James C. Cobb on John Hope Franklin

A great tribute to a true gentleman and scholar infused with Jim's typical mix of wry wit and seriousness. But the thought of Hardy Jackson in a swimsuit...Come on, Jim!

John Hope Franklin, RIP

Historian and civil rights pioneer John Hope Franklin laid his burden down this morning at the age of 94. I met him once at the book exhibit at a Southern Historical Association Meeting in Birmingham and we talked fly fishing. A kind and gracious man to a young grad student, something I'll always remember. It can be said of few historians that an individual both defined a field and worked successfully to make the world a better, more just place. John Hope Franklin was such a man. We all should aspire to leave such a legacy.

Why Study History?

A couple of days ago, one of our majors told me about a debate he had with his dad over spring break. The topic, at least from his dad's perspective, was "Why I am throwing away good money so you can become an expert in the old and irrelevant?" I think my student did a pretty good job defending the importance of studying history and the skills it imparts. At least his dad agreed to keep paying his tuition. Heather Cox Richardson offers a thoughtful response to this same question at the new blog hosted by The Historical Society. It's worth a read.

Bancroft Prize Winners

I have just managed to clear the deck a bit, and just in time to read about this year's winners of the Bancroft Prize. They are Thomas G. Andrews, Killing for Coal: America’s Deadliest Labor War (Cambridge: Harvard University Press), Drew Gilpin Faust, This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War (New York: Alfred A. Knopf); and Pekka Hämäläinen, The Comanche Empire (New Haven: Yale University Press). I must confess that the only one I have read is Faust's book, and I was quite impressed. Her's is a powerful and beautifully written treatment of how the war changed the meaning of and the rituals surrounding death in American culture. Now I have to check out the other two.

Picturing U.S. History

I just came across the Picturing U.S. History Project site, an effort of the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and the American Social History Project. It includes great visual materials for teaching various topics in American history, as well as interpretative essays and viewing guides for teachers and students. Using visual evidence in the classroom can be difficult, but can also be very rewarding for both teachers and students. I have visited a number of sites like this one, and some are good and others not so good. This one is worth your time.

John Lukacs on Historical Knowledge

Check of this excellent essay by John Lukacs in the latest issue of The American Scholar. He offers an eloquent argument for placing history at the center of human knowledge. That can be a pretty controversial idea in an age when humanistic learning of all types seems to get short shrift, but his view does provoke thought. If nothing else, he reminds me of the grander and broader reasons why for studying the past. Good stuff.

Budgets, Fire Codes, and the Future of Wilson Library

For generations, historians of the South and of North Carolina have enjoyed close familiarity with the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Home to the Southern Historical Collection, the Southern Folklife Collection, and the North Carolina Collection, Wilson holds some of the riches and most significant collections in southern history. Many a day have I sat in the North Carolina Collection's paneled reading room, an atmosphere so conducive to historical inquiry. Today's Raleigh News & Observer reports that fire codes and budget trouble have put much of Wilson off limits and have made its future uncertain. The University needs $12 million to bring Wilson up to fire code and the money is not forthcoming in these bleak budget times. It would be a tragedy not to save this iconic building.

The Dangers of Cricket

Now, I've never understood the game of cricket, but it has fascinated me ever since my British and Australian friends introduced me to it when I was on a sojourn overseas. I still don't understand the rules, but why let that spoil it. People around the world love the game with its tea breaks and gentlemanly atmosphere. It is hard for an American to grasp how much some people, especially in South Asia, invest in their sides. When Australia won The Ashes -- a big deal in test cricket -- in 2007, I expected the victors would hoist a Stanley Cup-like trophy in celebration. Not so. It's a tiny thing, holding the ashes of the wickets from the first match. And, it's a replica. But I really don't understand this. Scary. So much for a civilized game.