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Manisha Sinha

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Comparing Editions of David Walker's Abolitionist Appeal

Digitization allows researchers to trace editorial and authorial changes in archival content. Both are central to the study of this famous abolitionist pamphlet.

by Loren Schweninger, Manisha Sinha, Melvin L. Rogers, Dorothy Berry, Marc M. Arkin, Marcy J. Dinius, Lori Leavell, Hasan Crockett, Gene Andrew Jarrett via JSTOR Daily on March 31, 2022
The Case for a Third Reconstruction

The enduring lesson of American history is that the republic is always in danger when white supremacist sedition and violence escape justice.

by Manisha Sinha via New York Review of Books on February 3, 2021
America's Unending Struggle Between Oligarchy and Democracy

A new book charts the long contest between elites and the forces of democracy seeking to dismantle their power.

by Manisha Sinha via The Nation on October 6, 2020
The New Fugitive Slave Laws

In criminalizing the provision of humanitarian assistance to migrants, we have resurrected the unjust laws of antebellum America.

by Manisha Sinha via New York Review of Books on July 17, 2019
Julius Scott’s Epic About Black Resistance in the Age of Revolution

"The Common Wind" covers the radical world of black mariners, rebels, and runaways banding together to realize their freedom.

by Manisha Sinha via The Nation on May 20, 2019
Frederick Douglass Forum

An online forum on the life and legacy of Frederick Douglass.

by David W. Blight, Leigh Fought, Manisha Sinha, Chris Shell, Noelle Trent, Neil Roberts, Christopher Bonner via Black Perspectives on November 30, 2018
Today’s Eerie Echoes of the Civil War

We may not be in the midst of a war today, but the progress of democracy in this country is still tied to the rights of its most vulnerable citizens.

by Manisha Sinha via New York Review of Books on March 6, 2018
Heather Heyer Is Part of a Long Tradition of White Anti-Racism Activists

Like the abolitionists of yesteryear, white Americans who oppose racial oppression deserve to be remembered and emulated.

by Manisha Sinha via Washington Post on August 19, 2017
What Gun Control Advocates Can Learn From Abolitionists

Slave ownership was once as entrenched in American life as gun ownership.

by Rebecca Onion, Manisha Sinha via Slate on June 14, 2016

The Rise and Fall of the Second American Republic: Reconstruction, 1860-1920

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The Truth About Abolition

The movement finally gets the big, bold history it deserves.

by Adam Rothman via The Atlantic on April 1, 2016

Book cover of "The Rise and Fall of the Second American Republic: Reconstruction, 1860-1920."

Expanding the Boundaries of Reconstruction: Abolitionist Democracy from 1865-1919

Sinha enlarges the temporal boundaries students are accustomed to by covering the end of the 19th century into the Progressive era with the 19th Amendment.

by Erik J. Chaput, Russell J. DeSimone via Commonplace on July 16, 2024

An 1863 illustration from “Le Monde illustré” of formerly enslaved people celebrating the Emancipation Proclamation.

What If Reconstruction Didn’t End Till 1920?

Historian Manisha Sinha argues that the Second Republic lasted decades longer than most histories state and achieved wider gains.

by Eric Herschthal via The New Republic on June 11, 2024

Who Freed the Slaves?

For some time now, the answer has not been the abolitionists.

by Stephanie McCurry via The Nation on September 13, 2016

1880 chart of American political history

Historians and the Strange, Fluid World of 19th-Century Politics

Why our understanding of the era has been hindered by the party system model.

by Rachel Shelden, Erik B. Alexander via Process: A Blog for American History on May 7, 2024

Joe Biden and Donald Trump.

The Wild History of “Lesser of Two Evils” Voting

For as long as Americans have been subjected to lousy candidates, they’ve been told to suck it up and vote for one of them.

by Ginny Hogan via The Nation on March 19, 2024

Gun on the cover of Kellie Carter Jackson's book "Force and Freedom: Black Abolitionists and the Politics of Violence."

Words to Weapons: A History of the Abolition Movement from Persuasion to Force

With "Force and Freedom," Carter Jackson makes a stimulating and insightful debut which will have a major influence on abolition movement scholarship.

by William Morgan Sr. via Commonplace on December 18, 2023

Thaddeus Stevens

Why America Is Just Now Learning to Love Thaddeus Stevens, the 'Best-Hated Man' in U.S. History

The Pennsylvanian was one of America’s greatest heroes. Why hasn’t he gotten his due?

by Tracy Schorn via Smithsonian on November 30, 2023

Frederick Douglass.

Frederick Douglass and the “Faithful Little Band of Abolitionists” in Uxbridge, Massachusetts

This is the story of how a visit by Frederick Douglass to south-central Massachusetts, epitomizes the movement’s ability to spread in the region.

by C. J. Martin via Commonplace on June 6, 2023

Company of Black infantry at Fort Lincoln

The Civil War and Natchez U.S. Colored Troops

The Natchez USCT not only contributed to the war effort but was essential to establishing a post-war monument honoring President Lincoln and emancipation.

by Deborah Fountain via Black Perspectives on December 13, 2022

A negative from a photo of Abraham Lincoln

How Historians Say Abraham Lincoln Is Quoted and Misquoted

As Presidents' Day approaches, historians look back at the most notable recent uses and misuses of "the Great Emancipator's" words.

by Olivia B. Waxman via TIME on February 11, 2021

Boston's Emancipation Memorial depicting a black man kneeling in front of Abraham Lincoln.

Black Bostonians Fought For Freedom From Slavery. Where Are The Statues That Tell Their Stories?

Contrary to the image of the kneeling slave, Black abolitionists did not wait passively for the "Day of Jubilee." They led the charge.

by Kevin M. Levin via WBUR on June 16, 2020

The Making of the Radical Republicans

How did the struggle for emancipation become a mass politics?

by Eric Foner via The Nation on May 5, 2020

The Fight Over the 1619 Project Is Not About the Facts

A dispute between some scholars and the authors of NYT Magazine’s issue on slavery represents a fundamental disagreement over the trajectory of U.S. society.

by Adam Serwer via The Atlantic on December 23, 2019

The Lesser Part of Valor

Preston Brooks, Greg Gianforte, and the American tradition of disguising cowardice as bravery.

by Adam Serwer via The Atlantic on May 26, 2017

Bright apocalyptic explosion over a city.

Is 2016 the Worst Year in History?

Is 2016 worse than 1348? And 1836? And 1919?

by Rebecca Onion via Slate on July 22, 2016

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