Stephen West
@stephenwest.bsky.social
Historian of Civil War & Reconstruction. Bicyclist, baker, 3d favorite human of Banjo the dog. Views=mine, repost ≠endorsement
Pinned
Stephen West
@stephenwest.bsky.social
· Nov 8
What History Says About The Jan. 6 Committee Investigation
The importance of an unambiguous report that cannot be weaponized by Trump supporters.
www.bunkhistory.org
Welcome, new followers!
I’m a historian of Civil War & Reconstruction and their aftermath in American life. On here, you’ll find me trying to connect that history to our current day—as I did in longer form, in the piece below.
Oh, and I occasionally post pictures of my dog, and things I baked.
I’m a historian of Civil War & Reconstruction and their aftermath in American life. On here, you’ll find me trying to connect that history to our current day—as I did in longer form, in the piece below.
Oh, and I occasionally post pictures of my dog, and things I baked.
IT'S THE SUPER BOWL - WHY AREN'T WE TALKING ABOUT 401Ks?!?
February 9, 2026 at 2:15 AM
IT'S THE SUPER BOWL - WHY AREN'T WE TALKING ABOUT 401Ks?!?
Reposted by Stephen West
Bezos: "Each and every day our readers give us a roadmap to success. The data tells us what is valuable and where to focus."
The most-read story on the WaPo website was written by a team Bezos' leadership just sent to the unemployment line.
The most-read story on the WaPo website was written by a team Bezos' leadership just sent to the unemployment line.
February 8, 2026 at 2:34 PM
Bezos: "Each and every day our readers give us a roadmap to success. The data tells us what is valuable and where to focus."
The most-read story on the WaPo website was written by a team Bezos' leadership just sent to the unemployment line.
The most-read story on the WaPo website was written by a team Bezos' leadership just sent to the unemployment line.
Reposted by Stephen West
You've heard of Kent State (1970) & maybe Jackson State (1970).
Did you know #tdih 1968, 28 students were injured and three killed (one a HS student) — most shot in the back by state police while involved in a peaceful protest in Orangeburg, SC? 💔 🧵
Read ⬇️
www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/or...
Did you know #tdih 1968, 28 students were injured and three killed (one a HS student) — most shot in the back by state police while involved in a peaceful protest in Orangeburg, SC? 💔 🧵
Read ⬇️
www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/or...
Feb. 8, 1968: Orangeburg Massacre
Two years before the Kent State murders, 28 students were injured and three were killed in Orangeburg, South Carolina — most shot in the back by the state police while involved in a peaceful protest.
www.zinnedproject.org
February 8, 2026 at 2:13 PM
You've heard of Kent State (1970) & maybe Jackson State (1970).
Did you know #tdih 1968, 28 students were injured and three killed (one a HS student) — most shot in the back by state police while involved in a peaceful protest in Orangeburg, SC? 💔 🧵
Read ⬇️
www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/or...
Did you know #tdih 1968, 28 students were injured and three killed (one a HS student) — most shot in the back by state police while involved in a peaceful protest in Orangeburg, SC? 💔 🧵
Read ⬇️
www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/or...
Reposted by Stephen West
Today I'm offering the complete bibliographical essay from the backmatter of "The First Tycoon" to assist historians working on the 19th-c United States.
What I describe could not be done by AI. It's not just reading undigitized pages. It's judgment, interpretation, consultation—all creative acts.
What I describe could not be done by AI. It's not just reading undigitized pages. It's judgment, interpretation, consultation—all creative acts.
I had the rare experience of writing a "definitive" biography—the first thorough book on a major historical figure. I added a bibliographical essay to "The First Tycoon" to aid future historians and biographers. It explains my methods, assesses other works, & names key archives. I offer it here.
1/3
1/3
February 7, 2026 at 9:17 PM
Today I'm offering the complete bibliographical essay from the backmatter of "The First Tycoon" to assist historians working on the 19th-c United States.
What I describe could not be done by AI. It's not just reading undigitized pages. It's judgment, interpretation, consultation—all creative acts.
What I describe could not be done by AI. It's not just reading undigitized pages. It's judgment, interpretation, consultation—all creative acts.
