Maria Serrano is an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison majoring in History, Political Science, and Philosophy with a certificate in Political Economy, Philosophy, and Politics (PEPP) and will graduate in December of 2024. As a lifelong Wisconsinite, she is passionate about researching the state’s rich political history and impact.
By This Author:
OBJECT HISTORY: John Fox Potter’s “Monster Knife”
Measuring over six feet in length and weighing thirty-two pounds, this gigantic folding knife belonged to Wisconsin representative John Fox “Bowie Knife” Potter who was famous as a dedicated abolitionist and infamous for his willingness to use physical force on the United States House floor of the against pro-slavery southern representatives.
The Development of Progressive Politics in Wisconsin from Abolition into the Twentieth Century
The legacy of abolitionists and anti-slavery figures didn’t end with the Civil War or the abolition of slavery, indeed many of the political and moral sentiments that fueled this movement for freedom continued on and inspired other political movements in Wisconsin, particularly the Progressive movement of the late-19th and early-20th centuries and subsequently the Wisconsin Idea.
Ezekiel Gillespie, Black Suffrage, and the Wisconsin Idea
How can a state claim to be a beacon of progressive politics and democracy while simultaneously denying members of its communities their basic civil and political rights? It seems the answer lies in the fact that the Wisconsin Idea is bigger than Wisconsin itself...