Mike O'Malley
@mikeomalley.bsky.social
US history Prof. at GMU. Author most recently of The Color of Family: History, Race, and the Politics of Ancestry See https://historyarthistory.gmu.edu/people/momalle3
Delighted and honored be be part of this conversation with the National Genealogical Society about my book and about genealogy and history
October 20, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Delighted and honored be be part of this conversation with the National Genealogical Society about my book and about genealogy and history
Crowd walking across the Potomac from Arlington cemetery to the Washington monument
October 18, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Crowd walking across the Potomac from Arlington cemetery to the Washington monument
thinking of wearing this costume for no kings day events. Not as absurdist as an inflatable frog but it would go well with a sign reading Sic Semper Tyrannis, the Virginia state motto
October 14, 2025 at 9:07 PM
thinking of wearing this costume for no kings day events. Not as absurdist as an inflatable frog but it would go well with a sign reading Sic Semper Tyrannis, the Virginia state motto
From "The Forum," v. X (1889) p. 368
September 27, 2025 at 7:36 PM
From "The Forum," v. X (1889) p. 368
The South was far more militarized because of the need to quash slave rebellions. From my book:
September 25, 2025 at 12:58 PM
The South was far more militarized because of the need to quash slave rebellions. From my book:
I like this one, used it in my book
September 24, 2025 at 2:41 PM
I like this one, used it in my book
I always see this, from Fantastic Mr Fox
September 11, 2025 at 9:48 PM
I always see this, from Fantastic Mr Fox
From my book, below. With it's latest decision Roberts basically "no, the kind of race discrimination where you grab people on the street for being brown is just fine. You think he'd choke on his own stink
September 8, 2025 at 9:27 PM
From my book, below. With it's latest decision Roberts basically "no, the kind of race discrimination where you grab people on the street for being brown is just fine. You think he'd choke on his own stink
Classic Finley Peter Dunne column on this from Chicago, 1898
September 3, 2025 at 10:17 PM
Classic Finley Peter Dunne column on this from Chicago, 1898
1/5 In the Progressive Era the idea of credentialed expertise took hold. In 1870 the guy building a bridge or sewer system might have practical experience but no degree, or maybe just get the job as a reward for supporting a politician. A dentist might have no medical training at all in 1870.
August 30, 2025 at 12:22 PM
1/5 In the Progressive Era the idea of credentialed expertise took hold. In 1870 the guy building a bridge or sewer system might have practical experience but no degree, or maybe just get the job as a reward for supporting a politician. A dentist might have no medical training at all in 1870.
1/1 I was interested in this 2019 case, which struck down the requirement to give a race when getting married in Virginia
August 15, 2025 at 4:22 PM
1/1 I was interested in this 2019 case, which struck down the requirement to give a race when getting married in Virginia
Just got this down after 25 years in the attic. It still boots up!
Wrote my dissertation and my first book on this now useless object.
Wrote my dissertation and my first book on this now useless object.
August 6, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Just got this down after 25 years in the attic. It still boots up!
Wrote my dissertation and my first book on this now useless object.
Wrote my dissertation and my first book on this now useless object.
I did a blog post on this exact point fifteen years ago!
August 2, 2025 at 11:07 AM
I did a blog post on this exact point fifteen years ago!
The epilogue of my book The Color of Family document the case of three couples who sued Virginia because the application for a marriage license required them to assign themselves a race. Like Mamdani, they had only choices the did not describe them.
July 7, 2025 at 8:42 PM
The epilogue of my book The Color of Family document the case of three couples who sued Virginia because the application for a marriage license required them to assign themselves a race. Like Mamdani, they had only choices the did not describe them.
3/ I modified the images to look like night. At one point, clicking on a specific image brought up a business proposition. You had to decide whether to accept it. The final assignment was to write a detective story based on the primary sources uncovered in the course of the game.
June 30, 2025 at 4:15 PM
3/ I modified the images to look like night. At one point, clicking on a specific image brought up a business proposition. You had to decide whether to accept it. The final assignment was to write a detective story based on the primary sources uncovered in the course of the game.
2/The internet was still new enough that some students didn’t click on the screen, they just looked at it and gave up. If they clicked they found themselves on a “street” with four sites they could explore: the movie theater, the newsstand, the saloon, and the police station
June 30, 2025 at 4:14 PM
2/The internet was still new enough that some students didn’t click on the screen, they just looked at it and gave up. If they clicked they found themselves on a “street” with four sites they could explore: the movie theater, the newsstand, the saloon, and the police station
1/ Almost 30 years ago I made a game-like course in American history, “Magic,Illusion, and Detection,” in which students would explore different sites and primary sources. The course explored the double fascination with identity tracking/detection and escape. This was the splash screen
June 30, 2025 at 4:13 PM
1/ Almost 30 years ago I made a game-like course in American history, “Magic,Illusion, and Detection,” in which students would explore different sites and primary sources. The course explored the double fascination with identity tracking/detection and escape. This was the splash screen
If you're interested in an alternative take on Irish history I highly recommend Conor McCabe and this teach-in
events.humanitix.com/capitalshost
events.humanitix.com/capitalshost
June 21, 2025 at 12:07 PM
If you're interested in an alternative take on Irish history I highly recommend Conor McCabe and this teach-in
events.humanitix.com/capitalshost
events.humanitix.com/capitalshost