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New York and Robert E. Lee

New York State has the potential to seize a leadership position in the national discussion over the Robert E. Lee statues and the place of slavery and the Confederacy in American history. It can do so not because pre-Civil War Lee was stationed in New York while he was part of the military [and not […]

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Path through History 5th Anniversary, August 28, 2017

Governor Cuomo Unveils New York’s “Path Through History” to Support Tourism and Economic Development, and Highlight the State’s Historic Past (Press release, August 28, 2012) On August 28, 2012, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the creation of the Path through History at a conference at Empire State Plaza. According to the press release, the Path through […]

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Teaching Local History by Walking Around: 3 Case Studies

Three case studies involving teaching local history by walking around were presented at the annual Teaching Hudson Valley Conference (THV), July 25-27, at the Henry Wallace Visitor and Education Center at the FDR Home and Presidential Library. Ironically given my recent series on Imperiled Promise: The State of History in the National Park Service, here […]

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History Peril Post-Mortem

What has happened since the NPS-commissioned study “Imperiled Promise: The State of History in the National Park Service” in 2011? In 2012, the authors of the study participated in a discussion published in The George Wright Forum (29 2012:246-263). I was able to download this publication because I have access to academic journals. One of […]

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The New York History Alliance

There is, of course, no New York History Alliance. There is however a Massachusetts History Alliance.  On June 12, 2017, the Massachusetts History Alliance held the 13th annual Massachusetts History Conference with the theme of Igniting a Passion for History. New York does not have an annual history conference and who is responsible for igniting […]

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The Final Six Findings: Ending the History Peril

In this post, I review the final six findings and conclusion of Imperiled Promise: The State of History in the National Park Service. Readers should keep in mind the relation of these findings to the history community as a whole including state, municipal, and private organizations. FINDING 7: PRODUCTIVE AND ENDURING PARTNERSHIPS FOR HISTORY When […]

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Fulfilling the Promise: Recommendations to End the Peril of History (PART V)

In part 3 of the study on the state of history in the National Park Service, the authors turn to the findings and recommendations. The section carries the ominous title “The Endangered and Fragmented State of History in the NPS.” The opening paragraph uses such words as “an afterthought,” “stagnant and irrelevant,” “erratic,” “underfunded, undervalued, […]

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Imperiled Promises: Successful NPS Case Studies (Part IV)

The report Imperiled Promises isn’t all doom and gloom. It does cite some examples of successful work already being done within the NPS prior to the recommendations listed in the report. In this post, I will focus on the examples primarily related to New York and offer some comments. African Burial Ground National Monument One […]

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Funding Deadline Coming Up

With the approach of the funding deadline for REDC awards for2017 fast approaching, I received this email in my own region. Dear Colleague: The CFA Application Deadline is just 2 weeks away. All applications must be submitted through the portal (https://apps.cio.ny.gov/apps/cfa/) by July 28, 2017 at 4:00pm sharp. Round 7 Resources available on the REDC […]

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