Bobby Lee
@bobbylee.bsky.social
Historian of the United States, mostly 19th c., colonialism, land, GIS
Pinned
Bobby Lee
@bobbylee.bsky.social
· Jun 12
Justice for the Edifice: Praying Compensation for Rhode Island College, 1770–1800
In 1770, Rhode Island College, now Brown University, erected the biggest building in Providence. Donations tied to the slave trade funded the College Edifice, now University Hall. Some donors grew ric...
direct.mit.edu
My latest article just published and is open access, for now at least.
It’s about how Brown got reparations for property made by slaves after the American Revolution. 🗃️
direct.mit.edu/tneq/article...
It’s about how Brown got reparations for property made by slaves after the American Revolution. 🗃️
direct.mit.edu/tneq/article...
January 25, 2026 at 8:09 PM
Seeing posts about ice on the roads and genuinely unsure what they’re referring to
January 25, 2026 at 8:06 PM
Seeing posts about ice on the roads and genuinely unsure what they’re referring to
Remember how quickly they shut down Alligator Alcatraz and pretended like it never existed?
January 25, 2026 at 7:45 PM
Remember how quickly they shut down Alligator Alcatraz and pretended like it never existed?
If you’re not dead from smallpox, pour one out for this king
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/u...
William H. Foege, Key Figure in the Eradication of Smallpox, Dies at 89
www.nytimes.com
January 25, 2026 at 6:53 PM
If you’re not dead from smallpox, pour one out for this king
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/u...
We will get the official response from dem leadership, but focus groups take time
January 25, 2026 at 6:42 PM
We will get the official response from dem leadership, but focus groups take time
One thing that comes across in those witness statements rushed onto the record and out to the public is how little trust there is in the prospect of a legitimate investigation ever taking place
January 25, 2026 at 6:38 PM
One thing that comes across in those witness statements rushed onto the record and out to the public is how little trust there is in the prospect of a legitimate investigation ever taking place
Constitutional protections in the US are buckling. People need to start seriously thinking about what a new round of reconstruction amendments might look like
January 25, 2026 at 6:32 PM
Constitutional protections in the US are buckling. People need to start seriously thinking about what a new round of reconstruction amendments might look like
No one should be forced to live through events bound to be remembered as historic, but the people of Minneapolis are certainly rising to the occasion
January 25, 2026 at 5:45 PM
No one should be forced to live through events bound to be remembered as historic, but the people of Minneapolis are certainly rising to the occasion
This hasn’t been a restorative weekend
January 25, 2026 at 10:45 AM
This hasn’t been a restorative weekend
They didn’t even cancel elections during the Civil War. Just keep mentioning it whenever. Just bring it up. They kept holding elections during the Civil War, for president, for Congress, for everything.
January 24, 2026 at 5:10 PM
They didn’t even cancel elections during the Civil War. Just keep mentioning it whenever. Just bring it up. They kept holding elections during the Civil War, for president, for Congress, for everything.
Another TACO moment incoming
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Trump threatens Canada with 100% tariff over China trade talks - BBC News
Trump made the threat in a social media post as tensions rise between the US and its northern neighbour.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 24, 2026 at 3:47 PM
Another TACO moment incoming
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Me: You know those flamingos are pink because they eat shrimp.
10 yr old: No, they’re pink because of beta carotene in their food, which includes shrimp and crabs. Boom!
10 yr old: No, they’re pink because of beta carotene in their food, which includes shrimp and crabs. Boom!
January 24, 2026 at 3:17 PM
Me: You know those flamingos are pink because they eat shrimp.
10 yr old: No, they’re pink because of beta carotene in their food, which includes shrimp and crabs. Boom!
10 yr old: No, they’re pink because of beta carotene in their food, which includes shrimp and crabs. Boom!
Reposted by Bobby Lee
Very excited to learn from scholars joining us for this special NEQ gathering @mhs1791.bsky.social, please share and apply! 🗃️
Upcoming deadline (1/31): submit your proposals for 2026 New England Quarterly symposium on Environmental Histories of New England, 1600-2025. #envhist #newengland #cfp
NEQ Events and Calls for Papers
Environmental Histories of New England, 1600-2025 Friday, September 18, 2026 Massachusetts Historical Society, 1154 Boylston Street, Boston, MA New England is a region defined by its landscape, its…
newenglandquarterly.org
January 23, 2026 at 11:38 PM
Very excited to learn from scholars joining us for this special NEQ gathering @mhs1791.bsky.social, please share and apply! 🗃️
Some backstory on the site of the Whipple Building at the center of ICE activity in Minnesota
ictnews.org/news/former-...
ictnews.org/news/former-...
Former Native American concentration camp lies beneath current immigration detention center - ICT
Fort Snelling, the site of a Dakota War era concentration camp, is once again being used to detain Indigenous people
ictnews.org
January 24, 2026 at 12:47 PM
Some backstory on the site of the Whipple Building at the center of ICE activity in Minnesota
ictnews.org/news/former-...
ictnews.org/news/former-...
