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J.M. Opal

Associate Professor of History, McGill University
Jason Opal teaches history at McGill University and is the author of Avenging the People: Andrew Jackson, the Rule of Law, and the American Nation, published by Oxford University Press.

Jason Opal studies colonial North America, the American Revolution, and the early decades of the United States. His work tries to integrate social, cultural, and intellectual history and to shed light on such broad topics as nationalism, capitalism, and democracy.

Opal did his undergraduate work at Cornell and his doctoral studies at Brandeis, where he worked with historians such as Jane Kamensky, David Hackett Fischer, and James T. Kloppenberg. His first major project was on the cultural transformation of ambition in the post-Revolutionary New England countryside. It resulted in a 2004 Journal of American History article that won the Organization of American Historians’ Binkley-Stephenson Award and in a 2008 book, Beyond the Farm: National Ambitions in Rural New England, published by the University of Pennsylvania Press. His second book project focused on the southern borderlands of the American Revolution and on the rise of Andrew Jackson as the leader of an American national concept rooted in the desire for vengeance. Supported by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council grant, this project culminated in the 2017 book, Avenging the People: Andrew Jackson, the Rule of Law, and the American Nation by Oxford University Press. His new projects include a global history of Barbados and a collaborative project with his father, Dr. Steven M. Opal, on the history of epidemic diseases in American life.

At McGill, Opal teaches surveys of the early United States and the American Revolution as well as more specialized courses on the history of slavery, U.S. foreign relations, democracy, and the family.

The U.S. Founding Fathers would want us to get the COVID-19 vaccine

Jan 19, 2021 05:48 am UTC| Politics Insights & Views

With the United States Capitol overrun by Trumps deplorables, it was easy to miss the other calamity that hit America last week: the pace of COVID-19 deaths hit a frightful new high. In Los Angeles County, a victim now...

The resilience of Barbados counters Trump's 'sh-thole' remarks

Nov 14, 2018 11:46 am UTC| Insights & Views

In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, former attorney and future inmate Michael Cohen revealed some of the uglier things Donald Trump said to him during their many years together. Among the alleged quotes: Name one...

The elimination of smallpox showed how humans can work together to solve deadly global problems

Oct 04, 2018 14:22 pm UTC| Insights & Views Health

If you were to watch a split-screen broadcast with global weather on one side and world politics on the other, you could easily conclude that we are doomed. Prodigious storms and killer heat waves announce the arrival...

Location, location, location: Trump has the best spot in American politics

Sep 10, 2018 13:51 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

How long until hes impeached? Canadian observers of the political dumpster fire down south are right to pose this question, for the list of scandals and offences is long and growing. One week, we learn about...

Economy

The idea that US interest rates will stay higher for longer is probably wrong

The 0.4% rise in US consumer prices in March didnt look like headline news. It was the same as the February increase, and the year-on-year rise of 3.5% is still sharply down from 5% a year ago. All the same, this modest...

Impact of Iran-Israel conflict on Stocks, Gold and Bitcoin

Disclaimer: This is not investment advice. The information provided is for general purposes only. No information, materials, services and other content provided on this page constitute a solicitation, recommendation,...

Japan Posts 7.7% Growth in Machinery Orders

In a striking development that looks set to invigorate Japans economic prospects, a key gauge of capital spending in the country has seen its most significant jump in over a year. According to Cabinet Office data released...

Why Africa can be the beating heart of South Korea’s technology industry

Tshepo Ncube, Head: International Coverage and Bhavtik Vallabhjee, Head: Power, Utilities Infrastructure at Absa CIB reflect on their recent visit to South Korea, examining why investors in the region have their eyes set...

How cuts to marginal income tax could boost the UK’s stagnant economic growth

The British prime minister recently claimed the UK economy has turned a corner. Rishi Sunak said inflation figures were encouraging, and proclaimed that 2024 would be the year Britain bounces back. According to his...

