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Timothy Messer-Kruse

@profmk.bsky.social

Professor of Cultural Studies at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Eclectic debunker of cherished American myths. Currently working on a comprehensive history of civics education. https://blogs.bgsu.edu/tmesser/

433 Posts2424 Follower994 Folgt
Timothy Messer-Kruse@profmk.bsky.social · last wk.

Its an honor to be attacked by the National Association of Scholars. Their version of "scholarship" is to ban anything outside of their rightwing views. Dent couldn't find anything untrue in my book so all he does is whine that I don't celebrate the USA enough. mindingthecampus.org/2026/07/27/s...

SB 1 Can't Stop Classroom Indoctrination — Minding The Campus

The 2025 Advance Ohio Higher Education Act (SB1) mandates an American civics course for all undergraduates in public colleges and universities and requires reading several historic documents for this ...

mindingthecampus.org

Timothy Messer-Kruse@profmk.bsky.social · last mo.

Civics boosters misquote the Founders: "Washington was more specific about the role of civic instruction in the nation’s long-term viability: A primary object should be the education or our youth in the science of government..." What he really said was: 1/2 www.educationnext.org/250-reasons-...

250 Reasons This Is the Time for a Renaissance in Civic Education

Virginia embraced an effort to renew students’ patriotic zeal that could be a blueprint for other states

educationnext.org

Timothy Messer-Kruse@profmk.bsky.social · last mo.

Deja Vu: "The term 'civics' has come into much disrepute...and no wonder when one thinks of the dry-as-dust stuff that has so long masqueraded under that name...The pupil has been lucky [to] escape penal servitude for one awful winter, while he memorized the federal constitution." (Arthur Dunn 1907)

Timothy Messer-Kruse@profmk.bsky.social · last mo.

Here we go again. Readers Digest explains why we have an electoral college without class, without mentioning the Founders intent to preserve estates from the poor. Madison said the Senate should “represent the wealth of the nation” for crying out loud. www.rd.com/article/why-...

Why Did the Founders Create the Electoral College—And Why Do We Still Have It?

It’s a defining feature of our constitutional republic, not to mention a confusing and highly controversial one. Here’s what to know.

rd.com

Timothy Messer-Kruse@profmk.bsky.social · 2mo ago

I haven’t posted about AI even though I’ve been actively trying to figure out the edges of its usefulness for qualitative research. I’ve built some powerful applications that involve searching large archives of text conceptually. Calling current LLMs ‘word predictors’ is wildly inaccurate.

Timothy Messer-Kruse@profmk.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Conservatives claim to believe in meritocracy and responsibility but when they fail their powerful buddies always bail them out. University of Iowa's struggling Center for Intellectual Freedom faces required expansion due to law www.yahoo.com/news/politic... via @@YahooNews

University of Iowa's struggling Center for Intellectual Freedom faces required expansion due to law

The Iowa Board of Regents is trying to figure out how the University of Iowa's struggling Center for Intellectual Freedom will be able to handle a new state law requiring all students to take two clas...

yahoo.com

Timothy Messer-Kruse@profmk.bsky.social · 2mo ago

To conservatives trying to take over higher ed with a Trojan Horse of civics. Stop claiming the Founders supported your agenda. Civics as a concept was not widespread till the 1820s. The term ‘civics’ was not coined till 1885. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Timothy Messer-Kruse@profmk.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Reading early 19c pamphlets debating whether Catholic immigrants should be afforded due process and ran across this verse no Christian nationalist ever quotes: LEV. 24:22. YE SHALL HAVE ONE MANNER OF LAW, AS WELL FOR THE STRANGER, AS FOR ONE OF YOUR OWN COUNTRY: FOR I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD.

Bild
Timothy Messer-Kruse@profmk.bsky.social · 3mo ago

What began as a review of Wood's well-written and deeply researched book turned into a wider critique of the pervasive hagiography of 18c abolitionist studies. It has long confused antislavery and anti-racism and been blind to its pervasive white supremacy. networks.h-net.org/group/review...

Messer-Kruse on Wood, 'Let the Oppressed Go Free: Abolitionism in Colonial and Revolutionary America' | H-Net

Wood, Nicholas P.. Let the Oppressed Go Free: Abolitionism in Colonial and Revolutionary America. : University of Pennsylvania Press, 2025. 371 pp. $45.00 (cloth), ISBN 9781512828320. Reviewed by Timo...

networks.h-net.org

Timothy Messer-Kruse@profmk.bsky.social · 4mo ago

“The latest ​round brings Starcloud's total funding to $200 million, with ​the…company having raised $34 million…from investors including Andreessen…and In-Q-Tel, the Central ​Intelligence Agency's venture capital firm.” Wait, the CIA is a venture capitalist? What? www.reuters.com/business/ret...

Starcloud reaches $1.1 billion valuation as AI space race heats up

Orbital compute infrastructure startup Starcloud has raised $170 million at a $1.1 billion ‌valuation, as companies including Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin race to move power-hungry A...

reuters.com