Reposted by Bobby Lee
Today is the anniversary of the start of the California Gold Rush back in 1848, so why not check out an article from our online archives, which explores the development of race relations during this crucial turning point in California's history?
www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1...
www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1...
Hinton Rowan Helper's the land of gold and the evolution of race relations in California
The California Gold Rush of the mid‐nineteenth century attracted a multitude of prospectors from around the world, bringing together a vibrant mix of ethnicities and cultures. Historians have argue...
www.tandfonline.com
January 24, 2026 at 8:51 AM
Today is the anniversary of the start of the California Gold Rush back in 1848, so why not check out an article from our online archives, which explores the development of race relations during this crucial turning point in California's history?
www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1...
www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1...
They must know deep down this is not gonna work
pen.org/press-releas...
pen.org/press-releas...
Removal of Signs on Slavery at National Historic Site is “Blatant Erasure” of History
PEN America today condemned the ongoing removal of signs at national parks and historic sites by the Trump administration, the latest in Philadelphia about the connection between the founders and slav...
pen.org
January 23, 2026 at 7:25 PM
They must know deep down this is not gonna work
pen.org/press-releas...
pen.org/press-releas...
Reposted by Bobby Lee
“The humanities are essential to a healthy, multicultural democracy... At a moment when human inquiry and cultural expression are increasingly devalued, we are proud to support organizations that keep this work vibrant and accessible for all.” bit.ly/4bMPd7J
MacArthur Awards $10 Million to Strengthen the Humanities
bit.ly
January 23, 2026 at 4:56 PM
“The humanities are essential to a healthy, multicultural democracy... At a moment when human inquiry and cultural expression are increasingly devalued, we are proud to support organizations that keep this work vibrant and accessible for all.” bit.ly/4bMPd7J
Reposted by Bobby Lee
Interested in the history of enslaved people, Black history, and George Washington?
Download this report, which is still on the NPS site (for now).
My research team spent 3 years collaborating with descendants of people enslaved at the Washington's Headquarters site and the wonderful NPS staff:
Download this report, which is still on the NPS site (for now).
My research team spent 3 years collaborating with descendants of people enslaved at the Washington's Headquarters site and the wonderful NPS staff:
Black History at the Vassall Estate Special History Study (U.S. National Park Service)
www.nps.gov
January 23, 2026 at 3:46 PM
Interested in the history of enslaved people, Black history, and George Washington?
Download this report, which is still on the NPS site (for now).
My research team spent 3 years collaborating with descendants of people enslaved at the Washington's Headquarters site and the wonderful NPS staff:
Download this report, which is still on the NPS site (for now).
My research team spent 3 years collaborating with descendants of people enslaved at the Washington's Headquarters site and the wonderful NPS staff:
Honestly jealous of those stuck in blizzards. Haven’t seen a big snow in years
January 23, 2026 at 7:05 PM
Honestly jealous of those stuck in blizzards. Haven’t seen a big snow in years
‘the grants to FEHE, the University of Texas and the University of North Carolina, “were noncompetitive, meaning the recipients were selected to apply.”’
www.forbes.com/sites/michae...
www.forbes.com/sites/michae...
New Humanities Grants Take A Sharp Right Turn Under Trump
The National Endowment for the Humanities has awarded $75.1 million in grants, with much of the money going to conservative projects and Trump administration priorities.
www.forbes.com
January 23, 2026 at 4:27 PM
‘the grants to FEHE, the University of Texas and the University of North Carolina, “were noncompetitive, meaning the recipients were selected to apply.”’
www.forbes.com/sites/michae...
www.forbes.com/sites/michae...
Nice to see this best picture nomination
www.seattletimes.com/entertainmen...
www.seattletimes.com/entertainmen...
This movie filmed in WA gets 4 Oscar nominations
When Academy Award nominations were announced Thursday morning, there was a luminous Washington state-shot film among the nominees.
www.seattletimes.com
January 23, 2026 at 4:13 PM
Nice to see this best picture nomination
www.seattletimes.com/entertainmen...
www.seattletimes.com/entertainmen...
The history of US imperialism is filled with blustering failures that don't get much attention.
Here's Thomas Hutchins, the first (and only) Geographer of the United States, talking about how the newly independent US would easily take all of North America back in 1784
Here's Thomas Hutchins, the first (and only) Geographer of the United States, talking about how the newly independent US would easily take all of North America back in 1784
January 23, 2026 at 3:58 PM
The history of US imperialism is filled with blustering failures that don't get much attention.
Here's Thomas Hutchins, the first (and only) Geographer of the United States, talking about how the newly independent US would easily take all of North America back in 1784
Here's Thomas Hutchins, the first (and only) Geographer of the United States, talking about how the newly independent US would easily take all of North America back in 1784