Columbia Manor, Minneapolis

WPA, Then and Now: Digital Humanities and Minnesota History, Pt. I

As my students work on their final Citizen-Historian Project (read more here), I feel like it's only fair that I participate with them. So let's hit the Internet, hit our bikes, and log some New Deal sites around Minneapolis for the Living New Deal project!
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Rural/Urban/Suburban Divides: Spot the Difference!

We talk a lot in today’s day and age about the rural-urban divides that plague American politics. But where do those divides come from? Can we pinpoint their genesis?
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Changes to the Wellstone Action Foundation: Paul Wellstone’s Legacy and the Minnesota DFL

What was, in February, an issue among Minnesota DFLers and progressives has suddenly become emblematic of the debate happening nationwide; this time, it centers on the legacy of Paul Wellstone and the Wellstone Action Foundation. MinnPost, MPR, and national outlets made news in mid-February with reports…
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PJ Fleck, “HYPRR Elite,” and the Misuse of Minnesota History

Yesterday Minnesota Golden Gophers football went live with a new website revealing their new uniform colors and branding for the 2018 season, promising to embrace the past while creating a new future of Gopher football. Their embrace of the past, however, is lukewarm at best,…
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Al Franken’s Impending Resignation and the 40th Anniversary of the Minnesota Massacre

Amid calls from dozens of Democratic lawmakers in Washington for Minnesota Senator Al Franken (DFL) to resign in the wake of allegations of sexual assault and harassment, the Minnesota DFL must tread lightly in the upcoming months as it faces the potential for contesting three…
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Barnstorming the Midwest: Iron Range, Biwabik Edition

While my last trip to the Iron Range was doubly-immersive, acclimatizing to both the politics and the culture of Minnesota’s Northeast, this one took on more of a “business trip” feel. This was both good, because I explored the deteriorating relationship between Perpich and the…
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Barnstorming the Midwest: Iron Range, Lake Vermilion Edition

This was an unhealthy trip. And not because of the local beer, porketta, potica, and pasties.
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