Lindsay Bell

About Me

I am a historian, educator, researcher, and writer. I seek to craft immersive and engaging history instruction that focuses on a bottom-up approach to the past to center the experiences of "ordinary individuals" acting and reacting to the forces that shaped their lives. I seek to help others understand that history is more than just a subject to study in school. History is a journey to uncover more about ourselves, the world around us, and an investigation into what makes us human. When we are able to see the humanity of those in the past, we can reveal it in our present.

I am currently working on my manuscript, "The Commissioner’s Crusade: Kenesaw Mountain Landis, Baseball, and Remaking American Manhood, 1917-1947." My project argues that Organized Baseball’s first commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, used baseball as the primary experience and sportsmanship as the core instruction to inculcate civic-minded manhood among a generation of American boys. Through the archetype of the heroic ballplayer and sportsmanship programs, Organized Baseball operated as a civic-betterment institution that taught and reinforced American principles believed to be vital to the American experience. 

Classes I Teach

Spring 2026

Winter 2026