Slavery and Your Upcoming Christmas Tour
By Robert E. May
The Latest 
-
The History Behind a Recently Defaced French Holocaust Memorial
Norman JW Goda
The memorial plaque at 12 rue Sainte-Catherine in the central part of town contained the names of the 86 Jews arrested at that address on 9 February 1943. It was the largest single roundup of Jews in the city. On the plaque, black paint was used to cross out their names.
-
The Boer War: The Opening Act in a Violent Century
David Carlin
There is something darkly poetic in the timing of the Boer War. It offered a grim preview of warfare and the social conditions that would shake the world during the 20th century.
-
Veterans Day Reflections on Pseudo Patriotism and Half-Baked History
Walter G. Moss
Valuing critical dissent and realizing more work needs doing are essential to true patriots. Pseudo patriots, however, wish only to emphasize a country’s heroes and heroics, and minimize or ignore its villains and villainy.
-
The Overlooked Aftermath of the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster
Robin Lindley
A Conversation with Acclaimed History Professor Kate Brown on Her Groundbreaking Book Manual for Survival: A Chernobyl Guide to the Future
-
It’s Been 32 Years since the Conclusion of the INF Treaty Yet Arms Control Is Still Vital
Stephan Kieninger
It is imperative to avoid a situation where we might have no arms control and no mutual verification at all. Against the backdrop of the Trump Administration’s loathing of arms control, it will be up to the European NATO allies to conceptualize a new arms-control framework for the post-INF world.
-
Echoes of the 1969 Vietnam War Protests 50 Years Later
Jim Castagnera
"As I watch events unfolding in Washington today, I recall the river of candles flowing up Fifth Avenue fifty years ago. The more things change, the more they remain the same.”
-
Americans Were Too Stodgy for Art Nouveau
Diana Muir Appelbaum
Art nouveau was the modern art movement that America almost entirely missed. Not only is it absent from our streets, it is largely missing from our museums, a void that a traveling exhibit, Designing the New: Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the Glasgow Style, now at the Walters Museum in Baltimore, is seeking to repair.
-
Blog
What Should We Do When a Ruler is Mentally Unstable?
(R)evolutionary Biology
History is full of political leaders whose mental stability was questionable at best.
-
The Electoral College: How the Founders Cheated You of Your Vote
Harlow Giles Unger
Weeks of debate by America’s Founders failed to set any rules at the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia—a failure that led to “cheating” at the Electoral College ever since.
-
Who Will Be America's Brutus?
Michael A. Genovese
Have we a Caesar in our midst, imperial and imperious? Who will figuratively kill the beast that is doing such violence to the American system?
-
The World War I Battle That Didn't End with Armistice Day: Hunger
William Lambers
Even after the Armistice of November 11, 1918 ending World War One, American soldiers were carrying out heroic missions. Lieutenant Orville C. Bell and officers in the American Relief Administration saved civilians in Montenegro from starvation.
-
What If Donald Trump Resigned?
Vaughn Davis Bornet
When President Richard Nixon finally decided the time had come, he wrote a one line notification of what he was doing.
-
The Ghosts of Founders Past
Jason Pack
Halloween held a ghoulish surprise for American President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. As a result of their hubris, they were both forced to watch their longstanding dreams of unbridled executive authority die in the ditch of rule of law.
-
The Internet at 50: The future and “dissolving containers”
Harlan Lebo
The internet has long been on a path of constant reinvention, with flux being the sole constant. The biggest question of all is: where will digital technology go next?
-
Roundup Top 10!
This week's broad sampling of opinion pieces found on the Internet, as selected by the editor of HNN.
-
The History Briefing on Presidential Booing: How Historians Contextualized the News
Chelsea Connolly
Historians Lawrence Glickman, Kevin Kruse, Heather Cox Richardson, and others weigh in on President Trump's not-so-warm welcome at Game 5 of the World Series.
-
The History Briefing on the Assassination of ISIS Founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: How Historians Have Discussed Recent News
Lila Someshwar
Historians give much-needed context to a complex issue.
-
The History Briefing on Syria and the Kurds: How Historians Have Covered this Top Story
Jared Levinson
See what historians have to say about the United States withdrawing its military troops present in Northern Syria.
-
Blog
The Latest Polls Are Worrying Me
Steve Hochstadt
Whether Trump wins next year or not, the views of the minority of Americans who populate his “base” are troubling.
-
The First World War through a camera lens: from the soldier’s snapshot to the memorial photograph
Caroline Scott
While professional lenses had captured scenes from the Crimean and the American Civil War, this was the first time that large numbers of serving men took cameras into the frontlines and made a visual record of their own experiences.
-
This Election Day, Remember That Local Politics Matter
Jonah Hassenfeld
In 1831, Alexis de Toqueville concluded local government was “the life and mainspring of American liberty.”
-
Harriet Appropriately and Aptly Honors Harriet Tubman
Bruce Chadwick
Harriet is not only an enjoyable and inspirational film, but one that covers a lot of pre and post-Civil War history as well as some about the war itself.
-
A History of Why Trump Abandoned the Kurds
Ed Simon
That the Kurds are associated with socialism, anti-fascism, and radical democracy isn’t incidental to Trump’s abandonment of them – it’s the reason why he has.
-
A Baseball Musical that Needs Some Relief Pitching
Bruce Chadwick
Last Days of Summer, written by Steve Kluger and based on his 1998 novel, is the story about players from the New York Giants 1940 team, that toiled in New York along with the Yankees and Dodgers, and a little kid who loved the game.
