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Dr. Mandy Cooper

@mlcooper.bsky.social
3.4K followers 1.4K following 253 posts

Historian. UNC Professor. Duke PhD. Emotion, gender, families, business, & politics in 19c US. True Maroon. Phil. 4:13. Opinions mine. mandycooperphd.com

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Reposted by Dr. Mandy Cooper
Karin Wulf @kawulf.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Family history and genealogy, media juicing up controversy and fawning over science while failing to get that yes the historical analysis was conclusive. I couldn't not write about this! Shorter: just read @agordonreed.bsky.social. karinwulf.com/trove/the-fa...
karinwulf.com
The Family History of Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson, and the Politics of Genealogy. - Karin Wulf
[The cover image is a page from Jefferson’s “Farm Book” at the Massachusetts Historical Society where he listed enslaved recipients of “Bread” at Monticello in 1810 –including Sally Hemings and four o...
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Dr. Mandy Cooper @mlcooper.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
1st day of the semester! (Let's be real, it was way too hot for the blazer except for the photo)
Photo of smiling blonde woman wearing a blue blazer Photo of the same woman without the blazer
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Jason Herbert @herberthistory.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Get your top five lists ready because it's time for the Historians At The Movies 8TH ANNIVERSARY WATCH PARTY. Join us on Netflix this Sunday, July 19th at 8pm eastern for HIGH FIDELITY. I can't believe we are still doing this so share this post widely and keep #HATM rocking and rolling.
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Dr. Mandy Cooper @mlcooper.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
I sent my manuscript to readers for my book workshop a couple of weeks ago & decided to add up the word count today... 127,777 in total! We'll see how that changes after the workshop, but for now I'm cruising right under the total I told the press 😂
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Dr. Mandy Cooper @mlcooper.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
It's been a week, y'all.. So, cheers
Bottles of Penelope Rio and Weller full proof bourbon sitting on a shelf
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Karin Wulf @kawulf.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
I’m rarely at a loss for words but today I don’t have many for the enormity and the complexity of Gordon Wood’s legacy - I was inspired by his work even as I agreed with about 1/2 and was often irritated by the rest. RIP. A real one. www.brown.edu/news/2026-06...
brown.edu
Passages: Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and Brown professor emeritus of history Gordon S. Wood
The prolific and preeminent historian of the American Revolution who taught at Brown for nearly four decades died on Sunday, June 7, at age 92.
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Dr. Mandy Cooper @mlcooper.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
I've been asked to speak somewhere locally, and they've asked what my typical rate is. It's been a few years since I've asked this, so I thought I'd check in -- what are y'all's typical honoraria these days? #skystorians 🗃
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Jason Herbert @herberthistory.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
This week Historians At The Movies is singing about the history of suffrage in America. Join us on PBS this Sunday, May 24 at 8pm eastern for SUFFS. If you like a little different side of history, then share this post and keep #HATM growing. See ya there.
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Dr. Mandy Cooper @mlcooper.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
Cheers to the end of the semester! (And year 1 at UNC)
Bottle of woodford bourbon sitting on a wooden shelf beside a glass of bourbon
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Dr. Mandy Cooper @mlcooper.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Whew! Looks like I finished grading and submitted grades just in time!
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Karin Wulf @kawulf.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Forget Dad Books. MORE MOM BOOKS. Here are 4 excellent, insightful books about mothers and mothering in early America and beyond. Likely available second hand, too, for modeling reuse and recycle.
Four books on a medium dark beat up wooden table top. Mother is a Verb by Sarah Knott, Maternal Bodies by Nora Doyle, Revolutionary Conceptions by Susan Klepp, Laboring Women by Jennifer Morgan.
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Dr. Mandy Cooper @mlcooper.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
In case anyone else needs to see this today, here's what 1 of my students in my American democracy class wrote in their semester reflection:
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Rachel Shelden @rachelshelden.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
I don't think it's a coincidence that lots of folks are publishing books this year that explain/contextualize this #SCOTUS & the current moment. Some to look for (& if you've got one I've missed, pls add!). Mine, the Political Supreme Court, will be out in October 1/ uncpress.org/978146969713...
uncpress.org
The Political Supreme Court
Today’s Supreme Court justices bristle at the label “politicians in robes,” insisting that they operate above the fray of partisan politics. But for th...