Politics

US Commerce Secretary Asserts Huawei Chip Lag, Affirms Export Control Success

In an interview on CBS News 60 Minutes, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo stated that the latest Huawei Mate 60 Pro phones chip remains significantly behind U.S. technology despite being the most advanced from China. She...

Putin’s Russia: first arrests under new anti-LGBT laws mark new era of repression

Just over three decades after Russia decriminalised homosexuality in 1993, three people have been arrested and charged under the countrys harsh new anti-LGBT laws and could face ten years in prison for membership of an...

Nvidia RTX 4090D Embroiled in US-China Tech Rivalry; South Korea Navigates Chip Export Dilemma

The U.S. government has tightened export restrictions on high-performance semiconductor chips to China, including the Nvidia RTX 4090D, and is urging South Korea to enforce similar curbs, marking a significant escalation...

Canada needs a national strategy for homeless refugee claimants

One year after the federal government closed Roxham Road, refugee claims in Canada continue to increase: there were 143,785 in 2023 compared to 91,730 in 2022. The surprise announcement in March 2023 to modify Canadas...

Who will Trump pick as his running mate?

Being second in line for leadership of the most powerful country in the world is not an easy job. But for Mike Pence, vice president under Donald Trump, things were even harder than usual. As insurrectionists descended...

Science

Peter Higgs was one of the greats of particle physics. He transformed what we know about the building blocks of the universe

Peter Higgs, who gave his name to the subatomic particle known as the Higgs boson, has died aged 94. He was always a modest man, especially when considering that he was one of the greats of particle physics the area of...

Could a telescope ever see the beginning of time? An astronomer explains

The James Webb Space Telescope, or JWST for short, is one of the most advanced telescopes ever built. Planning for JWST began over 25 years ago, and construction efforts spanned over a decade. It was launched into space on...

US media coverage of new science less likely to mention researchers with African and East Asian names

When one Chinese national recently petitioned the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to become a permanent resident, he thought his chances were pretty good. As an accomplished biologist, he figured that news...

If life exists on Jupiter’s moon Europa, scientists might soon be able to detect it

Europa is one of the largest of more than 90 moons in orbit around the planet Jupiter. It is also one of the best places to look for alien life. Often termed an ocean world by scientists, observations to date strongly...

Exploding stars are rare but emit torrents of radiation − if one happened close enough to Earth, it could threaten life on the planet

Stars like the Sun are remarkably constant. They vary in brightness by only 0.1% over years and decades, thanks to the fusion of hydrogen into helium that powers them. This process will keep the Sun shining steadily for...

Technology

Amazon to Introduce Air Delivery Service in Arizona via Drone

Amazon announced it will commence air delivery in Arizona using drones this year. The e-commerce giant said customers residing within the West Valley Phoenix Metro can avail themselves of Prime Air drone deliveries from...

Rivian's Earth Day Special: $5,000 Off for Trading Gas Cars for Electric

In celebration of Earth Day, Rivian has launched a $5,000 trade-in offer, enticing car owners to switch from select gasoline vehicles to its eco-friendly electric models, the R1T and R1S. The deal includes a year of free...

China's EV Price Battle Intensifies with Tesla's Strategic Cuts

China is on the brink of a competitive pricing battle in the electric vehicle (EV) industry, prompted by an oversupply that has led companies like Tesla to cut prices aggressively. These strategic reductions are designed...

Apple Buys French AI Firm to Boost Privacy-Focused On-Device Processing

Apple has acquired Datakalab, a French AI firm specializing in on-device processing, aligning with its commitment to enhance privacy and data security. The acquisition underscores Apples strategy to integrate advanced AI...

Shytoshi Kusama Secures $12M for Shiba Inu's New Layer-3 Blockchain

Shytoshi Kusama announced a $12 million funding round for Shiba Inus upcoming privacy-centric Layer-3 blockchain at the Token2049 event, sparking interest and investment in the expanding Shiba ecosystem. Shiba Inu Raises...