The NCPH sustainability survey: An invitation

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globe puzzleOver the past decade a growing number of public historians have responded to debates about climate change and the need for sustainable communities by making sustainability a central focus of their professional work. These efforts were initially informal, but as Leah Glaser described in a post earlier this year, in recent years there has been a push to incorporate issues of sustainability into the mission and work of the National Council on Public History. Read More

"Ask a Slave": A front-line fantasy?

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lizzie mae“Ask a Slave” is a brand-spanking new comedy web series that is going viral in certain circles.  In the series (just two episodes at time of writing; there will be six total), actress/comedienne/NYU grad Azie Mira Dungey portrays the character “Lizzie Mae” who is supposed to be an enslaved housemaid for America’s founding couple–George and Martha Washington. Read More

A perfect storm? (Part 3)

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Continued from Part 2

ship in heavy seaQuality Control from Students

Empowering students In its own way, the NCPH Guide to Public History Programs is also a best practices document itself. It is an international listing of graduate, undergraduate, and “related” public history programs that can be searched by geographical location, curricular concentration, and type of degree. Read More

Missing the history from the historic march on Washington commemoration

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Several months ago in this space I reflected on the large crowds that flocked to Washington to witness President Obama’s historic second inaugural. Again, this past Wednesday, crowds assembled in Washington to hear the President offer “historic” remarks, this time on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in commemoration of the March on Washington in August 1963. Read More

Reflections on "Roots of Liberty: The Haitian Revolution and the American Civil War"

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dancers and actors on stageHundreds of Boston-area Haitian Americans and African Americans attended the historical pageant, “Roots of Liberty – The Haitian Revolution and the American Civil War,” at Boston’s Tremont Temple on May 4, 2013.

Organized by Boston National Historical Park, Boston African American National Historical Site, Central Square Theater, Harvard University, and the Museum of African American History, the performance focused on the significant impact of the Haitian Revolution on black and white abolitionists and black Union troops. Read More