Ben Railton @AmericanStudier Twitter profile

Pinned Tweet

Ben Railton

2 months

Since I won't be on the Twitters too much, here are some of the places where you can find me & my work! Remember to reach out by email (brailton @fitchburgstate .edu) with writing, podcasts, books, & more for the #ScholarSunday threads.

@americanstudier | Linktree

All things AmericanStudies, in all the places.

linktr.ee

0

1

8

Last Seen Profiles

@buunyuwu

@AndiGigoloAsli

@PierreCieutat

@stw46

@MehwishParveen7

@xm3272512275129

@makeine_anime

@FreddaD11080

@cinta_ibu222

@ci_jvup

@BisphamGreen

@mh58484

@BIG1_CUP

@SyahptraRudi

@curlylyric22

@Anthony_Vgs

@skbside

@_die_Uta_

@Kseokjinwhore

@SyedM_Ahsan

@JeanMilo5

@FMarenas

@haedidiaz

@nthonybr

@robertagayna

@challenge_sns23

@AlbumGba

@GKTWVillage

@lilheII

@Tante_Binal69

@kirle45

@Adream465834511

@Tantedesijanda

@kktcsevkad

@realbregs

@wootbugs

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

2 years

At a track meet this weekend, a fellow parent said, upon finding out what I do, “Oh, I’d love your job, get the whole summer off!” Congratulate me, Reader, for I chose the Way of Peace.

64

89

4K

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

3 years

DC has 200K more people than Wyoming. DC should be a state. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

35

353

3K

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

3 years

I'm not alone in noticing this, but struck by how Vance et al defend Rittenhouse w/phrases like "defending his community." He crossed a state line & drove hours to get there, & killed at least 1 person born & raised in that community. But for white supremacists, it's all theirs.

33

343

2K

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

4 years

The national guard teargassing Native American protesters at the president’s authoritarian 4th of July rally at Mount Rushmore is so goddamn on the nose for the battle for the American soul that is 2020.

17

625

2K

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

4 years

@williamadler78 The Pillage People

14

22

2K

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

5 years

What's the German word for "I suddenly have all this extra time to finish the book manuscript but the source of the extra time has apparently paralyzed my brain"?

41

172

2K

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

5 years

@TheBeatWithAri @AriMelber & James Madison during the same debate: "He might lose his capacity after his appointment. He might pervert his administration into a scheme of peculation [financial gain] or oppression. He might betray his trust to foreign powers."

19

155

889

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

9 months

America's top media voices should abandon their longstanding misunderstandings of college, retrace their steps to actual college campuses like my public state uni, and recognize these statements as examples of myth and right-wing propaganda. That's my take.

101

192

905

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

5 years

@TheBeatWithAri @AriMelber If you have a chance, couple quotes from the Constitutional Convention for his perusal. July 20, 1787, Edmund Randolph on why impeachment needed to stay in the Constitution: "the Executive will have great opportunities of abusing his power."

9

158

826

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

2 years

Led a Community Read convo in a public library tonight. Was reminded multiple times for countless reasons of the simple fact that libraries & librarians are freaking amazing. I genuinely can’t understand, nor tolerate, anyone who spends a second of their life attacking them.

9

120

775

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

6 months

I'm not trying to flatten all the debates over Biden, how best to navigate this presidential campaign, etc. But I just gotta say, I've seen various posts saying "We'll survive a 2nd Trump presidency" or the like. & no, no a great many of us quite literally would not.

Barbara Comstock

@BarbaraComstock

6 months

Trump said in Richmond, that he will take all federal funds away from public schools that require vaccines. Like most states, Virginia requires MMR vaccine, chickenpox vaccine, polio, etc. So Trump would take millions in federal funds away from all Virginia public schools.

4K

7K

17K

24

220

740

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

9 months

Biden's marijuana pardon is just a good thing. Full stop. Yes, it's long overdue, but that's because nobody else has done it. So many folks up in these Twitter streets snarking & nitpicking all day every day. Take the W, my dudes.

