J. L. BELL is a Massachusetts writer who specializes in (among other things) the start of the American Revolution in and around Boston. He is particularly interested in the experiences of children in 1765-75. He has published scholarly papers and popular articles for both children and adults. He was consultant for an episode of History Detectives, and contributed to a display at Minute Man National Historic Park.

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Monday, January 18, 2010

Boston 1775 Twitter Feed, 14-16 Jan 2010

  • Sarah Palin, stalling for time, says she admires "diversity" of Founding Fathers. Something else she doesn't know: meaning of "diversity." #
  • RT @lucyinglis: Most hanged in 18thC London? Butchers (handy weapons?), weavers (poverty?), and cobblers (no bloody idea). #georgianlondon #
  • RT @kwnewton: Satan sets Pat Robertson straight in a Letter to the Editor of MINN STAR-TRIB tinyurl.com/ybhdl9e #
  • RT @LooknBackward: The Boston Newsboys' Republic in 1909 bit.ly/5UfyN1 #
  • RT @2palaver: Somerville MA slave history highlighted in new book "Ten Hills Farm" by C S Manegold- bit.ly/73pObr #
  • Nathaniel Philbrick to write account of Bunker Hill battle: bit.ly/4HMlUH #
  • RT @rarenewspapers: Insight on newspaper circulations in the 1700s -- bit.ly/4nb2Rv // grain of salt #
  • RT @rarenewspapers: Time lag in news w/analysis of Declaration of Independence printing in 1776 -- blog.rarenewspapers.com/?p=1650 #
  • COMMON-PLACE: trying to parse inside jokes in an 1802 Newport caricature - bit.ly/7u0rYs #
  • COMMON-PLACE: how a scholar approaches a history of emotion in 1700s Pennsylvania - bit.ly/6V9x4J #
  • COMMON-PLACE: Pvt. Joseph P. Martin and a soldier's hunt for food: bit.ly/525ZPj With bonus Israel Putnam! #
  • RT @history_book: Ireland and Medicine in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries (The History of Medicine in Context). j.mp/77qmlT #
  • COMMON-PLACE: overlooked list of books offers glimpse of George Wythe's and Thos. Jefferson's libraries: bit.ly/5jcmBe #
  • RT @TJMonticello: Special Architecture Tour of Monticello, now thru end of Feb. (including a trip to the Dome Room) bit.ly/4yazUy #

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Better check that escape valve of yours. There's some left-wing stink starting to build up in here.

J. L. Bell said...

That “stink” might be the cowardice that accompanies anonymous comments. I prefer the honor of expressing my views under my own name.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Anonymous. The reason I like to read about history is to excape the silly politcs of today. But even that is hard to do as authors always seem to have to slide some barb in there.

And being anonymous doesn't mean that you are a coward. It might mean that they don't want to remember yet another login name and password.
Anonymous II

Robert S. Paul said...

It's not like this is the first time J.L. Bells has expressed politics on this blog before.

I really hate that no one in this country can just peacefully disagree anymore. But then, knowing what I know of Adams and Jefferson, I guess they couldn't before, either.

J. L. Bell said...

People who are proud of their beliefs and willing to stand behind them don’t need “yet another login name and password.” They just need the courage to type their names (or even 1700s-style pseudonyms) at the end of their comments.

When public figures express themselves on eighteenth-century history and the founding of the U.S. of A., that’s completely within the scope of this website. It’s not like I’m responding to statements about the Federal Reserve or nuclear power.

I think the first anonymous comment is actually a sign of how thin-skinned fans of Sarah Palin and/or Pat Robertson are. I wrote “tweets” of fewer than 140 characters on how those politicians had embarrassed themselves, but even that was too much of a reminder for some.