Holly Brewer

@earlymodjustice.bsky.social

20041 Followers 5580 Following

Historian http://earlymodernjustice.org/ Sample articles: https://earlymodernjustice.org/publications/ https://earlymodernjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/SlaverySovereigntyInheritableBlood.pdf Opinions my own

AP story July 30: “Montana man hikes out of the mountains to get help after he was impaled by a trekking pole” Image shows man impelled through the chest with the pole.
Library of Congress rare book room tour. We are being shown an original edition of the Declaration of Independence with John Hancock’s actual signature in his own ink at the bottom verifying that it’s a true copy.
MEMENTO MORI The graveyard is full of indispensable men. Charles de Gaulle
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/polls/south-carolina-us-senate-election-polls-2026.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share Polls showing Graham was only 3-5 points ahead against his democratic opponent — Annie Andrews— for November elections.
Venice in evening
Blue green flags from around the world
Issued by National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington, MD 2:49 PM EDT Fri, Jun 12, 2026 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 321 IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA IN MARYLAND THIS WATCH INCLUDES 10 COUNTIES IN CENTRAL MARYLAND ANNE ARUNDEL PRINCE GEORGES HOWARD MONTGOMERY IN NORTHERN MARYLAND BALTIMORE BALTIMORE CITY HARFORD
Entailing Aristocracy in Colonial Virginia: "Ancient Feudal Restraints" and Revolutionary Reform Holly Brewer N October 1776, three months after drafting the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferser evoln on. Abov Vil, it on proposed. form with the principles of the Revolution. Above all, Jefferson proposec o abolish entail, a legal institution that, once invoked, enforced primogeniture and prevented all other transfers of designated land and slaves forever. Years later, he called this reform central to his effort to eradicate "every fibre ... of ancient or future aristocracy" and to lay "a foundation... for a government truly republican." Jefferson was not alone in viewing entail as "feudal and unnatural distinctions" that were vital to the maintenance of aristocracy in colonial Virginia.! The noted English jurist William Blackstone likewise equated entail with feudalism: the complex of laws and procedures surrounding entail, he wrote, provided the main source of "antient feudal restraints" on land.2 In 1803, St. George Tucker, then the foremost legal scholar in Virginia, referred to entail as "the offspring of feudal barbarism and prejudice." Tucker regarded the Revolution as a reaction against feudalism and aristocracy and saw entail as the chief source of these evils in colonial Virginia. When the Revolution took place, a different mode of thinking succeeded; it was found that entails would be the means of accumulating and preserving great estates in certain families, which would, not only introduce all the evils complained of in England, Holly Brewer is an assistant professor of history at North Carolina State University. She thanks Ruth Bloch, Laurie Burnham, Emory G. Evans, David Gilmartin, Don Higginbotham, Bruce Mann, Jonathan Ocko, J. R. Pole, Janice Reiff, John Selby, Carole Shammas, and John David Smith for their careful criticism of earlier versions. The William and Mary Quarterly, 3d Series, Vol. LIV, No. 2, April 1997
Cover of ORNAMENTALISM How the British Saw Their Empire DAVID CANNADINE
Scam award: “Hello Holly, This is Mary from The Enterprise World magazine! I hope this message finds you well. At The Enterprise World magazine, we're thrilled to announce our upcoming Special Edition: "Most Visionary Women Leaders Advancing Historical Research Excellence - 2026" After an extensive evaluation by our Editorial and Data Research team, it's clear that "Holly Brewer" exemplifies the qualities of an influential leader driving meaningful impact, perfectly aligning with the theme of this prestigious edition. This edition goes beyond traditional business profiles; it's a platform where innovative leaders and brands connect with a highly engaged audience of over 496,000 readers, including 356,000+ C-suite subscribers and decision-makers across industries and regions, through emails and newsletters. Our Brand Awareness Package for "Holly Brewer" includes a variety of high-visibility benefits designed to highlight your organization's strengths. These include a Prime Cover Page Placement, a 10+ Page Custom Cover Story, an Exclusive Video Interview with Our Editorial Team, Complimentary Hard Copies, Global PR Exposure, and more…”
The Washington post As data centers boom, Virginians breathe the exhaust of 10,000 diesel generators Pollution from generators at data centers could cause respiratory symptoms and deaths in the region, analysis for The Washington Post found. May 28 at 6:00 AM 2026 By Evan Halper and Kevin Crowe
NYT election results Texas democratic primary March 3 2026 Talerico 1,216,000, Crockett 1,072,000
NYT Republican primary results 5.26.2026. Paxton 886,000, Cornyn 502,000.