14

107

676

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

4 years

@williamadler78 I should have gone with They Pillage People. I am ashamed.

6

7

591

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

5 years

"Fireside chat":

Josh Dawsey

@jdawsey1

5 years

A lot of aides in Trump admin think releasing memo of Zelensky call was a mistake. Trump now says he wants to read it in a “fireside chat” on TV.

1K

647

4K

12

61

425

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

2 years

Ulysses S. Grant's Personal Memoirs was a book produced hurriedly in his final year of life, out of financial exigency & a desire to take care of his wife Julia after he passed. It's also one of the most interesting & important 19C memoirs, & an under-read piece of American lit.

28

31

435

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

3 years

The fact that the "pro-life" folks aren't front and center demanding every possible reform to stop the epidemic of school shootings tells me all I need to know about how much that crowd truly values children's lives.

11

59

428

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

5 months

It literally shouldn't matter at all whether you agree with them or support their cause. These college protesters are passionate young people trying to do something to contribute to their world & its hardest realities. Their institutions owe them dialogue at least, not arrests.

57

74

417

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

10 years

There's no recognition at all of Sauron's impressive record creating jobs for orcs and growing the Mordor economy. #economistbookreviews

16

635

395

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

2 years

@refdeskfacepalm @HilarieAshton @ElliottBlackwe3 Me too!

3

9

382

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

1 year

The lost fourth song from @KeyAndPeele ’s “Is This Country Song Racist?” sketch.

Shannon Watts

@shannonrwatts

1 year

. @Jason_Aldean - who was on-stage during the mass shooting at a Las Vegas concert in 2017 that killed 60 people and wounded over 400 more - has recorded a song called “Try That In A Small Town” about how he and his friends will shoot you if you try to take their guns.

6K

32K

10

61

378

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

4 years

Impressive that after 20 years of frothing at the mouth over the bogeyman of “sharia law,” conservatives applaud a potential Supreme Court nominee who has said the purpose of a career in law is to build the “Kingdom of God.” White supremacy’s a hell of a thing.

13

111

328

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

2 years

The boys: What do you mean the 80s were deeply weird? Weirder than usual? Me: [Plays “One Night in Bangkok”] Boys: [Stunned silence]

30

20

332

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

3 years

Just listened to Rice Krispies do their thing for the first time in decades, and now I finally, truly get Proust.

6

33

330

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

6 years

@Samantharhill But she’s doing a great job and getting more and more recognized.

3

1

307

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

5 years

@TheBeatWithAri @AriMelber As George Mason put it, "Shall any man be above Justice? Above all shall that man be above it, who can commit the most extensive injustice?" For more, he's welcome to check out:

Considering History: Impeachment and the Radicalism of the American Constitution | The Saturday...

The founding fathers argued about keeping an impeachment clause in the Constitution. Ultimately, they decided it was necessary.

www.saturdayeveningpost.com

4

63

305

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

2 years

Live Free or … Psyche

Wizzie 🇨🇦

@eacanada

2 years

UPDATE: Unfortunately, in a 175-165 vote, the NH House passed HB1080, a bill that would literally allow a cashier to deny someone their birth control because of their own religious beliefs. #NHPolitics

2K

4K

6K

9

75

291

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

5 years

@jnolanca @TheBeatWithAri @AriMelber I hear you, & to be honest I don't expect the facts to sway Alan D. But there's a broader American public who, I believe, too often don't have these historical contexts, & they can influence public opinion, elections, etc. I'm not in Congress, but that's work I can contribute to.

10

12

280

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

4 years

@williamadler78 Run KKK

3

1

260

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

3 years

I'm about the least grammatically concerned English prof alive. I'll split every infinitive, end every sentence in a preposition, & you're damn right I'll start a sentence with "And." But in editing this self-study I'm realizing I draw one line: Oxford commas for life, friends.

