Thomas Mackaman Explained

Thomas Mackaman (born 1975) is a historian and member of the Socialist Equality Party.^[1] He is a professor of history at Kings College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.^[2] Mackaman is noted for his writing and interviews with prominent historians challenging the New York Times' 1619 Project, first published on the World Socialist Web Site.^[3]

Education and career

Mackaman attended University of Minnesota for his BA in history.^[4] He earned his PhD in history at the University of Illinois.^[5] While at Illinois, Mackaman won awards for undergraduate teaching from the university.^{[6] [7]} In 2023 he was named John H.A. Whitman Distinguished Service Professor.^[8]

Mackaman's New Immigrants and the Radicalization of American Labor was published in 2017.^[9]   Mackaman has written on labor history, immigration history, and American history.^[10] He is active in public labor history, serving on the Anthracite Heritage Foundation^[11] and helped secure a historical marker for the 1919 Baltimore Mine Tunnel disaster.^[12]

1619 Project Controversy

After the publication of the New York Times’ 1619 Project, Mackaman conducted interviews with a number of noted historians, including James McPherson, Gordon S. Wood, James Oakes, Clayborne Carson, and Richard Carwardine. The interviews, which asserted that the 1619 Project had committed conceptual and factual errors, drew significant media attention^{[13] [14]} and were attacked on social media by project creator, Nikole Hannah-Jones.^[15] The interviews, along with essays by Mackaman, David North, and other writers, were assembled in a book, The New York Times and Racialist Falsification of History.^[16]

Socialist Equality Party

Mackaman ran for state legislature in Illinois in 2004 as a Socialist Equality Party candidate in the 103rd District covering the Champaign-Urbana area.^[17] The state Democratic Party attempted to keep his name off the ballot by challenging the veracity of petitions, but the state election board ruled against the Democrats’ claims.^{[18] [19]} Mackaman won 3.52% of the vote, while Democrat Naomi Jakobsson was returned to the Illinois House of Representatives.^[20]

Mackaman has written extensively for the World Socialist Web Site, especially on topics related to American history.^[21]

Works

• David North, Tom Mackaman: The New York Times’ 1619 Project and the Racialist Falsification of History (2021)
• Thomas Mackaman: New Immigrants and the Radicalization of American Labor, 1914-1924 (2017)
• Shannon Jones, Tom Mackaman: Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation
• Tom Mackaman: 40 Years since the PATCO Strike
• Tom Mackaman: Thirty Years Since the PATCO Strike

Notes and References

1. Web site: Chima . Eric . 2004-10-22 . House candidates debate education . 2024-01-27 . The Daily Illini.
2. Web site: History Faculty King's College . 2024-01-27 . www.kings.edu.
3. Web site: Kaufman . Elliot . 16 December 2019 . The '1619 Project' Gets Schooled . Wall Street Journal.
4. Web site: First Belting Scholar in American History . History at Illinois.
5. Web site: Recent PhD Employment and Postdocs Department of History UIUC . 2024-01-27 . history.illinois.edu . en.
6. Web site: 2006-04-01 . More Excellence in Teaching College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at Illinois . 2024-01-27 . las.illinois.edu . en.
7. Web site: Payne . Mare . Twenty-one at Illinois to be honored for excellence in teaching and advising . 2024-01-27 . news.illinois.edu . en-US.
8. Web site: Five King's faculty receive teaching awards . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231004123331/https://www.kings.edu/news/faculty-awards-2018 . October 4, 2023 . January 28, 2024 . King's College.
9. Web site: Zimmer . Kenyon . 1 September 2018 . New Immigrants and the Radicalization of American Labor, 1914–1924 by Thomas Mackaman . Duke University Press.
10. Multiple sources:
    • Web site: 2022-10-10 . Eugene V. Debs and the struggle of railroaders . 2024-01-27 . World Socialist Web Site . en.
    • Web site: 2015-03-24 . The Coming of the American Revolution . 2024-01-27 . World Socialist Web Site . en.
    • Web site: 2023-04-21 . Biden's "Irish roots" and the attack on migrants . 2024-01-27 . World Socialist Web Site . en.
    • Book: A history of American literature and culture of the First World War . 2021 . Cambridge University Press . 978-1-108-47532-7 . Dayton . Tim . Cambridge, United Kingdom; New York, NY . 1202969026 . Van Wienen . Mark W..
11. Web site: Irish Scholar to Give Lecture on Irish Migration to Northeastern Pennsylvania King's College . 2024-01-27 . www.kings.edu.
12. Web site: Coal Zoom Fire in the Hole - The 100th Anniversary of Baltimore Mine Tunnel Disaster . 2024-01-27 . coalzoom.com.
13. Web site: Dreher . Rod . 2019-11-29 . Leftists Attack The '1619 Project' . 2024-01-27 . The American Conservative . en-US.
14. Web site: The Way of Improvement Leads Home: American History, Religion, Politics, and Academic life.: The 1619 Project on Apple Podcasts . 2024-01-27 . Apple Podcasts . en-US.
15. Web site: Magness . Phillip W. . 2022-03-29 . The 1619 Project Unrepentantly Pushes Junk History . 2024-01-27 . Reason.com . en-US.
16. Web site: renegadesouth . 2021-03-09 . Now in Print: An Edited Collection of Historical Criticism and Political Analysis of the NYT's 1619 Project . 2024-01-27 . Renegade South . en.
17. Web site: Clements . Kate . 2004-10-24 . Three choices for 103rd District voters . 2024-01-27 . The News-Gazette . en.
18. Web site: 2004-07-01 . Democrats move to keep SEP candidate off Illinois ballot . 2024-01-27 . World Socialist Web Site . en.
19. Web site: NADER v. ILLINOIS STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS (2004) . FindLaw.
20. Web site: Clements . Kate . 2006-11-08 . Jakobsson cruises to another House term . 2024-01-27 . The News-Gazette . en.
21. Web site: Tom Mackaman - World Socialist Web Site . 2024-01-27 . www.wsws.org.