W. Caleb McDaniel
@wcaleb.org
I am a historian at Rice University. I use this account for updates about my work, cross-posted from my website at https://updates.wcaleb.org.
Pinned
I find it very helpful, when reading a PDF with endnotes, to be able to “split” the PDF into two views, with one focused on the endnotes and the other on the text. Not all PDF viewers, even the most bloated, can do this, but two that can are Goodreader for the iPad and Skim for Mac.
February 9, 2026 at 9:34 PM
I find it very helpful, when reading a PDF with endnotes, to be able to “split” the PDF into two views, with one focused on the endnotes and the other on the text. Not all PDF viewers, even the most bloated, can do this, but two that can are Goodreader for the iPad and Skim for Mac.
My author’s copy of this special issue came over the weekend. Looking forward to reading the other contributions, especially one from @profmsinha.bsky.social.
February 9, 2026 at 12:28 PM
My author’s copy of this special issue came over the weekend. Looking forward to reading the other contributions, especially one from @profmsinha.bsky.social.
For Day 5 of Black History Month, I made some improvements to the entry on Edith S. Sampson, who I learned more about while reading Mary Ellen Curtin’s new biography of Barbara Jordan.
February 6, 2026 at 3:14 AM
For Day 5 of Black History Month, I made some improvements to the entry on Edith S. Sampson, who I learned more about while reading Mary Ellen Curtin’s new biography of Barbara Jordan.
Enjoyed speaking with host Craig Cohen and my co-author Alex Byrd on this morning’s Houston Matters about our book, Slavery, Segregation, and the Second Founding of Rice University.
February 4, 2026 at 5:52 PM
Enjoyed speaking with host Craig Cohen and my co-author Alex Byrd on this morning’s Houston Matters about our book, Slavery, Segregation, and the Second Founding of Rice University.
For Day 4 of Black History Month, I updated the Wikipedia entry for Rosa Parks (born on this day in 1913) with a link to her 1973 interview with Studs Terkel.
February 4, 2026 at 2:29 PM
For Day 4 of Black History Month, I updated the Wikipedia entry for Rosa Parks (born on this day in 1913) with a link to her 1973 interview with Studs Terkel.
Alex Byrd and I will be on Houston Matters with Craig Cohen this morning to talk about our book. Tune in on the radio at 9 a.m. Central or watch live on YouTube. https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/shows/houston-matters/
February 4, 2026 at 1:57 PM
Alex Byrd and I will be on Houston Matters with Craig Cohen this morning to talk about our book. Tune in on the radio at 9 a.m. Central or watch live on YouTube. https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/shows/houston-matters/
Alex Byrd and I will be on Houston Matters with Craig Cohen this morning to talk about our book. Tune in on the radio at 9 a.m. Central or watch live on YouTube.
February 4, 2026 at 1:56 PM
Alex Byrd and I will be on Houston Matters with Craig Cohen this morning to talk about our book. Tune in on the radio at 9 a.m. Central or watch live on YouTube.
Per @joursouhist.bsky.social the February 2026 issue of the Journal of Southern History is now live on Project Muse. It’s the first with our new masthead, and I’m delighted that Rebecca Anne Goetz and Crystal ... https://updates.wcaleb.org/2026/02/03/per-joursouhistbskysocial-the-february-issue.html
February 3, 2026 at 5:08 PM
Per @joursouhist.bsky.social the February 2026 issue of the Journal of Southern History is now live on Project Muse. It’s the first with our new masthead, and I’m delighted that Rebecca Anne Goetz and Crystal ... https://updates.wcaleb.org/2026/02/03/per-joursouhistbskysocial-the-february-issue.html
For Day 2 of Black History Month, thanks to help from @jessamyn@glammr.us, I was able to make a Wikipedia infobox with picture for Lawrence D. Reddick. I also made a small edit to Harriet Tubman’s page by adding Edda Fields-Black’s book to the historiography section.
February 3, 2026 at 3:20 AM
For Day 2 of Black History Month, thanks to help from @jessamyn@glammr.us, I was able to make a Wikipedia infobox with picture for Lawrence D. Reddick. I also made a small edit to Harriet Tubman’s page by adding Edda Fields-Black’s book to the historiography section.
Tomorrow evening I’ll be joining colleagues here at Rice for a panel discussion on “The Black Experience at Rice: The Past, Present, and Future.” Sponsored by the Center for African and African American Studies, the event is part of a series of programs at Rice for Black History Month.
February 2, 2026 at 11:03 PM
Tomorrow evening I’ll be joining colleagues here at Rice for a panel discussion on “The Black Experience at Rice: The Past, Present, and Future.” Sponsored by the Center for African and African American Studies, the event is part of a series of programs at Rice for Black History Month.
Last year during Black History Month, I resolved to make one Wikipedia edit per day on a related subject, and I wrote about why. I’m going to try for that pace again this year. I started with a few updates to the page on Lawrence Reddick.
February 2, 2026 at 12:49 AM
Last year during Black History Month, I resolved to make one Wikipedia edit per day on a related subject, and I wrote about why. I’m going to try for that pace again this year. I started with a few updates to the page on Lawrence Reddick.
Remember the Liberty Bell!: https://updates.wcaleb.org/2026/01/31/remember-the-liberty-bell.html
January 31, 2026 at 4:13 PM
Remember the Liberty Bell!: https://updates.wcaleb.org/2026/01/31/remember-the-liberty-bell.html
Good planning meeting this morning for a continuing studies course that I’ll be teaching with my colleagues this spring at Rice: Semiquincentennial: The United States at 250. Enrollment in the course is open to the public, and scholarships are available. https://glasscock.rice.edu/course?id=58416410
January 30, 2026 at 6:26 PM
Good planning meeting this morning for a continuing studies course that I’ll be teaching with my colleagues this spring at Rice: Semiquincentennial: The United States at 250. Enrollment in the course is open to the public, and scholarships are available. https://glasscock.rice.edu/course?id=58416410
Tomorrow’s the day when I’ll be teaching James Forten’s Letters from a Man of Colour (1813), which always feels timely but is especially resonant right now. Kate Masur’s excerpt shows why.
January 28, 2026 at 10:56 PM
Tomorrow’s the day when I’ll be teaching James Forten’s Letters from a Man of Colour (1813), which always feels timely but is especially resonant right now. Kate Masur’s excerpt shows why.
My article “No Union with Slaveholders: A Radical, Practical Abolitionist Plan” is out now from Social Research, part of a special issue on “Abolition Then and Now.” Read more …
January 27, 2026 at 5:21 PM
My article “No Union with Slaveholders: A Radical, Practical Abolitionist Plan” is out now from Social Research, part of a special issue on “Abolition Then and Now.” Read more …
Today in my Civil War class, I will be sharing with students the story of Lawrence Reddick and explaining why I’m in possession of the last plaque ever produced by the Organization of American Historians with Avery Craven’s name on it.
January 20, 2026 at 1:59 PM
Today in my Civil War class, I will be sharing with students the story of Lawrence Reddick and explaining why I’m in possession of the last plaque ever produced by the Organization of American Historians with Avery Craven’s name on it.
Looking forward to Monday evening at Brazos Bookstore! Read more …
January 18, 2026 at 12:33 AM
Looking forward to Monday evening at Brazos Bookstore! Read more …
Updated some notes in my open research notebook: Elias Dibble, Houston Fire Festival.
January 17, 2026 at 5:41 PM
Updated some notes in my open research notebook: Elias Dibble, Houston Fire Festival.
Aaaannnd now I see that I already had notes about the 2020 change in some old lecture notes. … 🤦♂️
January 15, 2026 at 1:27 AM
Aaaannnd now I see that I already had notes about the 2020 change in some old lecture notes. … 🤦♂️
Aha, I see now that the changes to the Civil War questions on the citizenship test that I posted about earlier were actually implemented in the 2020 revision.
January 15, 2026 at 12:33 AM
Aha, I see now that the changes to the Civil War questions on the citizenship test that I posted about earlier were actually implemented in the 2020 revision.
Has the U.S. Citizenship Test done away with the Civil War causation question?: https://updates.wcaleb.org/2026/01/14/has-the-us-citizenship-test.html
January 14, 2026 at 10:48 PM
Has the U.S. Citizenship Test done away with the Civil War causation question?: https://updates.wcaleb.org/2026/01/14/has-the-us-citizenship-test.html
Alex Byrd and I will be signing and speaking about our new book, Slavery, Segregation, and the Second Founding of Rice University, at several events this spring:
On January 19 at 6:30 p.m., we will be at Brazos Bookstore in conversa... https://updates.wcaleb.org/2026/01/05/alex-byrd-and-i-will.html
On January 19 at 6:30 p.m., we will be at Brazos Bookstore in conversa... https://updates.wcaleb.org/2026/01/05/alex-byrd-and-i-will.html
January 5, 2026 at 10:38 PM
Alex Byrd and I will be signing and speaking about our new book, Slavery, Segregation, and the Second Founding of Rice University, at several events this spring:
On January 19 at 6:30 p.m., we will be at Brazos Bookstore in conversa... https://updates.wcaleb.org/2026/01/05/alex-byrd-and-i-will.html
On January 19 at 6:30 p.m., we will be at Brazos Bookstore in conversa... https://updates.wcaleb.org/2026/01/05/alex-byrd-and-i-will.html
I recently learned that linking directly to an academic journal article in a database like Project Muse is better for the journal than, say, downloading the PDF and putting it an LMS for students. On my syllabi this semester, I’m going to do more linking.
January 5, 2026 at 10:04 PM
I recently learned that linking directly to an academic journal article in a database like Project Muse is better for the journal than, say, downloading the PDF and putting it an LMS for students. On my syllabi this semester, I’m going to do more linking.
I started the new year with some updating of my CV for a required annual report, a task made easier by having some new public domain films on in the background as I worked.
January 1, 2026 at 10:02 PM
I started the new year with some updating of my CV for a required annual report, a task made easier by having some new public domain films on in the background as I worked.