Maggie Blackhawk
@maggieblackhawk.bsky.social
18K followers 740 following 170 posts
Professor, NYU Law; scholar of Congress, the Constitution, and American colonialism; she/her/kwe.
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
Pinned
maggieblackhawk.bsky.social
It has been the greatest honor of my career to write a Foreword for the Harv Law Rev. I am grateful to be able to tell this story and tell it from the heart in such a prominent forum. As always, I dream of a day when words can change minds and hearts—and worlds: harvardlawreview.org/wp-content/u...
Reposted by Maggie Blackhawk
cmewing.bsky.social
Concur in full. I had the opportunity to do a similar program with Maggie and Ned, and it was an incredible experience. I'd recommend it especially to people who are looking for ways to better incorporate Native peoples and histories into their teaching and research.
marydudziak.bsky.social
What a great opportunity! Seminar Native Peoples, American Colonialism and the Constitution with @maggieblackhawk.bsky.social & Ned Blackhawk for grad students & "junior" faculty. In person & virtual. Apply by 10/10.
www.nyhistory.org/education/in...
The New York Historical’s Bonnie and Richard Reiss Graduate Institute for Constitutional History is accepting applications for its fall 2025 seminar for advanced graduate students and junior faculty.	 
 	seminar | fall 2025

Native Peoples, American Colonialism, and the US Constitution

Fridays, November 7 and 21, December 5 and 12, 2025 | 11 am–2 pm ET
Instructors: Maggie Blackhawk, Ned Blackhawk

 
 	As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, this seminar invites a critical examination of a central paradox in American constitutional history: how can a nation celebrate a founding document and constitutional tradition built, in part, on the dispossession of Indigenous homelands? Indian affairs and westward expansion were foundational to the creation and evolution of the US Constitution, yet Native history remains marginalized within the fields of constitutional history and mainstream constitutional scholarship. This seminar explores emerging historical and legal literature that re-centers Native peoples and American colonialism in the narrative of US constitutional development.

Presented in person at The New York Historical and via Zoom

Apply by October 10, 2025
Reposted by Maggie Blackhawk
johnfabianwitt.bsky.social
Political violence, post-pandemic one-party rule, vast economic inequality, and immigration backlash? The 2020s are the 1920s all over again--and that may show us a way out. Adapted from my book, to be published next week. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/06/o...
Opinion | How to Save the American Experiment
www.nytimes.com
maggieblackhawk.bsky.social
Anyone would be very lucky to have Nathaniel Donahue in their workshops! His project on corvee labor and U.S. state building is fascinating, and worth a read even in these trying times.
nwdonahue.bsky.social
Just applied!
maggieblackhawk.bsky.social
Junior faculty and grad students in political science, history, law, and Native American Studies, come take a class with us at the New York Historical Society (and via Zoom) on Native Peoples, American Colonialism, and the U.S. Constitution.

To apply, Institute for Constitutional History: 1/2
maggieblackhawk.bsky.social
Thanks so much, Mary! Deadline 10/10 to apply for the free seminar for junior faculty and grad students on Native peoples and the Constitution.
marydudziak.bsky.social
What a great opportunity! Seminar Native Peoples, American Colonialism and the Constitution with @maggieblackhawk.bsky.social & Ned Blackhawk for grad students & "junior" faculty. In person & virtual. Apply by 10/10.
www.nyhistory.org/education/in...
The New York Historical’s Bonnie and Richard Reiss Graduate Institute for Constitutional History is accepting applications for its fall 2025 seminar for advanced graduate students and junior faculty.	 
 	seminar | fall 2025

Native Peoples, American Colonialism, and the US Constitution

Fridays, November 7 and 21, December 5 and 12, 2025 | 11 am–2 pm ET
Instructors: Maggie Blackhawk, Ned Blackhawk

 
 	As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, this seminar invites a critical examination of a central paradox in American constitutional history: how can a nation celebrate a founding document and constitutional tradition built, in part, on the dispossession of Indigenous homelands? Indian affairs and westward expansion were foundational to the creation and evolution of the US Constitution, yet Native history remains marginalized within the fields of constitutional history and mainstream constitutional scholarship. This seminar explores emerging historical and legal literature that re-centers Native peoples and American colonialism in the narrative of US constitutional development.