5

8

275

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

1 year

I think this is one of my most important @SatEvePost columns yet. Please share widely, & solidarity in that vital work. @KeishaBlain @KeriLeighMerrit @HC_Richardson @KevinMKruse @prof_erikalee @VinceSchilling

Considering History: Sundown Towns, Racism, and Exclusion | The Saturday Evening Post

Exclusionary and violent “sundown towns” that targeted multiple communities of color could be found in every state in the country through much of the 20th century.

www.saturdayeveningpost.com

8

132

260

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

3 years

Happy John Scopes Day! The story of a public school teacher persecuted for teaching basic facts is probably one we should all engage here in 2021. #educators #twitterstorians

2

59

259

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

3 years

Honestly, the deeper and more important truth is that all bars should have books everywhere. Just bowls of them like they’re mixed nuts.

12

21

255

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

10 months

If you're grading papers at an already darkening 4pm on a November Monday, you're allowed to do so with a margarita in hand. I don't make the rules, people.

18

16

260

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

9 months

Grades shouldn't exist. But if they have to, we should want every student we teach to get an A.

The PhD Place

@ThePhDPlace

9 months

What is your academic opinion that would leave people like this?

136

25

272

22

28

251

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

5 years

On May 28, 1830, Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act. Despite our general awareness of the horrific Trail of Tears the Act produced, this dark, exclusionary moment in American history certainly needs to be more present in our collective memories. Thread: #twitterstorians

We're History

@werehist

5 years

#OnThisDay 189 yrs ago-May 28, 1830-Pres. Andrew Jackson signed Indian Removal Act to remove Cherokee, Choctaw, Seminole, Muscogee (Creek), & Chickasaw people from southeast to land west of Mississippi River. Racist & genocidal act led to the Trail of Tears. #twitterstorians

6

240

225

7

163

236

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

1 year

160 years ago today, New York exploded into a multi-day orgy of white supremacist violence. This event has come to be known as the Draft Riots, a name that’s at best partially accurate, but at worst contributes to two fundamental failures of collective memory. #twitterstorians +

8

115

242

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

1 year

75 years ago today, President Harry Truman signed the Women's Armed Services Integration Act, a compelling complement to his July 1948 Executive Order racially integrating the armed forces & a key step toward creating a more inclusive America far beyond the military.

2

56

233

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

7 months

When I gave book talks on my Chinese Exclusion Act book, one of the questions I was asked most frequently was “Why do we see these periodic surges in xenophobia & anti-immigrant legislation in US history?” A quick thread:

CNN Breaking News

@cnnbrk

7 months

President Biden is considering executive action to restrict migrants seeking asylum at the US-Mexico border, sources tell CNN

454

208

837

4

82

231

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

4 years

@MereSophistry America tries to forget its history. You won’t believe what happens next.

3

4

226

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

2 years

So for my new @SatEvePost Considering History column, on the multi-layered lessons Dorothy Thompson offers in how to call out fascism! #twitterstorians @KenBurns

Considering History: Dorothy Thompson Warned of Fascism in the U.S. and in Nazi Germany | The...

Thrown out of Germany for writing about Hitler, journalist Dorothy Thompson went on to warn Americans about fascism in their own backyard.

www.saturdayeveningpost.com

4

88

214

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

10 months

As someone who works at a regional comprehensive public university, teaching 5-5, I want to say as clearly as I can that many of us are deeply committed to public scholarship as well. Those convos are not in any way limited to elite privates or the like. Quick thread+

6

24

222

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

2 years

Amelia Earhart's solo Transatlantic flight 90 years ago this week was hugely impressive. But I'd say another flight featuring a pioneering American woman has it beat for inspiration & importance: Eleanor Roosevelt's March 1941 flight w/Tuskegee Airmen founder Charles Anderson.

3

42

212

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

3 years

Article 11 of the Treaty of Tripoli (1797), unanimously ratified by the Senate & signed by President John Adams, begins, "As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion."