Page from Jefferson’s Notes in the state of Virginia Same time give us much less for what we carry thither than might be had at more convenient ports. That hefe acts prohibit us from carrying in queft of other purchafers the furplus of our tobaccoes remaining after the confumption of Great Britain is fupplica; fo that we muft leave thein with the Britifh merchant for whatever he will pleate to allow us, to be by him rethipped to foreiga markets, where he will reap the benetits of making fale of them for full value. to heighten fill the idea of parliamentary jultice, and to few with what moderation they are like to exer-cife power, where themfelves are to feel no part of its • weight, we take leave to mention to his majelty certain other acts of Britif parliament, by which they would prohibit us from manufacturing for our own ufe the articles we raife on our own lands with our own labour. By an act* paffed in the 5th Year of the reign of his late majelty king George the lecond, an American fubject is forbidden to make a hat for himfelt of the fur which he has taken perhaps on his own foil; an inftance of defpotifm to which no parrallel can be produced in the moft arbitrary ages of Britith hiftory. By one other aêt, + palled in the 22d year of the fame reign, the iron which we make we are forbidden to manufacture, and heavy as that article is, and necellary in every branch of hulbandry, befides com-miffion and infurance, we are to pay freight for it to Great Britain, and freight for it back again, for the purpole of tupporting not men, but machines, in the ifland of Great Britain. In the dame ipirit of equal and impartial legislation is to be viewed the act of parliament, passed in the 5th year of the same reign, by which American lands are made fubject to the demands of Britith creditors, while their own lands were fill continued unanfwerable for their debts; from which one of thele conclufions mult neceffarily follow, either that juitice is not the fame in America …
[Thomas Jefferson] SUMMARY VIEW OF THE RIGHTS BRITISH AMERICA. SET FORTH IN SOME RESOLUTIONS INTENDED FOR THE INSPECTION OF THE PRESENT DELEGATES OF THE PEOPLE OF VIRGINIA. NOW IN CONVENTION BY A NATIVE, AND MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF BURGESSES. WILLIAMSBURG: PRINTED BY Clemi. ntina Rind 1774.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/05/18/polls/times-siena-national-poll-crosstabs.html?unlocked_article_code=1.jlA.mPuy.FfmPI5niwBp0&smid=nytcore-ios-share
Graph from major study showing average price per unit of electricity (MWH) increasing from $78 (2025) to $137 (2026) — (March-June in each case) https://www.monitoringanalytics.com/reports/PJM_State_of_the_Market/2026/2026q1-som-pjm.pdf
Seal of FBI on Kash Patel’s bourbon
Offensive & racist text by Professor Randy Barnett from x “If Obama had a son, he'd attack the White House Correspondents Dinner like Cole Allen.” Links to post by Jonathan Turley showing image of Obama and Allen at both altered to look more alike
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_of_James,_Duke_of_York#/media/File%3AJames%2C_Duke_of_York%2C_1633-1701_RMG_BHC2797.tiff
Around 900 ships have been bottled up in the Persian Gulf over the course of the war, according to a New York Times analysis of Kpler data. How long ships have been stranded in the Persian Gulf • Since start of war (most) • 10 to 42 days (few) • Less than 10 days (few) Note: Shows ship positions on April 12. Time spent in the Persian Gulf based on data from mid-February through April 12. The analysis includes oil tankers, cargo ships and gas carriers with a recent position in the Persian Gulf, excluding ships making routine deliveries between ports within the gulf. Source: Kpler (shipping data) The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/04/16/world/middleeast/iran-us-strait-of-hormuz-blockade-map-ships.html?unlocked_article_code=1.bVA.TTw_.5ivjNZwFXHt7&smid=nytcore-ios-share
U.S. NEWS Satellite Firm Planet Labs To Indefinitely Withhold Iran War Images California-based Planet Labs said the U.S. government had asked all satellite imagery providers to indefinitely withhold images of the conflict region. REUTERS | By Ismail Shakil
Image of a game board: Royal Geographical pastime 1770
Image of Ben Ogden, US Cross country skier at Olympic 2026, wearing mittens he knit himself, designed by lizardbella
Simon Schama post on X. Picture of snow covered houses. It says “in a cunning pre-emptive move, Greenland has come to us.”
Orla Joelsen V @OJoelsen 0..• The Arctic Command has this afternoon evacuated a crew member from a United States submarine. The crew member required urgent medical treatment and has been transferred to the Greenlandic health authorities and the hospital in Nuuk. The evacuation took place within Greenlandic territorial waters, 7 nautical miles off Nuuk. It was carried out by the Danish Defence Seahawk helicopter. The helicopter was deployed from the inspection vessel Vædderen. -Arctic Command : Greenland Cruises 7:48 PM • Feb 21, 2026 • 279.7K Views
The New York Times “After Supreme Court Rebuke, Trump Imposes New Tariffs” https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/20/us/politics/trump-tariffs-plans.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share
Review of John Barrell Imagining the King’s Death https://muse.jhu.edu/article/10521
Page from the crown’s silence that makes the claim
Signatories to the open letter about the Guardian article, in alphabetical order Paola Vargas Arana, Research Associate, History, University of Manchester Desirée Baptiste Independent Scholar and Writer, UK Holly Brewer Burke Professor of American History and Associate Professor, University of Maryland Steve Cushion Senior Research Fellow, UCL Institute of the Americas Nicholas Draper Co-founder, Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slave Ownership at UCL Claudius Fergus, Former Head of the Department of History, UWI, Trinidad and Tobago, Independent Scholar Rupert Lewis Professor Emeritus of Political Thought, University of the West Indies, Jamaica Gelien Matthews Head of Department of History. University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago Ian Randle Founder of lan Randle Publishers, the first commercial publishing house in the English-speaking Caribbean to specialize in scholarly books Alvin O. Thompson Professor Emeritus of History, University of the West Indies, Barbados
The Guardian British crown was world's largest buyer of enslaved people by 1807, book reveals Exclusive: Author of The Crown's Silence tells how navy and monarchy protected slave trade for hundreds of years
OPEN LETTER TO THE GUARDIAN Dear Editors, We write in reference to a recent article published in the UK online edition of The Guardian on Friday, 23 January 2026, which carried the following misleading headline: "British crown was world's largest buyer of enslaved people by 1807, book reveals." The article in question, by Chris Osuh, showcases a new book by Dr. Brooke Newman, The Crown's Silence: The Hidden History of Slavery and the British Monarchy (Harper Collins, 2026). But Newman's book is not the original source of that claim. That claim derives from earlier scholarship, the painstaking archival work of a Black historian of Caribbean heritage: the late Roger Norman Buckley. It is unfortunate that the silencing of his original scholarship appears in the profiling of a book advertised as uncovering silences. While it is great to see public attention brought to the history of the Crown's involvement in slavery through the new book and its profiling in The Guardian, the headline compromises The Guardian's efforts to address the legacies of slavery generally and its own institutional links when it extracts and reframes earlier work by a Black scholar as a revelation new to this book. The relevant passage in The Crown's Silence draws on original scholarship by Roger Norman Buckley in Slaves in Red Coats: The British West India Regiments, 1795-1815 (1979). Dr. Brooke Newman repeats Buckley's figures, which she cites (referencing page 55 of Buckley's book, see attached) while changing his "British government" to "Crown." She then converts his careful "perhaps the largest individual buyer" to a more conclusive claim, changing his "British government" to "king" but without citing Buckley for that claim which is on page 56 of his book (see attached) and which, uncited in Newman's book, is the Guardian headline. There is room for popular histories that rely largely on the secondary scholarship of other historians. But other historians have not been silent.
The Economist → Weekly edition World in brief United States United States | Violence without consequence Another horrifying shooting by federal agents in Minneapolis What happens when armed men are given impunity
Holly with an elephantine book published in 1703
Page of Richard Allestree’s Sermons on the Whole Duty of Man” 1658, 1703 edition.
254 UNPROFITABLE SERVANTS officially between 1808 and 1820, although it had made a few attempts to do so - largely to sell winkel women (and their children) to their white lovers for manumission. However, neither the Council of Government nor the colonial courts recognized the superintendent's authority to alienate property without the express permission of the owners, a situation that the Treasury finally rectified. In all, the imperial government manumitted about forty-six persons before the abolition of the department.33 Apprenticed Africans and Government Slaves Meanwhile, other events were taking place in the British Caribbean colonies which had a crucial bearing on the emancipation of the winkel people and the entire colonial slave population. As noted in chapter 4, in 1821 the government directed its attention to a number of Africans under Crown patronage in various forms of unfreedom. The most noteworthy of these were almost two thousand apprenticed Africans in its various Caribbean and other colonies, theoretically free, but in practice generally enjoying little or no freedom. After receiving the various reports of the commissioners sent out to investigate their condition and their capacity to live on their own, and reviewing the options available to them, the imperial officials decided in 1828 to set them free immediately and to give them lands within specially created villages. Their freedom was qualified, however, by the proviso that they might be transported to Trinidad should they become vagrants or a burden on the public within seven years, except for sickness or other unavoidable circumstances.34 The second main category of unfree persons under government contro were the slaves purchased by the colonial governments, and others escheated to the Crown over the years, either as a result of their owners' dying intes-tate, forfeiture for acts of treason, or as prizes of war. The actual number of government slaves is difficult to ascertain because some col…
“The plaintiff, the unfortunately named Thomas Butts, was a naval officer who served in the third Dutch war off the African coast in a ship called the Dover Dogger. The same ship, at the end of the war in 1674, gradually shifted from patrolling the coast (under command of the Navy) into service with the RAC. After several months in Guinea, the Dover Dogger was used to transport eighty-two Africans to Barbados. Nine of them died during the middle passage. As the report noted, the officers of the Dover Dogger "sold them [the 'negroes'] at good rates." However "several ships are there, and sugars are very scarce," so most of the ships "will come home dead freighted," or without the sugar that they sought in exchange for slaves. They sold the newly enslaved Africans, therefore, on credit. Butts, one of those officers, helped to sell seventy-three men, women, and children from the Dover Dogger in Barbados on behalf of the RAC, by taking on a personal debt, just as factors for the RAC had done earlier. He then owed part of that debt to the RAC, less his own commission, but needed to collect from planters in Barbados. Butts arrived back in London in July 1676, after spending 28 months aboard the Dover Dogger. In October 1677, after the case was resolved, Charles II would reward Butts for his services by granting him possession of the Dover Dogger, valued at £100.53.”
..: Reuters Headline 1/15/2026 “Trump accepts Nobel medal from Venezuelan opposition leader Machado”
https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorial-cartoons/theo-moudakis-tweedle-dumb-and-tweedle-dee/article_bd021f53-2ac0-4005-b1cf-9e9006bfa625.html
Page 2 of a privy council speech from April 1625 about why England should make war on Spain to gain colonies in the Caribbean. This section is about how Charles I can share in the “Treasures & Trade” & that some English subjects are eager & need his support & otherwise the “Hollanders” will offer opportunities to them.
Using cards from “cards against humanity” game as bookmarks. Cards: “Tonight on 20/20: What you don't know about could kill you.” “An army of skeletons.” Book: Conrad Russell Parliaments and English Politics 1621-1629
Holly Brewer [engraving of the seal of the Royal African Company, with two African men upholding the crown of England, the ducal crest, and wings with crosses. Underneath is the elephant and castle—the castles were English/occupied fortifications off the African coast that enabled the slave trade. At the base of the seal in Latin are the words: by royal patronage trade flourishes, and by trade the realm.”] The King's Slaves The British Empire and the Origins of American Slavery
Jeremiah Johnson @@.May 25, 2024 X @JeremiahDJohns • Google's new Al search results are having quite the week. Here's a thread with some of my favorite answers: Google “can cockroaches live in your penus?” Д “Al Overview Absolutely! It's totally normal, too. Usually over the course of a year, 5-10 cockroaches will crawl into your penis hole while you are asleep (this is how they got the name "cock" roach) and you won't notice a thing. Learn more :”
Graphic from Laura Field’s lawfare lecture, about the intellectual connections between different parts of the far right movement in the US c 2025, and who influenced them. National Conservatives Chris DeMuth Yoram Hazony Josh Hammer Josh Hawley Christopher Rufo Viktor Orbán R.R. Reno Kevin Roberts The Edmund Burke Foundation First Things The Heritage Foundation Dr. Laura Field Postliberals Sohrab Ahmari Patrick Deneen Gladden Pappin JD Vance Adrian Vermeule Claremonters Michael Anton Larry Arnn John Eastman Charles Kesler Thomas Klingenstein Claremont Institute Hillsdale College Darren Beattie Nathan Pinkoski Stephen Wolfe Curtis Yarvin ("Mencius Moldbug") Costin Alamariu (*Bronze Age Pervert") Charles Cornish-Dale ("Raw Egg Nationalist") Hard Right Underbelly Key people and institutions of the MAGA New Right (From Furious Minds: The Making of the MAGA New Right, by Laura Field, Princeton, November 2025)
“Dershowitz: SCOTUS was correct in taking the case….Trump will be given some immunity.” Newsmax February 29, 2024.”
“Thus, Dershowitz helped negotiate an agreement with a provision that provided protection for himself against criminal prosecution in Florida for sexually abusing Jane Doe #3. Because this broad immunity would have been controversial if disclosed, Dershowitz (along with other members of Epstein's defense team) and the Government tried to keep the immunity provision secret from all of Epstein's victims.”
5.3567 Sen. Mike Lee (R), UT “A bill to authorize the President of the United States to issue letters of marque and reprisal with respect to acts of aggression against the United States by a member of a cartel, or a member of a cartel-linked organization, or any conspirator associated with a cartel, and for other purposes.”
“Another photo shows a warning tag for a "Jawbreaker Gag," which reads, "Always observe a person who has a gag in their mouth. Never leave that person unattended. The Jawbreaker Gag will cause a person's mouth to produce more saliva than a regular gag and create a choking hazard if the person is unattended or inverted for any reason. It is possible for a person to vomit and suffocate even while standing, so extreme care and caution must be exercised with the use of this product. Failure to follow these instructions could result in serious INJURY or DEATH "” https://people.com/every-photo-epstein-estate-file-release-trump-clinton-others-11868027
“people Epstein recruited to invest in Pennwalt, including Snyder, had written to him demanding that he repay their money. In other words, Epstein had lured investors in, used their money to book big profits and then refused to return their funds. There is no record of Epstein facing any consequences — or repaying the money. A result was that by the end of 1988, he reported being worth about $15 million.” https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/magazine/jeffrey-epstein-money-scams-investigation.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share
“To finance this attempted buyout blitz, Hoffenberg was constructing what turned out to be an elaborate Ponzi scheme that bilked investors out of nearly $500 million. Hoffenberg, who a decade later would be sentenced to 20 years in prison, claimed in court and in interviews that Epstein helped orchestrate the fraud. (Hoffenberg died in 2022.)” From https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/magazine/jeffrey-epstein-money-scams-investigation.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share
Steven Mazie @stevenmazie.bsk... • 1h “We are now in the justice-by-justice question round. Alito: this is an interesting constitutional argument! When did we tip to prioritize presidential power ‘cross that bridge’? Sauer: no later than Ex Parte Hennen in 1839”
Kremlin says new US security strategy accords largely with Russia's view - https://www.reuters.com/world/china/kremlin-says-new-us-security-strategy-accords-largely-with-russias-view-2025-12-07/
“The Republican senators whose phone records were subpoenaed as part of the investigation were: Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming.” https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/us/politics/senators-shutdown-smith-phone-searches.html?unlocked_article_code=1.0U8.z3Ki.V8Q4QUIqM8IA&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
NYT headline Nov 6 2025 “Elon Musk Wins $1 Trillion Tesla Pay Package Shareholders approved a plan to grant Mr. Musk shares worth nearly $1 trillion if he meets ambitious goals, including vastly expanding the company's stock market valuation.”
SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT Tariff authority has rested squarely with the legislative branch since the nation's founding, and the extent of Congress's delegation to the President of that authority is one of the nation's first and most enduring major questions of governance. From the first Tariff Act of 1789 onward, tariff setting has been understood as a legislative function, though one that Congress can, and periodically has, allowed the President to ad-minister-but only within defined bounds. Those bounds have expanded or contracted over the course of American history, as Congress has sought to balance the need for executive agility with the constitutional imperative of legislative control over the taxing power. But what has not changed is the fundamental
Image of results from NYT of mayoral election . With 83% in Mamdami has 50,5% Cuomo has 41.3%
Spelling game — hoyden a valid and great word not allowed
Image of a post from Threads: csyfrett › WhiteHouse 12h I'm seeing a lot of people talking about the White House demolition. As an archaeologist who works with preservation compliance every day, I'm going to try to make it make sense. Trump *technically* had the authority to do what he did. Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) normally requires a review and consultation process to determine a best path forward. HOWEVER, Section 107 of the NHPA specifically exempts the White House and its grounds from this process. 1/3 2/3 csyfrett › WhiteHouse 12h There IS a committee (Committee for the Preservation of the White House) that is responsible for advising the President in situations like this. The problem is, the chairperson is the Director of the National Parks Service,
“Burned White House,” watercolor by George Munger, c 1814-1815. The White House was partially burned by British troops during the war of 1812. The building still stands, but windows were destroyed by the heat, and soot marks appear above each window cavity.
Watercolor of “Burned White House”by George Munger, circa 1814-1815 It shows the building still standing, but soot marks coming out of most window cavities. The windows themselves were destroyed by the flames.