Author of Maladies of Empire & Sick from Freedom; GilderLehrman NEH Prof at Gettysburg Coll; Editor of Civil War History; jimdownsofficial.com/
Joined June 2012
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23 Apr 2021
When I began researching history of epidemiology 10 years ago, I couldn’t imagine I would finish during a pandemic.I uncovered how epidemiology began w/ doctors studying enslaved & colonized populations, soldiers & Muslim migrants.Thrilled to announce it’s available for pre-order
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Dr. Jim Downs retweeted
For 756 enslaved African Americans along the shores of the Combahee River, June 1, 1863 marked their last day in bondage.
They were soon to be liberated during the single largest act of military emancipation carried out during the Civil War.🧵
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Jun 1
During Pride Month, I keep thinking about a question that shaped my research:
How did LGBTQ people find one another before social media?
The answer was often through community institutions they built themselves.
That’s the story I tell in Stand by Me. amazon.com/gp/aw/d/082035644…
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May 28
HISTORIANS, Please share widely.I'm hosting an exciting Juneteenth event at the Library Company of Phila,June 16. "From Ledger to Genome: Data & the History of Black Life," exploring how Black lives have been recorded & recovered across time. Register here. support.librarycompany.org/.…
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May 29
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May 24
Now available at Project MUSE: the June issue of "Civil War History," including contributions from Gwion Wyn Jones, Jim Downs, Scott Hancock, David Blight, Drew Gilpin Faust, and Stephanie McCurry:
muse.jhu.edu/issue/56800
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May 18
We are living through an attack on science and public health, and the consequences are deadly. propublica.org/article/vitam…
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May 13
Join us tomorrow May 13 at Barnes & Noble Upper West Side 82nd at 7pm
I’m honored to be joined by an extraordinary group of historians and public intellectuals: Nikole Hannah-Jones, Julian E. Zelizer, Catherine Clinton, and Joanne B. Freeman. stores.barnesandnoble.com/ev…
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Dr. Jim Downs retweeted
Joining @HofstraU’s “How to ‘Public Humanities’” panel yesterday featuring @ruthbenghiat and @jimdowns1, hosted by @rkgar, the urgent need to bridge academia & civil society once again stood out to me, as it is already a commitment of mine.
Such a connection is no longer a luxury or an optional approach, especially in the face of the rise & spread of #authoritarianism, and, more importantly, how authoritarians diversify their discourses & policies in ways that dangerously normalize extremism globally.
Can’t wait to read Professor Ben-Ghiat’s upcoming book “Resisting Autocracy”, which feels especially needed right now after she laid out the unwritten handbook of authoritarians in her earlier book, “Strongmen: How They Rise, Why They Succeed, How They Fall.”
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Apr 15
THIS IS AN AMAZING PROJECT. I am thrilled to be quoted in support of it. How One Man Is Preserving Queer History Marker By Marker. forbes.com/sites/rdaniel-fos…
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Mar 17
Historians Attending OAH — Join Us! We invite you to gather at the Library Company of Philadelphia to honor the extraordinary work of Deirdre Cooper Owens in conversation with the irrepressibly dazzling Kellie Carter-Jackson. support.librarycompany.org/e…
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Mar 13
The rage about DOGE canceling NEH grants b/c they mention “LGBTQ” is justified.
But academia should also look in the mirror.
How many departments actually teach LGBTQ history?
How many efforts have there been to recruit LGBTQ faculty?
Too often LGBTQ scholarship is treated as marginal or expendable.
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Dr. Jim Downs retweeted
For Black History Month ... Review of: Maladies of Empire: How Colonialism, Slavery, and War Transformed Medicine, by Jim Downs regarp.com/2022/05/31/review…
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Feb 1
My article in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Always better in print! “Slavery was central to the presidency. The President’s House should say so”inquirer.com/opinion/comment…
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Jan 30
please let this exact scene be playing out in real life
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Jan 19
Proud to be directing this conference. Even more excited about the speakers. Please share widely and register! librarycompany.org/academic-…
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Jan 16
Outrageous: RFK questions germ theory—and seems to want to revive the Ancient Greek idea of the four humors, a framework dismantled by the 17th century and considered atavistic by the time of the Civil War. After decades of scientific progress, this is the direction he’s pointing us. instagram.com/reel/DTjBszGEz…
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Jan 14
✨That song is a trap for most singers; it will punish you the moment you lose your breath control or pitch. She not only sang the notes perfectly, but she also maintained her composure—she's amazing.🌺
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Jan 8
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!
When the piece was accepted, there was no guarantee it would make it into print—there are so few spots available—but thanks to everyone who read it and the overwhelmingly positive response, it ran in today’s paper!
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Jan 6
Proud to have published January 6 & the Politics of History with historians including Jill Lepore, Joanne Freeman, Stephanie McCurry, Elizabeth Hinton, etc. The book includes a vital debate about historians’ responsibilities as public intellectuals.amazon.com/January-Politics-…
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