Today, Dr. Brian Jones reframes some stories we thought we knew—and reveals a few others we were never taught.In Black History Is for Everyone, Dr. Jones takes us through Bacon’s Rebellion, the Haitian Revolution, and Reconstruction, connecting centuries-old curricular bans to today’s battles over standardized testing. His argument? That students deserve complexity, not sanitized myths, and that flattening history does us all a disservice. Moreover, black history isn’t a niche subject. It’s the story of how America actually works.Dr. Jones has taught many ages and grades in New York City’s public schools and at the City University of New York. He served as the inaugural director of the Center for Education and Schools at the New York Public Library and as the associate director of education at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. I spoke with him a couple of years back about another book he wrote, The Tuskegee Student Uprising: A History. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skippedhistory.substack.com/subscribe
Today, a dose of Malcolm X and a timeless critique of our troubling times.In Nobody Can Give You Freedom: The Political Life of Malcolm X, Professor Kehinde Andrews pushes back on myths spread by The Autobiography of Malcolm X—which he calls “a great story, but a terrible book.” Those myths include that Malcolm thought white people were devils, that armed insurrection was the answer, and that he didn’t offer a coherent political program. To the contrary, Malcolm developed a sophisticated critique of “whiteness” as an ideology and believed it was pointless to accept reform within a fundamentally violent system still in place today.Kehinde Andrews is Professor of Black Studies at Birmingham City University, where he founded and directs the Centre for Critical Social Research. Professor Andrews regularly writes for The Guardian, The Independent, Ebony Magazine, and CNN. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skippedhistory.substack.com/subscribe
Another week, another late night show host gone: first Stephen Colbert, now Jimmy Kimmel. I think it’s fair to be shocked, but not surprised by Kimmel’s dismissal. As Professor Fara Dabhoiwala told me, there’s long been “blatant hypocrisy” on the part of powerful, “supposed free speech champions.” In fact, the very notion of free speech as we know it today was created by self-serving scoundrels. He advises a more balanced approach to ideas of free speech, even if, in our current, fraying democracy, our problems go “well beyond” free speech alone.Professor Dabhoiwala is a Senior Research Scholar at Princeton and writes about social, cultural, and intellectual history from the Middle Ages to the present. He previously taught at Oxford and has made radio and TV for the BBC and other channels. His writing appears in The New York Review of Books, The Guardian, The London Review of Books, and The Shanghai Review of Books, among other places. Most recently, he’s the author of What Is Free Speech? The History of a Dangerous Idea.We recorded our interview before ABC pulled Kimmel’s show. I asked Professor Dabhoiwala for his thoughts after the news broke, which he kindly shared, and you’ll see those reflections italicized and woven into our conversation.As for me, I’ll have more takes on the shifting media landscape. It’s clearly a precarious time to be a late night host on TV. It is, however, still a good time to be doing live comedy about history, and the theater where I perform asked me to do another run of Part One of my series on The Power Broker on Saturday, 10/4 at 4 PM. I hope to see some of you there. Thank you all for supporting history and laughter during these uncertain times! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skippedhistory.substack.com/subscribe
For anyone in NYC, the encore of my live, comedic show about Robert Moses is Monday (9/8) at 7 PM at Caveat (on the Lower East Side). In today’s video, I talk about why I’m doing this project now. Would love to see you there! Tickets here:Skipped History is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skippedhistory.substack.com/subscribe
Y'all, this week we have a doozy. We're talking about "the I word"—insurance—and how insurance companies not only profited from, but actively spurred, the burning of American cities in the 1970s.My guest is Professor Bench Ansfield (Temple University), author of Born in Flames: The Business of Arson and the Remaking of the American City. I am obsessed with this book. It's an astounding exposé of how the insurance industry abandoned entire neighborhoods, then benefited as those areas burned—and hid their complicity through financial mechanisms that will sound awfully familiar.The conversation, I think, gives you a taste of the headspinning narrative Professor Ansfield weaves about "the fierce churn of racial capitalism,” showing how insurance companies have systematically extracted wealth from vulnerable communities and how tenant organizing is so often at the heart of fighting back. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skippedhistory.substack.com/subscribe
As summer reaches its peak, I spoke with Aquinnah Wampanoag author Joseph Lee about tribal history on Martha’s Vineyard. We discussed the challenges of maintaining Indigenous identity amid tourism and displacement and what “green colonialism” looks like today. Joseph also shared how time abroad reshaped his understanding of sovereignty—and who gets to define what being Indigenous means.Joseph Lee teaches creative writing at Mercy University, and his writing has been published in The Guardian, Vox, High Country News, and more. He has won multiple awards from the Indigenous Journalists Association, and most recently, he’s the author of Nothing More of This Land: Community, Power, and the Search for Indigenous Identity. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skippedhistory.substack.com/subscribe
