Kevin M. Levin

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I am going to go ahead and call the most overrated story of 2026: "Punch the Monkey."

Enough already.

Before the Grand Monuments on the Common: Boston’s First Civil War Memorial in 1867 Most people when they think of Boston and Civil War monuments, think of the Robert Gould Shaw/54th Massachusetts Memorial on Boston Common just across from the State House.

Before the Grand Monuments on the Common: Boston’s First Civil War Memorial in 1867 #CivilWarMemory open.substack.com/pub/kevinmle...

This is exactly the argument that Republican controlled legislatures make. 😆

And you think I disagree with this assessment. I wrote a piece for Slate last year about this very subject.

I understand your frustration, but I don't understand how this is a response to the concerns I expressed in my post.

We agree on what happened on Jan. 6. The only question is what is the best way to support history teachers in the classroom, who are charged with engaging students on some very difficult and complicated subjects. What the Virginia legislature did is not the answer in my view.

Could've fooled me.

Great 🧵. The ubiquity of horses in the Civil War was central to the entire enterprise. And it was a god-damn equine apocalypse. You could tell where an army had been from the trail of horse carcasses. Soldiers hated spring because it meant they had to bury rotting horses once the ground thawed.

For whatever it's worth, I think this is a brilliant idea.

I am very sorry to hear that you can't get your book published. Sounds like it would very much help move the conversation about public education forward.

I am a historian of Civil War memory, so I understand the influence of the Lost Cause on education. You said: "As long as what is mandated is fact, not opinion or spin." But that is the problem here. Both sides will claim they are offering facts, which is exactly why the law is dangerous.

So, when Republicans gain control and do the very same thing, I assume you will be fine with it even if it directly contradicts what you take to be the truth.

This is exactly my concern. Keep the legislature out of directly meddling in the classroom as much as possible and allow the state board to work through these issues. I am not suggesting that this is an ideal situation either, but it at least stipulates a process that includes experts and others.

How is it that teachers in Virginia have been able to do their jobs thus far without the legislature? I always thought that questions about content and interpretation were worked out through state curriculum boards. Of course the process is also politicized, but that's what we have to work with.

I am not interested right now in the "bigger problem." Yes, historians routinely place legislation in historical context and history teachers should help their students do the same, but I fail to see what this has to do with the issue at hand. This has nothing to do with whether it is a good idea.

I guess this is where we disagree. I don't see this as a side issue. Laws stipulating the interpretation of a historical event shouldn't be left to state legislatures. It's no longer the study of history in my view.

I am certainly all for mandating the teaching of civics.

What they "should teach" and what legislatures will likely call for are two very different things. I agree with you on all these counts, but I also believe that it should be stipulated through the state curricular standards.

One final question: What other historical events do you believe merit the same attention by state legislatures across the country?

You clearly have it all figured out. My apologies for wasting your time. Again, all the best with completing your documentary.

We are the life of the party.

We clearly disagree, which is fine. Let's remember that we are both on the same side. We both want what is best for teachers.

OK

All I was sharing is what I've heard from teachers across the country who are dealing with legislatures, who are making their jobs more and more difficult.

I wish you all the best on completing your documentary. Good day.

And the content of what is proscribed by law will be determined solely by which political party is in power.

Exactly.

And I am basing my concerns on twenty years of teaching history and working with history teachers through various professional development programs. This does nothing to support sound history education. It's just another political cloud hanging over their heads.

Your periodic reminder that there is thoughtful, history-based 250th anniversary programming at your state museums, local historical societies, and other institutions—no matter where you live. The White House doesn't control the 250th and doesn't get to tell you how to commemorate it.

A Republican-controlled legislature could word a bill in exactly the same way, in reference to the same event or some other event, and we would have to conclude that it is not mandating what teachers must teach.