Reposted by Stephen West
Charles Chesnutt used subversive counternarratives and humor to poke holes in white Americans' nostalgic myths of the South and slavery and to expose the contradictions of white supremacy. www.yahoo.com/entertainmen... #BHMat100 #tellthemwhatwedid
How a Black writer in 19th-century America used humor to combat white supremacy
Black writers like Charles Chesnutt had to contend with a dilemma writers today know all too well: give the audience and editors what they want, or wallow in obscurity.
www.yahoo.com
February 8, 2026 at 1:20 PM
Charles Chesnutt used subversive counternarratives and humor to poke holes in white Americans' nostalgic myths of the South and slavery and to expose the contradictions of white supremacy. www.yahoo.com/entertainmen... #BHMat100 #tellthemwhatwedid
Reposted by Stephen West
'Washington Post’ CEO Will Lewis out after going AWOL during mass layoffs
My story for NPR:
www.npr.org/2026/02/07/n...
My story for NPR:
www.npr.org/2026/02/07/n...
'Washington Post' CEO resigns after going AWOL during massive job cuts
Washington Post chief executive and publisher Will Lewis has resigned just days after the newspaper announced massive layoffs.
www.npr.org
February 8, 2026 at 3:56 AM
'Washington Post’ CEO Will Lewis out after going AWOL during mass layoffs
My story for NPR:
www.npr.org/2026/02/07/n...
My story for NPR:
www.npr.org/2026/02/07/n...
"listening to the data about what is valuable and where to focus" is an absolute crap motto for a newspaper
February 8, 2026 at 1:22 AM
"listening to the data about what is valuable and where to focus" is an absolute crap motto for a newspaper
Reposted by Stephen West
I'd watch a muppet show movie where the muppets infiltrate an academic conference.
February 7, 2026 at 2:45 PM
I'd watch a muppet show movie where the muppets infiltrate an academic conference.
Reposted by Stephen West
It is also notable that the questions over the legality of the ballroom that are sticking come down to congressional authorization. Again, the procedural design review processes rely more on trust than conventional wisdom recognized.
White House ballroom: Judge signals skepticism of Trump administration arguments
The federal judge presiding over a challenge to the White House ballroom project signaled deep skepticism of the Trump administration's arguments.
abcnews.go.com
February 7, 2026 at 6:01 PM
It is also notable that the questions over the legality of the ballroom that are sticking come down to congressional authorization. Again, the procedural design review processes rely more on trust than conventional wisdom recognized.
Reposted by Stephen West
if he does say so himself
February 7, 2026 at 12:54 PM
if he does say so himself
Reposted by Stephen West
I am done with collaborationist bullshit
February 6, 2026 at 6:55 PM
I am done with collaborationist bullshit
if he does say so himself
February 7, 2026 at 12:54 PM
if he does say so himself
Reposted by Stephen West
New from the Throughline Podcast🎧 🎙️: The Man Who Took on the Klan
www.npr.org/2026/02/05/n... In 1871, Ku Klux Klan violence in South Carolina got so bad that the governor sent a telegram to President Ulysses S. Grant warning that he was facing a state of war.
You might hear someone you know. 😉
www.npr.org/2026/02/05/n... In 1871, Ku Klux Klan violence in South Carolina got so bad that the governor sent a telegram to President Ulysses S. Grant warning that he was facing a state of war.
You might hear someone you know. 😉
The Man Who Took On The Klan : Throughline
In 1871, Ku Klux Klan violence in South Carolina got so bad that the governor sent a telegram to President Ulysses S. Grant warning that he was facing a state of war. Grant sent him Amos Akerman: a fo...
www.npr.org
February 7, 2026 at 12:09 PM
New from the Throughline Podcast🎧 🎙️: The Man Who Took on the Klan
www.npr.org/2026/02/05/n... In 1871, Ku Klux Klan violence in South Carolina got so bad that the governor sent a telegram to President Ulysses S. Grant warning that he was facing a state of war.
You might hear someone you know. 😉
www.npr.org/2026/02/05/n... In 1871, Ku Klux Klan violence in South Carolina got so bad that the governor sent a telegram to President Ulysses S. Grant warning that he was facing a state of war.
You might hear someone you know. 😉
Reposted by Stephen West
the Spectator accidentally recycled a subhed from a previous day’s article about Tehran
February 6, 2026 at 6:07 PM
the Spectator accidentally recycled a subhed from a previous day’s article about Tehran
calls for a listicle
February 6, 2026 at 3:27 PM
calls for a listicle
Reposted by Stephen West
It's pub day for THE LEGEND OF WYATT OUTLAW by @belleboggs.bsky.social and Sylvester Allen Jr. 🎉 Learn more about the latest book in our Ferris & Ferris imprint 👇
uncpressblog.com/2026/01/27/n...
uncpressblog.com/2026/01/27/n...
