Maine
Famous historian who lives in Maine says things aren’t actually so gloomy
A Maine resident and U.S. historian whose each day Substack publication on present occasions has amassed greater than 1,000,000 subscribers referred to as ebook bans happening in colleges throughout the nation astonishing, however reassured a College of Maine viewers that the state of the nation really isn’t so gloomy.
In an occasion kicking off UMaine’s homecoming weekend and celebrating the tenth anniversary of the college’s Clement and Linda McGillicuddy Humanities Heart, distinguished American historian Heather Cox Richardson and not too long ago retired NPR reporter Brian Naylor gave an viewers inside UMaine’s Collins Heart for the Arts their tackle the state of democracy and the nation.
Since 2019, Richardson’s each day publication “Letters From an American” has change into a part of the nationwide dialogue, and gained such a big viewers that President Joe Biden sat down along with her for an interview earlier this yr.
Though she was born in Illinois, Richardson grew up in Yarmouth and nonetheless lives in Maine. Generations of her kinfolk have referred to as the state house as properly. Richardson is a Boston School historical past professor specializing in Nineteenth-century American historical past.
Though school campuses throughout the nation have seen curiosity decline within the humanities, it’s exactly the humanities which are on the frontlines of a tradition struggle politicians throughout the nation have been waging, Naylor mentioned.
Richardson mentioned she by no means anticipated to see such tradition wars — particularly, debates over banning books in colleges — in a rustic constructed on democracy and the free change of concepts.
“Did you ever suppose you’ll see this in America?” Richardson requested the viewers. “Particularly the ebook banning. It’s astonishing the assaults on our native representatives, the individuals on our college boards. And the concept that individuals are threatening their lives is mind-boggling.”
However these moments present why historical past issues, she mentioned.
“The explanation historical past issues and literature issues is as a result of they’re the tales of who we’re and who we need to be,” Richardson mentioned.
Regardless of this battle over what kids ought to or shouldn’t study, and what they need to or shouldn’t learn, the nation is in a superb place, the historian mentioned.
“Manufacturing is up. It’s coming again,” she mentioned. “For most individuals, the world is wanting so much higher.”
When she thinks in regards to the state of the nation, she thinks again to just about 100 years in the past.
In 1939, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was in his sixth yr as president, and it seemed just like the U.S. was leaning towards fascism with Roosevelt the potential dictator, Richardson mentioned.
That very same yr, an occasion at Madison Sq. Backyard billed as a “Professional American Rally” was actually a big, pro-Nazi, pro-fascist, and pro-Hitler occasion that stands in stark distinction to the nationwide story of the U.S. being a champion of democracy, Richardson mentioned.
Wanting again at such an occasion, the standing of the U.S. right this moment doesn’t appear so gloomy, Richardson mentioned.
“Our world is definitely so much higher than most individuals are conscious of, and that’s value conserving in thoughts,” she mentioned.