Junius P. Rodriguez is a professor of history at Eureka College in

Eureka, Illinois Eureka is a city in Olio Township, Woodford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 5,295 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Woodford County. Eureka is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. Eureka is ...

, who has been the general editor of multiple major reference books on the history of

slavery in the United States The legal institution of human chattel slavery, comprising the enslavement primarily of Africans and African Americans, was prevalent in the United States of America from its founding in 1776 until 1865, predominantly in the South. Sl ...

and the world, as well as related topics such as black history and abolitionism. His work on the

history of slavery The history of slavery spans many cultures, nationalities, and religions from ancient times to the present day. Likewise, its victims have come from many different ethnicities and religious groups. The social, economic, and legal positions of e ...

was acclaimed as "outstanding" by other scholars and by librarians, who have recommended it as part of the core collection for every academic library and many public libraries as well. In July 2017, Rodriguez announced his candidacy for the

U.S. House The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

representing

Illinois's 18th congressional district The 18th congressional district of Illinois covered central and western Illinois, including all of Jacksonville and Quincy and parts of Bloomington, Peoria, and Springfield. It was last represented by Republican Darin LaHood, who took of ...

in the 2018 U.S. federal midterm election, but lost to incumbent Republican

Darin LaHood Darin McKay LaHood (; born July 5, 1968) is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Illinois's 18th congressional district since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he was the member of the Illinois Senate ...

Career

Rodriguez grew up in

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

. After earning his B.A. from Nicholls State University (1979), he taught in the public school system of Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, for nearly a decade. Rodriguez served a term as Parish Councilman in Lafourche Parish from 1979-1983. Rodriguez earned his M.A. from

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...

(1987), and Ph.D. from Auburn University (1992).''Contemporary Authors'', Vol. 170, p. 359; ''Contemporary Authors New Revised Series'', Vol. 125, p.304 Rodriguez has been a professor of history at Eureka College since 1992. John Greenfieldt and Patrice Bartell recommended his ''Encyclopedia of Slave Resistance and Rebellion'' for public library core collections. Rodriguez consulted on the development of the documentary ''Human Bondage'', which aired as part of the

History Channel History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney ...

's ''

History's Mysteries ''History's Mysteries'' is an American documentary television series that aired on the History Channel. Overview The 154 episodes of the series were produced from 1998 to 2011. Each season consisted of 12 to 14 one-hour episodes that focused on ...

'' series in 2000. In 2002, he helped draw national attention to the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the transatlantic slave trade. Journalist DeWayne Wickham described his efforts as "a perfect teachable moment for discussion and reflection" that was fitting for the event. Rodriguez unsuccessfully challenged incumbent

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

congressman

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

, running as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

. He won 27.9% of the vote to LaHood's 72.1%. His number of votes was the second most ever earned by a Democrat in the Illinois 18th District, despite running as a vacancy appointment on a shortened campaign schedule.

Works

*''The Historical Encyclopedia of World Slavery'', two volumes (1997) – ABC-CLIO **Review: and h **Reviews ''Journal of Southern History'', *''Chronology of World Slavery'' (1999) – ABC-CLIO *''The Louisiana Purchase: A Historical and Geographical Encyclopedia'' (2002) – ABC-CLIO *''Encyclopedia of Slave Resistance and Rebellion'', two volumes (2007) - Greenwood **Review: ''Booklist'' **Review: ''Public library core collection'' *''Slavery in the United States: A Social, Political, and Historical Encyclopedia'', two volumes (2007) – ABC-CLIO **Reviews: ''Library Media Connection'' *''Encyclopedia of Emancipation and Abolition in the Transatlantic World'', three volumes (2007) **Reviews: ''Against the Grain'' ''Against the Grain'', November 2007, p. 65; * ''Slavery in the Modern World: A History of Political, Social, and Economic Oppression'' (ABC-CLIO, 2 vol 2011) In 2000, ''Chronology of World Slavery'', was included in "Outstanding reference sources 2000", from the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members ...

References

External links

''Encyclopedia of Emancipation and Abolition in the Transatlantic World''
— official page at the

Routledge Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law ...

web site.
''Encyclopedia of Slave Resistance and Rebellion''
— official page at the ABC-CLIO web site.
''Chronology of World Slavery''
(1999)— official page at the ABC-CLIO web site.
''Rodriguez for Congress''
- campaign web site {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Junius P. 21st-century American historians 21st-century American male writers Auburn University alumni Eureka College faculty Illinois Democrats Living people Louisiana State University alumni Nicholls State University alumni Parish jurors and commissioners in Louisiana People from Thibodaux, Louisiana Year of birth missing (living people) Candidates in the 2018 United States elections Historians from Louisiana American male non-fiction writers