With conspiracy theories (one in particular) dominating headlines, I spoke with Professor Philip Kadish about how conspiracies have evolved. We traced the history of racist hoaxes dating back to the mid-1800s and explored how shifts in the media landscape during the mid-1900s helped set the stage for today’s conspiratorial age. Through it all, Professor Kadish argues, one tool has remained essential for separating fact from fiction: evidence.Philip Kadish is a professor of American Studies at Pace University. His op-eds, which connect contemporary racial issues to their roots in nineteenth-century American culture, have appeared on CNN.com and NBC.com. Most recently, he’s the author of The Great White Hoax: Two Centuries of Selling Racism in America. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skippedhistory.substack.com/subscribe
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit skippedhistory.substack.comEvening, y’all! Before sending out an interview on conspiracy theories, I wanted to share a few thoughts on the Epstein files. I’ve been frustrated by the media coverage and by Democrats’ ongoing refusal to engage with the deeper roots of these kinds of conspiracy theories. The full video is for paying Skippies. See you with more history for everyone to…
As we approach our nation’s 250th anniversary (our Semiquincentennial), I’m speaking with some of the country’s most prominent historians, all published by W. W. Norton, to ask them five questions about the founding and the sweep of American history since.Norton will publish video clips from the interviews, but with their blessing, I’m also posting the first full conversation here. Because, y’all, how could I not share a conversation with Jill Lepore, one of the sharpest historical thinkers working today?In our conversation, Professor Lepore reflects on what the founders thought they were doing in 1776 (spoiler: they weren’t planning a national holiday), why Benjamin Franklin’s sister deserves a place in the canon, and how arguing about dishes is, in fact, a form of historical thinking. She also gets into how historical thinking can help you find your bearings, even if you’re not pursuing a PhD or planning to start a republic.Jill Lepore is the David Woods Kemper ’41 Professor of American History at Harvard University and professor of law at Harvard Law School. She is also a staff writer at The New Yorker. Her many books include the international bestseller These Truths: A History of the United States. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skippedhistory.substack.com/subscribe
A fight for equality with long odds. An entrenched, bigoted, and powerful right wing. Liberals resistant to critiques from the left. The year wasn’t 2025, but 1963.In Freedom Season: How 1963 Transformed America’s Civil Rights Revolution, Professor Peniel E. Joseph traces the ups and downs of that pivotal year through the eyes of James Baldwin and other key figures. Baldwin was on a mission to find out “what really got us where we are,” so we could chart a new path forward. Professor Joseph and I explore what lessons Baldwin’s push for a national reckoning—and the initial reluctance of leading Democrats to join him—can offer us today.Professor Joseph is the Barbara Jordan Chair in Ethics and Political Values, founding director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, and distinguished service leadership professor and professor of history at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author and editor of eight award-winning books. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skippedhistory.substack.com/subscribe
This week, I spoke with one of my favorite authors, Professor Greg Grandin. In his new book, America, América: A New History of the New World, Professor Grandin dives into what ties the Americas together and drives us apart.We explored how radical opposition to conquest in Latin America guided independence leaders toward a pursuit of harmony, while denial and evasion pushed the U.S. toward conquest. The history of the Americas is, in many ways, a tension between those two fundamentally different, still-unfolding paths. It’s also a history of the rise of social rights—and of what follows when genocide is acknowledged, or too long ignored.Greg is the Peter V. and C. Vann Woodward Professor of History at Yale. He’s the author of eight books, including The End of the Myth, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for general non-fiction in 2020. He has published widely, including in The Nation, where he’s a member of the editorial board, and he’s a regular guest on Democracy Now! His new book, America, América, is a New York Times bestseller. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skippedhistory.substack.com/subscribe
In The Einstein of Sex: Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, the Visionary of Weimar Berlin, Daniel Brook revives the life story of an influential German thinker far ahead of his time.More than a century ago, Magnus Hirschfeld argued that gender and sexuality are fluid—and later, that race is a social construct. As you might expect, the Nazis weren’t fans, but they didn’t write Hirschfeld out of history. That erasure happened in the U.S., even though, as Daniel and I discuss, it was Hirschfeld’s books destroyed at the infamous book burning in 1933. In a time of resurgent fascist politics, Daniel told me, “It’s high time” we learned about Magnus.Daniel Brook is a journalist and author whose writing has appeared in Harper’s, The New York Times Magazine, and The Nation. He’s now the author of four books. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skippedhistory.substack.com/subscribe
In Land Power: Who Has It, Who Doesn’t, and How That Determines the Fate of Societies, Professor Michael Albertus (University of Chicago) explores how land has changed hands since the French Revolution. In places like the U.S., Canada, and Brazil, this “reshuffling” has shaped social hierarchies and the climate (spoiler: not in a good way). Today, signs point to us entering a new period of reshuffling. While there are risks of inequality deepening, Professor Albertus also sees opportunities to correct the mistakes of the past. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skippedhistory.substack.com/subscribe
