Introduction

It has been hard to read the news over the past few weeks.  The killing and injuring of protestors after a white supremacist attacked them with a car – a tactic Republican state legislators have been working to legalize – (and the president’s subsequent “condemnation”) have rightly dominated headlines.  In the weeks leading up to this tragedy, the White House proposed slashing legal immigration to the country; the Department of Justice decided to clamp down on rather than promote civil rights at universities; and, a study of Indiana demonstrated active efforts to make it harder for communities of color to vote, the latest in an increasingly prominent vote-suppressing campaign spreading around the country.

While these are jarring and outrageous events, they unfortunately have deep roots in American history.  Historians have been writing about these and other, related problems for decades, but many Americans have not had the opportunity to learn from this research for various reasons.  Part of that is likely the fact that historians distribute their research in books, which makes it difficult for those who do not read a lot or have the means to sort through thousands of books to determine what’s worth their time.  Faced with an overwhelming mountain of books that most choose not to read, Americans’ understanding of history is therefore often shaped by myths about our country’s past. 

This blog is in an effort to change that. I believe reading history has changed my perspective on the world and could do the same for others, but realize it’s hard to inspire many people to embrace these books if they don’t have the tools to do so. I’ve wanted to read new books myself, but have had little reason to prioritize them amid my own research. I’ve been tempted to write a blog, but have been unable to come up with a way to make it resonate with a wider audience.  Until I realized I could do all of these ideas at once.

I’ve decided to start a virtual book club catering to novice historians and focused on the many myths inherent in Donald Trump’s controversial career and his campaign slogan “Make America Great Again.” Throughout the past Native Americans, the poor, immigrants, African Americans, women, LGBTQ+ communities, and the disabled have all had to fight for inclusion in a country that often denied them a place both in politics, as well as the country’s mythic definition of itself.  As a direct result of defining many of these communities outside of our national myths we see many of the controversies, tragedies, and policy proposals this administration has put forward.

Over the next few months I’m going to read one book per week inspired by N.D.B. Connolly and Keisha Blaine’s Trump Syllabus, which tackles many of these issues and their historical roots. I’ll spend some time explaining how to read these history books typically marketed towards academics to make it easy for any of this blog’s readers to join in. This will allow novice historians to reflect on my notes and summary comments, encounter cutting edge research that has not filtered into the public consciousness as well as other ideas, and provide the tools to continue reading histories in the future. While I realize not everyone will be able to read a book every week, I’m hoping it will provide my Facebook community with an opportunity to read at least a few books from the syllabus and potentially share their thoughts to help inspire others to engage with history as well.

Tomorrow I’ll be back to lay out the syllabus in more detail and explain some of my choices.