11

91

209

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

2 years

I have at least five trans students this semester. I can't & wouldn't speak for them or their experiences, but I can & will say that any motherfucker who threatens any of my students threatens me & my cherished community as well. Shame these genocidal fascists out of public life.

Christopher Mathias

@letsgomathias

2 years

"Transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely," Daily Wire host Michael Knowles says at CPAC to cheers in the middle of a straight-up eliminationist anti-trans tirade. Fuck this shit

236

1K

6K

9

23

213

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

2 years

Here’s a Google Doc sharing all 99 of my #ScholarSunday threads to date. I’ll pin it; dip in when & where you’re able, share if you can, & revisit all this amazing work from well more than two years of public scholarly goodness:

#ScholarSunday Thread of Threads

#ScholarSunday Thread of Threads! Here’s a thread of threads, sharing all of my #ScholarSunday threads to date. I’ll pin it; dip in when & where you’re able, share if you can, & revisit all this...

docs.google.com

4

50

198

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

3 years

My useless superpower is pressing stop on the microwave exactly when all the kernels of popcorn have popped and before any get burned.

28

4

199

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

3 years

John to Abigail Adams: "the 2nd Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epoch, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance...

5

35

195

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

1 year

On top of everything else, these hateful bigoted narrow-minded ignorant fearful vicious jackassclowns are gonna ruin Scholastic Book Fairs? Not only are their souls desiccated hunks of rotting refuse, but their childhood nostalgia must be solely for tattling on their classmates.

Southern Poverty Law Center

@splcenter

1 year

A @CobbSchools teacher purchased a bestseller from her school's @Scholastic Book Fair to read to her fifth-grade class. She never suspected the book her students overwhelmingly chose for her to read aloud would put her career at risk. 🧵 #TeachInclusion

26

499

1K

3

51

197

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

4 years

@jelani9 Epigraph to my forthcoming book on American patriotism: "I love America more than any other country in the world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.”

4

9

184

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

3 years

That's the essence of the exclusionary definition of America I traced in We the People. Anglos arrive in California c.1849, a California where Native & Mexican & Chinese communities have all long been there already, & right away white supremacists pass a "Foreign Miners Tax."

1

14

188

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

3 years

Not gonna lie, this makes me tear up a bit. Good news is extra good good news in March 2021.

20

6

183

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

3 years

For my 40th (!!!) #ScholarSunday thread, I wanted to take a moment to highlight just a handful of the many Twitter friends & awesome public scholars whose voices & work bring me back to this bird app day after day. #twitterstorians

9

40

185

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

3 years

@AlishaGrauso The thing is—and I can’t stress this enough—I just can’t quit ‘em.

1

4

185

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

2 years

For as long as we’re here, I’ll be here, & so will be my #ScholarSunday theads—here’s my 101st thread of great public scholarly writing & work, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Share more below, & solidarity! #twitterstorians

5

48

181

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

4 years

So as my fellow #twitterstorians have documented quite potently, the #1776Commission report is propagandistic white supremacist nonsense. But I might be most offended by its depiction of education & educators, at this moment in our history no less. A quick thread:

2

56

179

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

1 year

So I have some more thoughts on the most telling & frustrating argument in that Hedgehog essay on why historians need to stop writing from the left (which I’ll link here so you can read for yourself if you haven’t). +

11

48

172

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

1 year

I love Twitter (obvi), but I do think when it comes to politics it's often problematic in that it encourages (really demands) instant reactions/analysis. That has value of course, but there are also long games, & at least we have to keep an eye on them & admit when we were wrong.

Mehdi Hasan

@mehdirhasan

1 year

“We’re thankful that the Biden administration played the long game on sick days and stuck with us for months after Congress imposed our…agreement,” Wow! Credit where credit’s due - I was one of those who criticized Biden on this, but he came though. 🤷🏽‍♂️👇🏽

441

4K

16K

5

42

169

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

5 years

@BretStephensNYT I would argue your own framing remains deeply problematic and the biggest issue here. What makes these “ordinary Americans,” compared for example to those who speak Spanish? What is your definition of “ordinary”?