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Dr. Mandy Cooper @mlcooper.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
I have a 3:30 class on LDOC. Currently accepting bets for just how many of my students will actually show up. (There have been activities since 11. There's a cookout starting at 3, and games, etc. starting at 4....)
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Melissa Johnson, PhD @ladyhistorian.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Favorite books about women's history? Any time period, any geographic location. It's for a thing
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Karin Wulf @kawulf.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
And true beyond the US! The anomaly of the mid 20th c being mistaken for the norm has so many implications — As does History popular and academic often ignoring rather than centering history of family.
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Dr. Mandy Cooper @mlcooper.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
My students, y'all. Anytime I need to feel better about something, or need some perspective amidst everything going on, (and remember why I do what I do), I just read their reading journals. This week's insight is from a freshman in my class on American democracy:
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Dr. Mandy Cooper @mlcooper.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
I went to QuiltCon this weekend, & I'm still thinking about some of the amazing resistance quilts. These two have stuck with me, but there were so many more.
Photo of a quilt made to look like a sheet of notebook paper with the words: "This is the part of history that makes school kids ask why didn't anyone do anything to stop them?:Artist statement for "The Part of History" by Karin Rabe. Quilt by Maritza Soto with the words "Nobody's free until everybody's free". Maritza Soto's artist statement for the quilt "Nobody's Free Until Everybody's Free."
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Dr. Mandy Cooper @mlcooper.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
I'm reading through my students' reflections on our discussion of federalism at the local level in the early US, & WOW. One said: "federalism is not just a technical division of powers written in the Constitution. It is a system that allows local variation, negotiation, & sometimes resistance."
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Dr. Mandy Cooper @mlcooper.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
With so much going on in the world, reading my students' journals every week gives me hope. One student said this: "Starting with women’s experiences this week made me appreciate how historical narratives can change when we look to uncover the lives that the archive was never designed to preserve"
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Dr. Mandy Cooper @mlcooper.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
It's the 1st day of the spring semester, & for the 1st time in about 10 years, I was able to completely disconnect over the winter break & not check email. Every other year I've been anxiously waiting on emails about various jobs. I didn't realize how badly I needed that true break until I had it
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Dr. Mandy Cooper @mlcooper.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
1st day of the semester!
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Dr. Mandy Cooper @mlcooper.bsky.social · 01/01/2026
Happy New Year!
Bottle of champagne and two glasses of champagne
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Dr. Mandy Cooper @mlcooper.bsky.social · 26/12/2025
Merry Christmas to all who celebrate!
Old fashioned cocktail in front of a Christmas tree
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Dr. Mandy Cooper @mlcooper.bsky.social · 24/12/2025
Cheers to the holiday season!
Glass of bourbon and bottle of A Midwinter Nights Dram of bourbon sitting on a table in front of a Christmas tree
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Dr. Mandy Cooper @mlcooper.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
This! I study several interrelated families, and I can tell you at a glance who wrote it. (And which ones I can't skim because their writing is so horrible)
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Erin Grievances @erinbartram.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
When we say "no, everything hasn't been digitized," I need you to understand that we really mean is that virtually nothing has been digitized. This is because the realm of primary sources that historians use is incomprehensibly large.
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Dr. Mandy Cooper @mlcooper.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
Final grades submitted, which means my first semester at UNC is at an end! Thankful for a fantastic semester with some wonderful students. (And, now, thankful for a break!)
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Dr. Mandy Cooper @mlcooper.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
Snow/ice day + daycare closure + finals grading season means the toddler gets to watch a lot of @msrachelforlittles.bsky.social while mama grades! #academicmamalife
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Dr. Mandy Cooper @mlcooper.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
Last night while in the car after my department's holiday party, my 2 year old looked around & said, "Gooo Duke!" . . . Next year, I'll have her saying it at the party!
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Dr. Mandy Cooper @mlcooper.bsky.social · 10/11/2025
Back to reality this morning after a fantastic trip to St. Pete's for #2025SHA! Had the chance to catch up with some amazing friends and hear about some fascinating new work. See y'all in Atlanta!
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Dr. Mandy Cooper @mlcooper.bsky.social · 07/11/2025
Packed house for a fantastic panel on campus histories at #2025SHA
5 panelists seated at a table in front of an audience
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Dr. Mandy Cooper @mlcooper.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
Caffeinated and on my way to Tampa! See you soon #2025SHA!
