George Orwell’s 1984 taught us that language—and who uses it—truly does matter. In the case of educating Texan youth about American history, language matters a great deal. McGraw-Hill Education’s current geography textbook, approved for Texas high schools, refers to African slaves as “workers” in a chapter on immigration patterns. Other linguistic sleights of hand include using the passive voice to obscure slave owner’s brutal treatment of slaves. It appears we have a Ministry of Truth at work after all, just like the one where Orwell’s ill-fated hero Winston Smith worked, rewriting history. The fact is especially disconcerting, as Texas is the largest consumer of textbooks. Read more →

On the 175th anniversary of The Amistad's capture, historian Marcus Rediker takes us back to a time when the idea of “black pirates” would ignite the imagination of early America and take these 53 Africans on a journey from the holds of a slave ship to the halls of the Supreme Court and beyond. Read more →

Historian Marcus Rediker—author of the new book 'Outlaws of the Atlantic: Sailors, Pirates, and Motley Crews in the Age of Sail—discusses the surreal and evocative paintings of Haitian artist Frantz Zéphirin, whose intricate work combines vodou, politics, and history. Read more →