3

2

148

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

3 years

As my hometown of #Charlottesville completes a weekend of overdue statue removals w/UVa’s Clark statue this morning, wanted to make this week’s #ScholarSunday thread a bit different: pieces & voices to help contextualize this moment! #twitterstorians

11

60

167

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

5 months

Not ready for him to leave yet, but so excited about where he’s headed! @VanderbiltU

20

1

165

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

2 years

Today is the anniversary of two historically awful anniversaries for Asian Americans & all Americans. On 2/19/1942, Franklin Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, formally creating the system of Japanese American incarceration.

Executive Order 9066: Resulting in Japanese-American Incarceration

EnlargeDownload Link Citation: Executive Order 9066, February 19, 1942; General Records of the Unites States Government; Record Group 11; National Archives. View All Pages in the National Archives

www.archives.gov

4

67

159

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

2 years

Denied the knowledge of his exact birthday by enslavement, when he had the chance to choose his own birthday after escaping Frederick Douglass chose February 14. As he wrote later, he had been born sometime in February & his mother had called him her “Little Valentine.”

3

23

159

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

2 years

@jbf1755 & @HC_Richardson ’s newest Now & Then is a must-listen on the real meanings & methods of fascism:

Dr. Joanne Freeman (@jbf1755 on lots o’ platforms)

@jbf1755

2 years

Today on Now & Then: The real meaning of fascism, its roots and presence today. It's not just a word. Please listen. We need to see the threat before us to confront it.

10

117

240

4

45

158

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

1 year

See here’s the thing, @Jason_Aldean : towns that violently exclude fellow Americans whom they define as outside their community are one of the most ubiquitous yet too often forgotten parts of our history. My new @SatEvePost Considering History column:

Considering History: Sundown Towns, Racism, and Exclusion | The Saturday Evening Post

Exclusionary and violent “sundown towns” that targeted multiple communities of color could be found in every state in the country through much of the 20th century.

www.saturdayeveningpost.com

10

59

159

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

4 years

@soledadobrien Much like Time magazine’s defense of its October 2008 cover story “Is Barack Obama American Enough?” But even worse, because now we have that decade of Birtherism as proof of where this xenophobic, racist garbage leads.

1

10

140

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

1 year

It's not always easy to remember our most iconic & inspiring figures as the wonderfully human & multilayered folks they were. This picture of two of the 20th century's very best Americans & humans helps me do so. Rest in peace & power, Mr. Belafonte.

1

37

153

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

2 years

I'd love to devote no further words to @AHAhistorians President Sweet. But this needs to be said & said clearly: being president of an org like that *is* overtly public & political. & what it most means is advocating for members of that org & community. Publicly & politically.

2

22

153

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

3 years

At the University of Austin no classes start before 1pm because they're so deathly afraid of being woke.

6

14

153

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

3 years

Kyle Rittenhouse passed numerous cops while heavily armed, on the same chaotic night when he killed multiple people. It is never, not ever, simply about whether someone is holding a gun (which of course Adam Toledo was not).

2

27

147

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

2 months

Some news: I’ve got a very big new project I’ll be working on for the rest of the summer, so I’m going to be taking a hiatus from Twitter to really focus in. I’ll see you all in late August when I’ll be able to share a lot more details! But in the meantime…

19

1

144

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

5 years

Ancient legends tell the tragic tale of the #womem , a cursed tribe who sold their mortal souls to a orange-faced demon who promised everlasting alabaster-white skin--only to find that the spreading evil inside them was all the world could see & all they would be remembered for.

5

17

133

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

3 years

It’s still the law that when you go on a late Dad Errand to CVS you have to purchase a candy bar, right? Better safe than sorry anyway.