Today, my guest offers an account of Native boarding schools and justice long overdue.In Medicine River: A Story of Survival and the Legacy of Indian Boarding Schools, Mary Annette Pember shares her mother’s experience at a Catholic boarding school in northern Wisconsin. The story offers a glimpse into what those schools were like and how their legacy continues to shape Native life today. As Mary told me, both the government and the Church “need to be called out” as the U.S. finally begins to reckon with this chapter of its history.Mary is a citizen of the Red Cliff Band of the Wisconsin Ojibwe and national correspondent for ICT News (formerly Indian Country Today). Her work has appeared in The Guardian, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and many other outlets. She’s also a past president of the Native American Journalists’ Association. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skippedhistory.substack.com/subscribe
I’m so excited to share today’s interview with Professor Deborah N. Archer about transportation history—my favorite subject! Professor Archer details how highways are a visceral emblem of white supremacy. We may often forget their origins, but as she reminds us in her new book, Dividing Lines: How Transportation Infrastructure Reinforces Racial Inequality, “with transportation infrastructure, history is the present.”Professor Archer is Associate Dean and Professor of Law at NYU School of Law, and she currently serves as President of the ACLU. Her scholarship has appeared in leading law reviews, and she’s offered commentary for numerous outlets, including MSNBC, NPR, CBS, The Atlantic, and The New York Times. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skippedhistory.substack.com/subscribe
I spoke with author Malcolm Harris about his new book, What’s Left: Three Paths Through the Planetary Crisis. We explored three strategies that have a chance of staving off climate change before it’s too late. Malcolm demonstrates—compellingly, I think—how and why the left needs to unite ASAP.Malcolm is a journalist, writer, and critic. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skippedhistory.substack.com/subscribe
If you missed it, the Trump administration took aim at the Smithsonian. As stated in an executive order, their goal is to end the “revisionist moment” carried out by historians.It goes without saying, but to be clear, I don’t support that executive order. On the contrary, I’m proud that this newsletter is part of the “revisionist moment.” The study of slavery, the subject of my interview today, demonstrates why revisionist history is so integral in moving us toward justice.In Making Sense of Slavery: America’s Long Reckoning, from the Founding Era to Today, historian Scott Spillman traces historians’ evolving interpretations of slavery since the 1700s. In tracking these debates, he helps frame “the troubling new realm” we’ve entered and the challenging questions at the heart of American history. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skippedhistory.substack.com/subscribe
Today, we’re talking about the Red Scare: a time of black-and-white politics when people could be arrested just for their political views. Granted, ICE wasn’t abducting people with visas off the street, but I think you’ll find today’s interview relevant nonetheless. Among other things, Clay Risen helps draw a clear throughline from Joseph McCarthy to Donald Trump and shares some valuable takeaways for combating fascism today.Clay is a reporter and editor at The New York Times. He’s the author of several books on American history (and American whiskey). In our conversation, we explored his latest book: Red Scare: Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skippedhistory.substack.com/subscribe
My guest today is Dr. Edna Bonhomme, author of A History of the World in Six Plagues: How Contagion, Class, and Captivity Shaped Us, from Cholera to COVID-19. I don’t think Dr. Bonhomme wrote her book knowing there’d be a resurgence of measles, but here we are!I asked Dr. Bonhomme about the history of epidemics and pandemics, both in the U.S. and around the world. Exploring earlier outbreaks sets us up to talk about measles and vaccine skepticism today. These are troubling times, and Dr. Bonhomme pushes us to go deeper and examine the inequities that link official responses to contagion over centuries.Dr. Bonhomme is a historian of science, a culture writer, and a journalist based in Berlin. Her writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Guardian, London Review of Books, The Nation, and many other outlets. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skippedhistory.substack.com/subscribe
Today, I want to share something a little different: a personal story from “one of our country’s greatest historians.”In The Trouble of Color: An American Family Memoir, Professor Martha S. Jones unearths her family’s history, dating back to when her great-great-great-grandmother survived enslavement. Over the generations—from Kentucky to North Carolina to Long Island—Professor Jones’s forebears challenged “the notion that there is a straight, clear, bright color line.” The story is at once unique to her family and quintessentially American. All of us, Professor Jones told me, have records that historians treasure (so don’t throw them out!).Martha S. Jones is the Society of Black Alumni Presidential Professor, Professor of History, and Professor at the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University. She has contributed to The New York Times, The Atlantic, and many other publications and is the prizewinning author and editor of five books.Skipped History is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber!Given how personal this story is, I’m sharing the podcast version first, which I think best captures the depth, emotion, and nuance of Professor Jones’ words. You can also read a transcript, edited for clarity, here: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skippedhistory.substack.com/subscribe