Celebrating Columbus is celebrating the worst in us Brian Halpin Oct 12, 2026 “Gold is a wonderful thing! Whoever owns it is lord of all he

Part Two of Three Brian Halpin Oct 11, 2026 Our household has always been a politically aware space. As mentioned in Part One of this articl

Part One of Two Brian Halpin 24 Sep 2026 Imagine reading the following in the weeks after the killings of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd in

The secrets we uncover when we decide to ask questions... Brian Halpin Sep 15, 2026 When most amateur genealogists trace a family line back

*bad weird, not good weird Brian Halpin Sep 07, 2026 I’ve written at length elsewhere about “Hillbilly Elegy”, J. D. Vance’s work of Liberta

The Legacy of Dolly Parton in Historical Context Brian Halpin Aug 31, 2026 The death of Dolly Parton nearly broke the internet this week. Th

Tracing the Common Roots of New Yorkers and Hillbillies Brian Halpin Aug 25, 2026 The Before We Were White blog, newsletter, and podcast pro

What we don’t say often says a lot... Brian Halpin Aug 19, 2026 Read the words on the historical marker shown above. For many years now, I’v

The Song, The Songwriter, and Forever Wars Brian Halpin Aug 11, 2026 Galveston, oh Galveston Wonder if she could forget me I’d go home if th

Patriotism as show business - justice optional Brian Halpin Aug 10, 2026 Colin Rand Kaepernick is back in the news this week, a full decade

Why is the USA still the most religious western country? Brian Halpin 1 Aug 2026 I was born in the wagon of a travelling show My mama used t

A Systematic Takedown of a MAGA "Thought Leader" Brian Halpin Jul 28, 2026 What is “America”? Who gets to define what is “America”? Is “Amer

If it doesn't, it's probably just performance I'm going to start this weekend piece with a little story pulled from my own life. Like so man

The Original Epstein Files

clinging to sanity in a world run by the mad Brian Halpin Jul 06, 2026 I hope a time comes before my own death, in which people come to unde

The constitutional democratic federal republic called the USA will celebrate its 250th birthday this week. The second line of the Declaratio

DNA and Thomas Jefferson Our total genetic inheritance is of course determined more or less equally by the genes carried and passed-down to

False Heroes, Real Authoritarians, and George's Dentures

Doomsday prepping on Juneteenth

“Are you not entertained?" Is it acceptable to party while others suffer or die? Especially when the entertainment providers are among those causing the death and suffering?

Why the Past Looks Different When We Study the Details

Background to an American Tragedy

Writing this essay was kicking my ass for a week. Hope it's easier to read than write.

A reminder of an often overlooked and major component of early American colonial identity.

Why do so many multi-ethnic Americans claim to be Scots-Irish?

The Forgotten Brown People of Colonial America

Surviving a Low Information Society

From Wounded Knee to Minab

When Fake Identity Meets Real Genocide

Why Family Names Say So Little About Deep Ancestry In America

Putting the "Red" Back Into "Redneck"

The Possibility of an Inclusive Identity

Pete Hegseth and Identity Wars in the US Military

Late Stage Christianity Meets Late Stage Capitalism

Easter Morning On Easter morning all over America the peasants are frying potatoes in bacon grease. We're not supposed to have "peasants" but there are tens of millions of them frying potatoe...

If you want to understand history - real history - ChatGPT and other LLM AI are NOT reliable sources. [Subscribe - free or paid - to support our writing, and to ensure you never miss our history news...

As the USA gets drawn into another war, some straight talk. [BWWW is currently a one-person project, and extremely research heavy. Your free or paid subscription helps us toward our goal of releasing...

Why Do So Many Americans Like To Pretend They Are Indians?

MC5 [1967] left to right: Fred Smith, Michael Davis, Dennis Thompson, Wayne Kramer, Rob TynerBefore We Were White is a reader-supported publication.

[Image: Carving of St Dominic, St Patrick and St Francis over cathedral door in Clonmacnoise, County Offaly, Ireland, created circa 1460]

[Image: Homelessness in Phoenix, Arizona]

Today’s piece asks whether Americans have ever really been taught history, or is the standard American history taught in schools really just a form of cherry-picked nostalgia? [If you are a follower,...

With the world in a seemingly self-inflicted death spiral, twice-a-week history articles can seem almost frivolous. But the warmongers base their violence in lies. Knowing the truth is the absolute ...

The Electronic Intifada is an independent online news publication and educational resource focusing on Palestine, its people, politics, culture and place in the world. Founded in 2001, The Electroni...