Presented in person at The New York Historical and via Zoom

Apply by October 10, 2025
Reposted by Maggie Blackhawk
mikecrespin.bsky.social
I'm excited about our upcoming Rothbaum Lectures given by Maggie Blackhawk! Lectures are free and open to the public.
Reposted by Maggie Blackhawk
anarchakelly.bsky.social
New Ken Burns!!!! New Ken Burns!!!!!
maggieblackhawk.bsky.social
ca. 250 years go we began a domestic war to define what North America would become. Ken Burns on the Revolution that is still ongoing. Honored (and still pretty surprised) to have contributed. m.youtube.com/watch?v=lruE...
The American Revolution | Official Trailer | PBS
YouTube video by PBS
m.youtube.com
maggieblackhawk.bsky.social
ca. 250 years go we began a domestic war to define what North America would become. Ken Burns on the Revolution that is still ongoing. Honored (and still pretty surprised) to have contributed. m.youtube.com/watch?v=lruE...
The American Revolution | Official Trailer | PBS
YouTube video by PBS
m.youtube.com
Reposted by Maggie Blackhawk
karl-jacoby.bsky.social
Only an administration intent on committing war crimes in the present and future would stoop to calling Wounded Knee a "battle" rather than what it truly was: a massacre of over 250 Lakotas, mainly women, children, and the elderly. 1/
maggieblackhawk.bsky.social
I understand there are bigger problems, especially for the academy. But I miss the days when “difficult” meant that a speaker mustered immense evidence to shift entrenched paradigms—and not “difficult” meaning conflict with partisan priors. Difficult meant that 800 pages later minds were blown open.
joolia.bsky.social
and the Pulitzer Prize for sophistry goes to …
NYT headline:

OPINION
GUEST ESSAY
Barnard President: Now Is the Time for Colleges to Host Difficult Speakers
Sept. 17, 2025, 5:03 a.m. ET
Reposted by Maggie Blackhawk
kathke.com
What-does-God-want-with-a-starship voice:

"What does 'from' mean?"
brilliantmaps.bsky.social
For the rest of your life, you can only eat food from one of these regions. Which do you choose?

For more maps: brilliantmaps.beehiiv.com/s...
Reposted by Maggie Blackhawk
jcblibrary.bsky.social
Calling all middle and high school teachers!

Drawing inspiration from Ken Burns’ upcoming documentary, The American Revolution, join us for a full day of free, in-person professional development on Friday, October 17th at the JCB.

Registration required! forms.gle/CT83ESjTZWeg...
The image shows the name of the workshop and the logos of the sponsors.
Reposted by Maggie Blackhawk
curtbradley.bsky.social
It's been almost 90 years since the Supreme Court in Erie v. Tompkins disallowed federal court application of general common law. There has, however, been a revival of interest in the general common law, something we'll be discussing this spring at UChicago!
www.law.uchicago.edu/events/eries...
Erie’s Future and General Common Law Revivalism | University of Chicago Law School
www.law.uchicago.edu
maggieblackhawk.bsky.social
"The United States is more than white men moving westward.
It is more than conquest. The US is constituted by and is a product of its borderlands. In fact, it is more borderlands—and borderlands peoples—than center."

harvardlawreview.org/wp-content/u...

Turner, once again, meet Bolton.
Reposted by Maggie Blackhawk
theabigailthorn.bsky.social
The new episode of Philosophy Tube is about the founding of the USA, settler colonialism, and how Thomas Jefferson made excuses for it.

(You may notice some parallels to current events)

youtu.be/dBjQBa23cOw?...
Jefferson & the Indians: The Complex Truth
YouTube video by Philosophy Tube
youtu.be
Reposted by Maggie Blackhawk
lollardfish.bsky.social
“Someday, I hope, we’re going to have a reckoning over the horrors of this moment, but I don’t think we can do it without a clearer understanding of how this fits into U.S. history. There’s a tendency to say, “This isn’t who we are,” and I get the impulse, but history is never that simple.”
Opinion | Concentration camps are not just part of our past, but our present and future
From David M. Perry: From Minnesota’s Fort Snelling to Japanese internment camps to Florida's Alligator Alcatraz, these camps have become an American tradition.
www.startribune.com
Reposted by Maggie Blackhawk
566unicorns.bsky.social
"The most important aspect of recognizing this history is not so those of us descended from settlers...feel shame, but rather “to recognize that these tactics, [a division into] savage vs. civilized, continues to inhabit our society."

This article asks for email, but not money. Worth the read.
lollardfish.bsky.social
“Someday, I hope, we’re going to have a reckoning over the horrors of this moment, but I don’t think we can do it without a clearer understanding of how this fits into U.S. history. There’s a tendency to say, “This isn’t who we are,” and I get the impulse, but history is never that simple.”
Opinion | Concentration camps are not just part of our past, but our present and future
From David M. Perry: From Minnesota’s Fort Snelling to Japanese internment camps to Florida's Alligator Alcatraz, these camps have become an American tradition.
www.startribune.com
Reposted by Maggie Blackhawk
brendannyhan.bsky.social
"This is part of the reality of Black life in this country: We must make a record of those forces that seek to erase us and erase our histories so that future generations know we did not simply accept it."
clintsmithiii.bsky.social
I debated writing this. It can feel tempting, upon encountering yet another instance of this administration’s racism, to let it be. How many ways can you say the same thing over and over again? And yet we have to write it down, if for nothing else, so those who come after us know we were against it.
Actually, Slavery Was Very Bad
The president’s latest criticism of museums is a thinly veiled attempt to erase Black history.
www.theatlantic.com
maggieblackhawk.bsky.social
Perhaps the administration's view of Article II is "novel" in certain respects. But the similarities to the legal and administrative strategies of American colonialism are striking. Erasure also obscures the lessons of these histories for how to limit and resist imperial executive power. 2/2
maggieblackhawk.bsky.social
With respect, calling the contemporary moment the "imperial presidency" while also claiming that it is "historically novel" could obscure the real history of executive power in the the US territories, Indian Country, and all of our colonies. There is much here to learn from. /1
sam-breidbart.bsky.social
Our recent panel on the imperial presidency (featuring @jdmortenson.bsky.social @janemanners.bsky.social Cristina Rodriguez and @wuc3.bsky.social) makes the same point. Trump's view of Article II is historically novel.

www.youtube.com/live/_QvxTc7...
Reposted by Maggie Blackhawk
maggieblackhawk.bsky.social
Junior faculty and grad students in political science, history, law, and Native American Studies, come take a class with us at the New York Historical Society (and via Zoom) on Native Peoples, American Colonialism, and the U.S. Constitution.