11

1

133

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

5 months

Of the many falsehoods at the heart of the current attacks on education, perhaps the most pernicious is that white students—or any students—will feel bad if they learn all the layers of our history. In truth, such education can help them feel something genuinely vital: empathy. +

4

28

141

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

3 years

It's my birthday weekend (and this is 2021, so we all know birthdays span at least a 48-hour period, yes?), so I'll put a spoonful of cocoa in my coffee if I want to.

33

1

140

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

8 months

Like many of us, I start a new semester this week. & like all of us, I do so in a moment when not only higher education & public education but the very notion of the Humanities as something worth teaching/learning/supporting is under sustained assault from multiple angles.

9

24

140

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

4 years

It’s here! @RLPGBooks make such beautiful books.

19

11

135

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

6 months

@queenie4rmnola Baldwin's "I love America more than any other country in the world and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually." Epigraph to my patriotism book, & the best expression of critical patriotism I've ever encountered.

1

8

136

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

3 years

Extended a very small gesture of kindness toward a student, and they wrote back to say they were crying & it meant more than I could ever know. Our students are really, really going through it, & anything we can do, the smallest things included (maybe especially), let's.

2

12

136

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

3 years

I have 42,719 publications so far this month, a fact which I humbly attribute to three simple practices: 1) I drink the blood of my nemeses from a skull immediately upon waking; 2) That’s it, you really think I need any other practices after that?!; 3) Dude, see 2.

5

4

134

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

2 years

Here’s @LeahLitman & @ProfMMurray for @PostOpinions on the draft decision’s ramifications beyond Roe:

Opinion | Alito’s aggressive ruling would reach way beyond Roe

Disclaimer notwithstanding, the language in the draft opinion suggests a conservative majority ready to flex its muscle.

www.washingtonpost.com

3

53

128

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

2 years

You can call this the AmericanStudier Century, ‘cause here’s my 100th #ScholarSunday thread of great public scholarly writing & work, podcasts, new & forthcoming books from the last week! Add more below, & here’s to the best of Twitter & community! #twitterstorians

7

39

126

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

5 years

@DineshDSouza Here are some far more salient words from Douglass himself: "There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States, at this very hour."

1

11

125

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

1 year

175 years ago this week, Wyatt Earp was born in Illinois. From his iconic actual life to his representations in countless TV shows & films, few figures better represent the cultural mythos of the "Wild West." So this week, I'll blog about AmericanStudies layers to those myths!

3

31

127

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

2 years

@JohnathanPerk @EliMeye Wrote about it for my @SatEvePost column!

Considering History: The 1893 Hawaiian Coup and the Realities of American Expansion | The Saturday...

To most 21st century Americans, Hawaii is a tropical paradise. But how that paradise became part of the United States is a long, complex, and often dark story.

www.saturdayeveningpost.com

2

55

126

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

11 months

Turning back to current events, @MollyJongFast wrote for @VanityFair on Jim Jordan & the GOP chaos in the House:

The GOP Is Burning Down the House

It’s been reality-TV central lately in the halls of Congress—wacky stunts, wild rants, and a mystery baby. But like the prospect of Speaker Jim Jordan, the party’s antics are hardly entertaining.

www.vanityfair.com

6

24

125

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

2 years

In the social media justice system, the people are annoyed by two separate yet equally important groups. The faux-journalists who pretend to investigate crimes and the billionaires who actually commit them. These are their Tweets.

Elon Musk

@elonmusk

2 years

Twitter is both a social media company and a crime scene

32K

84K

632K

6

27

128

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

4 months

We can be as frustrated & angry as we need to be. I get it. But if you have any knowledge of our history at all & think Trump getting back into the White House wouldn't be the worst national political result we've ever seen, I honestly, genuinely, don't know what to fucking say.

11

23

125

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

1 year

The fictional character I wanted to be as a child, vs. the one I turned out to be.

10

5

121

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

4 years

I consider this one of the most important columns in my nearly 3 years @SatEvePost , & would love a signal boost if possible. Thanks! @KeriLeighMerrit @LDBurnett @KevinLevin @AdamHDomby @KevinMKruse @loumoore12 @ProfJeffries

Considering History: Voter Suppression and Racial Terrorism, the Twin Pillars of White Supremacy |...