Hand holding a to go cup of coffee
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Dr. Mandy Cooper @mlcooper.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
Look at these amazing panels featuring SAWH members! Really looking forward ro #2025SHA
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Business History Conference @businesshistoryc.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
Important Call for Submissions – Business History Conference 2026 Awards thebhc.org/prizes The Herman E. Krooss Prize honors the best Ph.D. dissertation in business history completed within the past three years. Proposals are due November 14. #bizhis #phd #doctoral #BHC2026
thebhc.org
Prizes | The Business History Conference
For scholars who have contributed in major ways to the field of business history
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SAWH @sawh1970.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
We look forward to seeing everyone in St. Pete Beach later this week at #2025SHA. please excuse our typo in the flyer - the Friday Annual Address and reception is at 4:30 pm!
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TheSouthernSHA @thesouthernsha.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
Our next JSW will be held this Thursday, October 16, from 4:30 - 5:30 EST! Dr. Ross Nedervelt will present "Striking from the Western Gibraltar.” Complete this form to receive the paper and Zoom link:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScH_mQ0N-3vFycR6pGE0yDG6XSSey9333OpKIp-v9W8RGnIdA/viewform
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Richards Center Penn State @richardscenter.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
APPLICATIONS CLOSE IN TWO WEEKS! We're looking for TWO postdoctoral scholars in African American history and history of the Civil War era. Fellowships are for two years, and the anticipated start date is July 1, 2026. The deadline to apply is NOVEMBER 1! Links in the replies below.
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Dr. Mandy Cooper @mlcooper.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
Me, when my first year students start to use their weekly journals to bring together stuff we discussed earlier this semester and talk about the difference between law on the books and law on the ground
media.tenor.com
a little girl wearing sunglasses and a blue dress is dancing on the floor .
ALT: a little girl wearing sunglasses and a blue dress is dancing on the floor .
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Dr. Mandy Cooper @mlcooper.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
SO looking forward to the @sawh1970.bsky.social breakfast at #2025SHA! It's always one of my favorite events.
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SAWH @sawh1970.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
Who's ready for #2025SHA? The annual SAWH breakfast is 30 days away. Register now. The beloved SAWH Member & Graduate Student Breakfast is 8 am on Friday, Nov 7. Tickets can be purchased here: thesawh.org/sawh-confere...
thesawh.org
Annual Member & Grad Student Breakfast at SHA | SAWH
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Dr. Mandy Cooper @mlcooper.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
With *waves hand* everything going on, writing has been difficult. BUT, the last few weeks I've finally figured out how to address a few stumbling blocks (including one that I've been trying to wrangle for literally 2 years) & am finally feeling energized for writing again.
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TheSouthernSHA @thesouthernsha.bsky.social · 03/10/2025
Coming to the annual meeting for the first time? Join us on the South Lawn, Thursday 1:15-2 PM for the First Time Attendees Reception! Hope to see you there!
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TheSouthernSHA @thesouthernsha.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
Attending the annual meeting? Be sure to check out the Public Square in the book exhibit. We've got lots of great programming throughout the conference!
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Kathleen DuVal @kathleenduval.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
“Our students need … deep context to fulfill their role as citizens, and to feel that they have a stake in the future of the country we share.” www.publicedworks.org/2025/09/hist...
publicedworks.org
History’s role in guiding NC students - Public Ed Works
EDITOR’S NOTE: The State Archives of North Carolina will host a free public discussion among four distinguished UNC-Chapel Hill historians on teaching the Foundations of American Democracy from 5:30-7...
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Dr. Mandy Cooper @mlcooper.bsky.social · 07/09/2025
#HailState!
media.tenor.com
a man in a leather jacket is holding a glass and says " and the only prescription "
ALT: a man in a leather jacket is holding a glass and says " and the only prescription "
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Dr. Mandy Cooper @mlcooper.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
YES! It's not just performing either. When I'm teaching, I use what I think of as my professor persona-- it's part evangelist, part comedian, & part my normal self. The other aspect of this is the huge emotional labor involved--we still have to perform even if it's a bad day for whatever reason
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Dr. Mandy Cooper @mlcooper.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
This thread is fantastic
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Dr. Mandy Cooper @mlcooper.bsky.social · 29/08/2025
There's nothing like walking across campus on a cool morning with a good coffee
Hand holding a coffee cup with trees and a brick walkway in the background
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