New This Week: January 27th - UNC Press Blog
This week, we’re excited to celebrate the newest title in our Ferris & Ferris imprint: The Legend of Wyatt Outlaw: From Reconstruction through Black Lives Matter by Sylvester Allen Jr. and Belle Boggs...
uncpressblog.com
January 27, 2026 at 10:03 PM
It's pub day for THE LEGEND OF WYATT OUTLAW by @belleboggs.bsky.social and Sylvester Allen Jr. 🎉 Learn more about the latest book in our Ferris & Ferris imprint 👇
uncpressblog.com/2026/01/27/n...
uncpressblog.com/2026/01/27/n...
Reposted by Stephen West
I agree that this is an improvement but why is “is racist“ so hard.
credit where it's due - the Times has moved past calling this kind of garbage "racially charged"
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/u...
February 6, 2026 at 1:33 PM
I agree that this is an improvement but why is “is racist“ so hard.
Reposted by Stephen West
But those Natl Park Service brochures removed from the Medgar Evers Historical Site which described the racist assassin de la Beckwith as a racist have been put back in place! Victory! mississippitoday.org/2026/02/05/v...
Visitor brochures are returned to Medgar Evers home - Mississippi Today
Officials with the National Park Service said they had removed brochures to the Medgar & Myrlie Evers Home National Monument that identified his murderer as a racist because they were “outdated.”
mississippitoday.org
February 6, 2026 at 2:01 PM
But those Natl Park Service brochures removed from the Medgar Evers Historical Site which described the racist assassin de la Beckwith as a racist have been put back in place! Victory! mississippitoday.org/2026/02/05/v...
credit where it's due - the Times has moved past calling this kind of garbage "racially charged"
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/u...
February 6, 2026 at 1:24 PM
credit where it's due - the Times has moved past calling this kind of garbage "racially charged"
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/u...
Reposted by Stephen West
In this week's Receipts, I wrote about "Coalie," the Trump admin's anime-like new mascot for coal; and other failing efforts to revive manly sectors like mining and manufacturing. www.thebulwark.com/p/donald-tru...
February 6, 2026 at 2:12 AM
In this week's Receipts, I wrote about "Coalie," the Trump admin's anime-like new mascot for coal; and other failing efforts to revive manly sectors like mining and manufacturing. www.thebulwark.com/p/donald-tru...
I dunno, Britannica - does this really qualify as a myth that needs debunking?
www.britannica.com/video/pop-cu...
www.britannica.com/video/pop-cu...
February 6, 2026 at 1:41 AM
I dunno, Britannica - does this really qualify as a myth that needs debunking?
www.britannica.com/video/pop-cu...
www.britannica.com/video/pop-cu...
"Well, I guess I'll have to do it myself" – me, reluctantly, seeing that the trash needs taking out
"Well, I guess I'll have to do it myself" – Donald Trump, eagerly, seeing something that isn't named after him
"Well, I guess I'll have to do it myself" – Donald Trump, eagerly, seeing something that isn't named after him
President Trump asked Chuck Schumer to support renaming Washington-Dulles and Penn Station after Trump, according to Punchbowl.
February 6, 2026 at 1:26 AM
"Well, I guess I'll have to do it myself" – me, reluctantly, seeing that the trash needs taking out
"Well, I guess I'll have to do it myself" – Donald Trump, eagerly, seeing something that isn't named after him
"Well, I guess I'll have to do it myself" – Donald Trump, eagerly, seeing something that isn't named after him
For the question "In the Duff Armstrong case, Lincoln defended...," I am considering as one choice "A Springfield brewer, targeted by local prohibitionists"
Whenever I do multiple choice quizzes I use footballers or managers as the wrong answer choices. I realized I'd screwed up when receiving a few emails telling me the reading made no mention of Salomon Rondon or David Moyes.
a close up of a woman wearing a plaid shirt making a funny face .
Alt: a close up of a woman wearing a plaid shirt making a funny face .
media.tenor.com
February 5, 2026 at 11:33 PM
For the question "In the Duff Armstrong case, Lincoln defended...," I am considering as one choice "A Springfield brewer, targeted by local prohibitionists"
steal enough, and you're a discoverer, not a thief
February 5, 2026 at 9:54 PM
steal enough, and you're a discoverer, not a thief