/LOC
Reposted by Robert D. Bland
Calling all history teachers. This is a great opportunity to work with some excellent Civil War scholars @naucivilwar.bsky.social at the University of Virginia next summer. 🗃️ docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
November 26, 2024 at 1:40 PM
Calling all history teachers. This is a great opportunity to work with some excellent Civil War scholars @naucivilwar.bsky.social at the University of Virginia next summer. 🗃️ docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Reposted by Robert D. Bland
'Erik S. McDuffie...shows how cities like Chicago, Detroit, and Cleveland, as well as rural areas in the heartland, became central and enduring incubators of Marcus Garvey’s Black nationalist Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) and its offshoots'
www.dukeupress.edu/the-second-b...
www.dukeupress.edu/the-second-b...
November 26, 2024 at 2:30 PM
'Erik S. McDuffie...shows how cities like Chicago, Detroit, and Cleveland, as well as rural areas in the heartland, became central and enduring incubators of Marcus Garvey’s Black nationalist Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) and its offshoots'
www.dukeupress.edu/the-second-b...
www.dukeupress.edu/the-second-b...
In today's Muster, Bonnie Laughlin-Schultz discusses using nineteenth-century art to teach the antislavery movement www.journalofthecivilwarera.org/2024/11/teac...
Teaching the Civil War: Disrupting the Conventional Antislavery Narrative and Engaging Students in Visual Analysis - The Journal of the Civil War Era
This post is the first in a new Muster series that will highlight innovative ways that classroom instructors have approached teaching the Civil War era. Today’s post is written by Professor Bonnie Lau...
www.journalofthecivilwarera.org
November 26, 2024 at 2:17 PM
In today's Muster, Bonnie Laughlin-Schultz discusses using nineteenth-century art to teach the antislavery movement www.journalofthecivilwarera.org/2024/11/teac...
Reposted by Robert D. Bland
Sobering article by historian Eric Foner about the many terrible historical precedents for Trump's mass deportation plan, esp. the popular 1800s idea of "colonization"--sending formerly enslaved people to Africa so America would be a white country www.thenation.com/article/soci...
America Has Done Mass Deportation Before
From the Indian Removal Act of 1830 to the deportation of Mexican-Americans during the Great Depression, Trump can easily find precedents for his policy. None of them ended well.
www.thenation.com
November 25, 2024 at 10:55 PM
Sobering article by historian Eric Foner about the many terrible historical precedents for Trump's mass deportation plan, esp. the popular 1800s idea of "colonization"--sending formerly enslaved people to Africa so America would be a white country www.thenation.com/article/soci...
Reposted by Robert D. Bland
Teedra Moses’ NPR Tiny Desk performance is out: www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQTE...
November 25, 2024 at 2:25 PM
Teedra Moses’ NPR Tiny Desk performance is out: www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQTE...