Since his arrival at Hamilton, Visiting Professor of History Ty Seidule has focused on promoting respectful dialogue on challenging contemporary issues. Last fall, Seidule, along with Assistant Director of Common Ground Kaity Stewart, launched a new orientation trip option titled “Civil Discourse and Local Politics.” The Exploration Adventure trip introduced students to important local community issues and politicians. Via the College Debates and Discourse Alliance participants gained insight into navigating difficult conversations and exploring controversies constructively.
Building on these efforts, Seidule is expanding civil discourse opportunities at Hamilton with a new spring course,” Common Ground: A Laboratory for Civil Discourse.” He will use history to allow students to practice making arguments on difficult issues from our nation's past, particularly on the American Revolution and the Constitution Convention.
“I look forward to experimenting using AI with a ‘Founding Fathers Chatbot,’ developed by LITS. ... Common Ground wants to try out new ideas and new technology to promote civil discourse,” he said. The course will also include competitive role-playing games where students will don colonial attire to immerse themselves in historical debates. Seidule explained, “I'm using them [the games] to create civil discourse using history as the engine.”
Seidule also continued to speak on current issues related to his book, Robert E. Lee and Me, his work developing the Common Ground program, and the initiatives of the U.S. Naming Commission. In November, he gave the keynote address for the annual meeting of the United States Commission on Military History in Baltimore. His remarks were focused on the myth of the Lost Cause. In December, he delivered a speech at the U.S. Naval War College, and during the first week of January he participated on a panel titled “Historians Engaged in Public Policy” at the American Historical Association.
Seidule’s expertise has also been featured in prominent media outlets.
- In a Jan. 7 article in The Times (U.K.), he discussed the work of the U.S. Naming Commission and its implications for America’s 250th anniversary.
- On Jan. 10, he appeared on WCNY’s Ivory Tower, joining a panel to discuss current topics, including incoming President Trump’s remarks on Greenland and changes to Meta’s fact-checking policies.
- On Jan. 14, Seidule spoke with Spectrum News about the possible renaming of Fort Liberty in North Carolina back to Fort Bragg under the new Trump administration. The interview was broadcast by several outlets across the U.S. Confederate General Braxton Bragg was unpopular even among his own men.
Seidule’s upcoming book, A Promise Delivered, continues his focus on the legacy of Confederate history and military symbolism. The book profiles the ten Americans selected to represent U.S. military bases that were previously named after Confederate soldiers and is set for release later this year.
