Dr. Jim Downs

I’m so happy your book is getting this attention

My article in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Always better in print! “Slavery was central to the presidency. The President’s House should say so” www.inquirer.com/opinion/comm...

Thanks for sharing my essay!

Slavery was central to the presidency, and the President’s House |Opinion

OPINION: "George Washington's home in Philadelphia stood on hallowed ground where the ideals of liberty were articulated alongside the daily practice of human bondage." — Jim Downs

Slavery was central to the presidency, and the President’s House. | Opinion George Washington's home in Philadelphia stood on hallowed ground where the ideals of liberty were articulated alongside the daily practice of human bondage.

I wrote an Opinion Essay for the Phila Inquirer. The piece mentions the conference I’m directing for the Library Company of Phila. I’ve gifted the article, so there’s no paywall. www.inquirer.com/opinion/comm...

Proud to be directing this conference. Even more excited about the speakers. Please share widely and register librarycompany.org/academic-pro...

Three women on a raft move across a body of water in front of green, yellow, and brown mountains; white text announces the title of the book: THE WESTERNERS: MYTHMAKING AND BELONGING ON THE AMERICAN FRONTIER; a narrow strip at left bears four images: Jim Beckwourth, Sacajawea, Ovando Hollister, and Polly Bemis.

Blueskis, studies have shown that when folks see or hear about a book more than five times, they are likely to check it out, and buy it.

So in the spirit of creating buzz, here is the gorgeous cover of THE WESTERNERS, which will be published on March 31!

Articles The Donaldsonville March of 1870: A Case Study in Black Militias’ Use of Force to Combat Insurrectionists in the Reconstruction South J. Jacob Calhoun pp. 9-34 restricted access HTML icon View The Donaldsonville March of 1870: A Case Study in Black Militias’ Use of Force to Combat Insurrectionists in the Reconstruction South PDF icon Download The Donaldsonville March of 1870: A Case Study in Black Militias’ Use of Force to Combat Insurrectionists in the Reconstruction South Save The Donaldsonville March of 1870: A Case Study in Black Militias’ Use of Force to Combat Insurrectionists in the Reconstruction South Get Access to The Donaldsonville March of 1870: A Case Study in Black Militias’ Use of Force to Combat Insurrectionists in the Reconstruction South Greater Reconstruction and the Limitations to Federal Power in the US–Mexico Borderlands William S. Kiser pp. 35-58 restricted access HTML icon View Greater Reconstruction and the Limitations to Federal Power in the US–Mexico Borderlands PDF icon Download Greater Reconstruction and the Limitations to Federal Power in the US–Mexico Borderlands Save Greater Reconstruction and the Limitations to Federal Power in the US–Mexico Borderlands Get Access to Greater Reconstruction and the Limitations to Federal Power in the US–Mexico Borderlands Cracks in the Granite: Contested Civil War Memories in the American West John R. Legg, Niels Eichhorn pp. 59-89

Pleased to share the news that the latest issue of our journal "Civil War History"—edited by @jimdowns.bsky.social, and featuring articles by @legg.bsky.social, @nielseichhorn.bsky.social, and others—is now available at @projectmuse.bsky.social:

muse.jhu.edu/issue/56267

Outrageous: RFK questions germ theory—& wants to revive the Ancient Greek idea of the humors, a framework dismantled by the 17th century & considered atavistic by the time of the Civil War.After decades of scientific progress, this is the direction he’s pointing us. www.instagram.com/reel/DTjBszG...

Blueskis, have you ever wondered how soap became so smelly?

Or what soap production might have to do with warfare?

If so, join us for a virtual conversation about these and other soapy matters tomorrow, January 13 at 5:00 EST!

Register here: www.masshist.org/events/Indus...

I’m sure you had brilliant things to say

Thank u

Thank u

I woke up this morning to an email from Jonathan Ned Katz, the father of gay American history, telling me that my article is in print in The New York Times. I am standing on his shoulders. He paved the way for so many of us to do this work. Thank you, Jonathan!

Huzzah

January 6 and the Politics of History (History in the Headlines) January 6 and the Politics of History (History in the Headlines) [Downs, Jim, McCurry, Stephanie, Freeman, Joanne B., Hinton, Elizabeth, Lepore, Jill, Sturkey, William, Zelizer, Julian E., Downs, Jim] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. January 6 and the Politics of History (History in the Headlines)

Proud to have published January 6 & the Politics of History w/ historians Jill Lepore, Joanne Freeman, Stephanie McCurry, Elizabeth Hinton, Will Sturkey, Julian Zelizer. The book includes a vital debate about historians’ responsibilities as public intellectuals. www.amazon.com/January-Poli...

January 6 and the Politics of History (History in the Headlines) January 6 and the Politics of History (History in the Headlines) [Downs, Jim, McCurry, Stephanie, Freeman, Joanne B., Hinton, Elizabeth, Lepore, Jill, Sturkey, William, Zelizer, Julian E., Downs, Jim] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. January 6 and the Politics of History (History in the Headlines)

Also, this – – I was thrilled to get Jill Lepore, Elizabeth Hinton and others in conversation— which also sparked a larger conversation about the role of historian public intellectuals. www.amazon.com/January-Poli...

Right after the January 6 insurrection and in the years afterward, historians wrote about its echoes in the past and its implications for the future.

Here is a roundup of their online articles, with links:

megankatenelson.com/historians-c...

Thanks for sharing

Opinion | ‘Heated Rivalry’ Is Gay Culture’s Next Frontier

@jimdowns.bsky.social on ‘Heated Rivalry’ Is Gay Culture’s Next Frontier www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/o...

Opinion | A Sweet, Sexy, Happy Love Story Between Two Men. Revolutionary.

I really like this column by Jim Downs.

Heated Rivalryis a terrific show. It is wonderful to see gay people accurately portrayed on the screen as real human beings.

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/o...

Thank you!

Thanks, Bruce!! It means a lot

Thank you for reading – – I really appreciate it. And I’m also happy that you like this angle.

Thanks, bud

Thank you! Means a lot coming from you you—I really appreciate you reading it.

Opinion | A Sweet, Sexy, Happy Love Story Between Two Men. Revolutionary. We need stories that capture how we live — in the touch, the embrace, the everyday if boring intimacies that were never meant to be translated.

Perhaps what excites people most about the show “Heated Rivalry,” Jim Downs writes, “is not the thrill of naked bodies but the shock of being emotionally known. That is what some of us have been missing.”

Opinion | A Sweet, Sexy, Happy Love Story Between Two Men. Revolutionary.

As a historian, I’ve learned to wait on what things mean. Seeing HBO/MAX’s Heated Rivalry become a cultural event felt like a signal. I wrote about that moment in The New York Times. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/o...

Opinion | Since When Is It Radical to Reclaim New York for New Yorkers?

Historian Kim Phillips-Fein in NYT Opinion: “Today people leave New York not because they are afraid of being mugged but because they fear their landlords are about to raise their rents.” www.nytimes.com/2026/01/01/o...

Congratulations!!!