Is it still okay to venerate George Washington and Thomas Jefferson?

Historian David A. Bell offers some wise words on heroes and the past: Is it still okay to venerate George Washington and Thomas Jefferson? – The Washington Post

American Indians: The Forgotten Slaves

A line engraving depicts a captured Native American being sent into slavery by colonists in the 17th century.

The Americas were built on the backs of not just black slaves but Indian slaves as well. Historian Margaret Ellen Newell reviews Andres Resendez’s The Other Slavery here at The Chronicle of Higher Education: The Forgotten Slaves – The Chronicle of Higher Education

The Lost History of Early Muslim Americans

Livia Gershon summarizes the historical work of Michael A. Gomez on the first Muslims in what became the United States: slaves. Read Gershon’s post here at JSTOR Daily: The Lost History of Early Muslim Americans

BASED (EVER SO LOOSELY) ON A “TRUE STORY”—MATHEW MCCONAGHY AND THE “FREE STATE OF JONES”

Historian and evangelical Robert Tracy McKenzie here offers a very thoughtful review of a new “historical” film, with the added bonus of some reflections on the love/hate relationship many/most of us historians have with historical films: BASED (EVER SO LOOSELY) ON A “TRUE STORY”—MATHEW MCCONAGHY AND THE “FREE STATE OF JONES” | Faith and History

9 Things You Should Know About Harriet Tubman

The Conference on Faith and History suggests this link as a concise introduction to Harriet Tubman, who will be featured on the $20 bill.

Source: 9 Things You Should Know About Harriet Tubman

272 Slaves Were Sold to Save Georgetown University. What Does It Owe Their Descendants?

In 1838, the Jesuit priests who ran the country’s top Catholic university needed money to keep it alive. Now comes the task of making amends.

This is a troubling and amazing story by Rachel L. Swarns of the New York Times. Recovering the past is not necessarily a simple, let alone triumphal, endeavor.

Source: 272 Slaves Were Sold to Save Georgetown. What Does It Owe Their Descendants? – The New York Times

Animated interactive of the history of the Atlantic slave trade.

Along with an earlier map of dispossession of Native American nations, this animated map of the Atlantic slave trade at Slate is chilling: Animated interactive of the history of the Atlantic slave trade.