To apply, Institute for Constitutional History: 1/2
Native Peoples, American Colonialism, and the US Constitution
Fall 2025 Session
Presented in person at The New York Historical and via Zoom*

Meeting Dates & Times:
Fridays, November 7 and 21, December 5 and 12, 2025 | 11 am–2 pm ET
Instructors: Maggie Blackhawk, Ned Blackhawk

SEMINAR DESCRIPTION:
As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, this seminar invites a critical examination of a central paradox in American constitutional history: how can a nation celebrate a founding document and constitutional tradition built, in part, on the dispossession of Indigenous homelands? 

From the Founders’ long-standing relationships with Native nations to the grievances lodged regarding ‘merciless Indian savages’ into the Declaration, Indian affairs and westward expansion were foundational to the creation and evolution of the US Constitution.  The Northwest Ordinance laid the “blueprint for empire” for federal imperial expansion from thirteen states clinging to the Eastern seaboard to a nation that stretched “from sea to shining sea,” while the United States Constitution excluded “Indians not taxed” from American polity—in so doing, also codifying the specific subordination of a people by name within constitutional text. 

Despite this deep entanglement, Native history remains marginalized within the fields of constitutional history and mainstream constitutional scholarship.  This seminar explores emerging historical and legal literature that re-centers Native peoples and American colonialism in the narrative of US constitutional development.  Topics include the role of Native peoples and “Indian affairs” in the Constitution’s initial drafting and ratification and the legal architecture of colonial expansion.  The seminar will also explore how centering Native peoples allows for a rethinking of United States constitutional history and American public law more broadly.
maggieblackhawk.bsky.social
More information: www.nyhistory.org/education/in...

Space is limited. To apply, please submit the following material to [email protected] by October 10, 2025:

Your C.V.
A short statement of interest

For further information, please email Andrew Fletcher at [email protected].
Current Programs | The New York Historical
The fall 2025 season: Native Peoples, American Colonialism, and the US Constitution
www.nyhistory.org
maggieblackhawk.bsky.social
Junior faculty and grad students in political science, history, law, and Native American Studies, come take a class with us at the New York Historical Society (and via Zoom) on Native Peoples, American Colonialism, and the U.S. Constitution.

To apply, Institute for Constitutional History: 1/2
Native Peoples, American Colonialism, and the US Constitution
Fall 2025 Session
Presented in person at The New York Historical and via Zoom*

Meeting Dates & Times:
Fridays, November 7 and 21, December 5 and 12, 2025 | 11 am–2 pm ET
Instructors: Maggie Blackhawk, Ned Blackhawk

SEMINAR DESCRIPTION:
As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, this seminar invites a critical examination of a central paradox in American constitutional history: how can a nation celebrate a founding document and constitutional tradition built, in part, on the dispossession of Indigenous homelands? 

From the Founders’ long-standing relationships with Native nations to the grievances lodged regarding ‘merciless Indian savages’ into the Declaration, Indian affairs and westward expansion were foundational to the creation and evolution of the US Constitution.  The Northwest Ordinance laid the “blueprint for empire” for federal imperial expansion from thirteen states clinging to the Eastern seaboard to a nation that stretched “from sea to shining sea,” while the United States Constitution excluded “Indians not taxed” from American polity—in so doing, also codifying the specific subordination of a people by name within constitutional text. 

Despite this deep entanglement, Native history remains marginalized within the fields of constitutional history and mainstream constitutional scholarship.  This seminar explores emerging historical and legal literature that re-centers Native peoples and American colonialism in the narrative of US constitutional development.  Topics include the role of Native peoples and “Indian affairs” in the Constitution’s initial drafting and ratification and the legal architecture of colonial expansion.  The seminar will also explore how centering Native peoples allows for a rethinking of United States constitutional history and American public law more broadly.
Reposted by Maggie Blackhawk
iansociologo.bsky.social
Enduring Empire by katrina quisumbing king
Enduring Empire by katrina quisumbing king
Reposted by Maggie Blackhawk
mjsdc.bsky.social
This week on Amicus: A fascinating conversation about the meaning of the Constitution as understood by Native nations in 1789—and whether squeezing their perspectives into an “originalist” framework risks legitimizing the government-led atrocities that followed. slate.com/podcasts/ami...
Conservative Judges Love to Tell a Certain Story About American History. It’s Dead Wrong.
The glaring omissions in originalists’ version of the country’s founding document.
slate.com