American Studies Professor Ben Railton shows how, for more than 100 years, voter suppression has consistently gone hand in hand with racial terrorism to prop up white supremacy.

www.saturdayeveningpost.com

1

84

122

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

3 years

For this special #YearInReview2021 #ScholarSunday thread, I wanted to highlight just a few of the countless examples of public scholarly voices, sites, projects, & podcasts that have kept me going across this hardest of years. Enjoy & share more, please! #twitterstorians

3

46

125

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

2 years

Check out this list of the ten most-listened-to 2022 episodes of @jbf1755 & @HC_Richardson ’s Now & Then:

Dr. Joanne Freeman (@jbf1755 on lots o’ platforms)

@jbf1755

2 years

Adding to @HC_Richardson ’s end-of-year thank you to the “Now & Then” crew. Every week, Heather, @DavidKurlander , @samozerstaton , @TamaraSepper , & Matt decide how to confront the Now w/the Then. It’s an AMAZING team & I thank my lucky stars for being part of it Our top 10 shows:

2

16

117

2

33

122

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

4 years

@e_b_bobadilla To me the most pernicious, and still far too widespread, is that America used to be "less diverse," more homogeneous, etc. Even those who celebrate late 20C & 21C diversity too often depict it as a change in, rather than amplification of, our founding identity.

3

4

123

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

1 year

This is 46!

33

2

122

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

2 years

The newest episode of @jbf1755 & @HC_Richardson ’s Now & Then features @ProfCAnderson on Georgia voting rights:

Georgia (Voting Rights) On My Mind (with Carol Anderson) - CAFE

How have marginalized Georgians fought for voting rights and equality over the course of the state’s history? Emory University African American Studies Professor Carol Anderson joins Heather Cox...

cafe.com

1

29

119

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

1 year

50 years ago this week, President Nixon appointed Henry Kissinger—already his National Security Advisor—as Secretary of State. Kissinger had long been controversial on the global stage as the mastermind of the brutal & illegal war in Cambodia, but +

6

45

121

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

3 years

Fighting these narratives & white supremacists requires all sorts of actions, but high among them is consistently redefining the American "we," how we see our communities & identities (throughout history as well as today) & who's at their core. For more:

We the People: The 500-Year Battle Over Who Is American

From the first European contact with indigenous peoples to today’s debate over immigration, the question of who is American has been at the heart of our national story. Ben Railton’s insightful ex...

rowman.com

2

10

119

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

5 months

As an academic, I'm not unsympathetic to folks who want to debate whether the modern GOP is fascist, or authoritarian, or Orwellian, or etc. But as an American, I couldn't care less what we call it. It's profoundly wrong, deeply un-American, & needs all our unified opposition.

Book Riot

@BookRiot

5 months

A Louisiana bill would criminalize membership in the American Library Association with fines, jail time, or hard labor. No, this isn't a joke.

45

494

509

7

31

119

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

3 years

@drewmckevitt Stand Your Grounds

5

1

117

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

3 years

No matter what I do, the coffee I make at home is never as tasty as Dunkin iced coffee. This semester, I’m writing off that $2.88 a day as therapy. Treat yo selves somehow, some way every damn day this Fall my friends.

8

2

116

Ben Railton

@AmericanStudier

1 year

From the Irish diaspora in the 1840s to Jewish refugees in the 1880s to the Great Migration & so many more, migrants to NYC have long been attacked by hateful exclusionary bigots. The bigots have been wrong & the very worst of us every time. Some legacy you're in, @NYCMayor .

Scott Hechinger

@ScottHech

1 year

NYC Mayor Eric Adams is a xenophobic bigot: “[Migrants] will destroy NYC. How many of you are organized to stop what they’re doing to us? It’s going to come to your neighborhoods. All of us are going to be impacted. The city we knew we’re about to lose.”

145

294

1K

13

35

116