Gary May

Gary May is professor of history emeritus at the University of Delaware and the author of Bending Toward Justice: The Voting Rights Act and the Transformation of American Democracy.

230523-may-grandfather-music-casablanca-hero_abslnz

‘romantic crap’

‘Casablanca’ Once Had So Many Songs It Was Almost a Musical

No one at Warner Bros. had the slightest idea that “Casablanca” would one day be called the greatest movie ever made.

Gary May

FREEDOM DAY

The Day Voting Rights Finally Got Traction in Selma, Alabama

James Forman is a name often overlooked in Civil Rights history, but he was the hands-on organizer behind a crucial 1963 push for voter registration.

Gary May

LOST TREASURE

How James Taylor Fell for My Grandfather's 83-Year-Old Song

Taylor’s just released his tribute to the American Songbook, “American Standard,” with classics by Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Loewe, and… Moe Jerome. How’d that happen?

Gary May

TUNESMITH

How a PTSD Vet From WWI Inspired a #1 Hit Song

Moe Jerome was a successful songwriter on Tin Pan Alley and then in Hollywood, but his biggest hit was inspired by his brother-in-law, who suffered shell shock in the WWI trenches.

Gary May

articles/2016/08/14/the-presidential-debates-will-almost-surely-decide-the-election/160811-may-election-debates-tease_dfnf7g

GAME CHANGER

Why Debates Will Decide the Election

Beginning with the televised debate between John Kennedy and Richard Nixon, the perceived winner of the presidential debates has gone on to occupy the White House.

Gary May

Gary May

‘Casablanca’ Once Had So Many Songs It Was Almost a Musical

The Day Voting Rights Finally Got Traction in Selma, Alabama

How James Taylor Fell for My Grandfather's 83-Year-Old Song

How a PTSD Vet From WWI Inspired a #1 Hit Song

Why Debates Will Decide the Election

The GOP’s Weird Silence on Voting Rights

A Voting Rights Q&A to Stump the GOP

The Almost Forgotten Selma March

The Riot That Sparked the Selma March

MLK's Deal That Turned The South Red