-
China and the NBA: How to Lose Friends and Alienate People
Kevin M. Shanley
China's relationship with NBA is one of the great successes in its cultural and commercial relations with the United States, and a powerful example of Sino-American ‘sports diplomacy’.
-
Refugees in an Age of Immigration Restrictionism
Erik Christiansen
Each new stage in the Trump administration’s handling of refugees and immigrants invites comparisons to past policies. Usually that means talking about the Obama years, or maybe the 1986 immigration reforms. But it’s worth looking back further to the restrictionist era of the 1920s and 30s.
-
Whistleblower or Spy? What the History of Cold War Espionage Can Teach US
Marc Favreau
The modern history of espionage, to the extent that it can be known, provides something of a guide in assessing Trump’s accusation, as well as his proposed punishment.
-
Churchill and Stalin: Comrades-in-Arms during World War Two
Geoffrey Roberts
Neither the formation of what Churchill later called the Grand Alliance nor its collapse was inevitable. The Grand Alliance was willed into existence by its leaders and then sustained through four years of total war. It was one the most successful alliances in history.
-
Lebanon’s Chance for Change
James Stocker
Lebanon has a long history of internal crisis and protest. It is tempting to see the same potential for instability in the latest rounds of protests in Lebanon, but this time, there may be something truly different.
-
Citibank: Exploiting the Past, Condemning the Future
Alan Singer
To celebrate its 200th anniversary in 2011, Citibank published a book celebrating its history. Despite the book's heft, glossy photographs, and celebratory tone, Citibank and its forbearers definitely did not strive to make the world a better place.
-
As The Trump Administration Demonstrates, We Have Undervalued Virtues And Values
Walter G. Moss
What is so bad about Trump is that he has no values other than inflating and aggrandizing his own ego. Democrats shoudl place values at “the heart” of their politics.
-
The Age of the Commando: How a Group of WWII Heroes Rewrote the Rules of War
Saul David
The history behind today's Special Operations Forces.
-
A Holocaust Survivor Tells His Remarkable True Story of Courage and Survival at Auschwitz
Max Eisen
"Once I put on these striped prisoner’s clothes, I felt like I was no longer a human being, only a number."
-
Congressional Courage, the D.C. Slave Trade, and Moral Politics in Washington
Jeff Forret
Political cynics may argue that moral bankruptcy is a long-time fixture in Washington, but at a crucial moment of national division, congressional leadership confronted the ethical embarrassment of the D.C. slave trade and eradicated it.
-
Elbridge Gerry’s Monster Salamander that Swallows Votes
Harlow Giles Unger
As Americans prepare to vote in local and state elections on Election Day, tens of thousands--even millions--will find their votes chewed, swallowed, and discarded by a monstrous “salamander”—the two-hundred-year-old creation of Founding Father Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts.
-
Blog
What If Mike Pence is the 2020 Republican Presidential Nominee?
Ronald L. Feinman
We could be on the way to an election year like no other since the Civil War, the Great Depression, and the tumult around the Vietnam War.
-
The Total Eclipse That Helped Prove Einstein's Theory of Relativity
Sylvester James “Jim” Gates, Jr. and Cathie Pelletier
2019 marks the 100 year anniversary of the eclipse that proved Einstein’s theory and ultimately catapulted him to fame.
-
William Loren Katz: Teacher, Author, Editor and Activist (1927-2019)
Alan Singer
William Loren Katz, historian who championed the marginalized, died on October 25, 2019. He was 92 years old.
-
The Internet at 50: The Night the Internet Was Born
Harlan Lebo
If there was a single moment that would define the start of the technology that would become the internet – this was it: the future was born.
-
Roundup Top 10!
This week's broad sampling of opinion pieces found on the Internet, as selected by the editor of HNN.
-
Native Americans, government authorities, and reproductive politics
In her new book, assistant professor of history Brianna Theobald traces the long history of efforts by federal and local authorities to manage the reproductive lives of Native families, and the response from Native Americans themselves.
-
US Militarism, Having Provoked ISIL into Being, Kills Cult Leader Baghdadi
Juan Cole
“Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi,” the nom de guerre of the notorious Iraqi terrorist Ibrahim al-Samarrai, is dead, killed in a US special forces raid on his compound in Syria’s northwest Idlib province.
-
New Jim Mattis Memoir Avoids Criticizing Trump, Instead Lashes Bush, Obama, and Others
Jeffrey J. Matthews
With consequential elections forthcoming now is the time for Mattis to tell voters the unvarnished truth about Donald Trump.
-
These American Political Bachelors Were Known as ‘Siamese Twins’ During the Antebellum Era
Erik Moshe
Bosom Friends demonstrates that intimate male friendships among politicians were—and continue to be—an important part of success in American politics by exploring the relationship of James Buchanan and William Rufus King.
-
From Flappers to Generation Z: The Cycles of Generational Hostility
Chelsea Connolly
What unites flappers, beatniks, hippies and millennials? Here is a look inside the relationships (and conflicts) between the generations of the twentieth century.
-
Understanding America's History Of Gun Control
Samantha Benthien
As gun violence rates continue to increase, looking to America's history of gun control can provide insight into this polarized issue.
-
Climate Change Should Makes Us Reckon Our Long History with Wind Energy
Andrew Fletcher
Climate change will make wind energy very important in the next 20 to 30 years. We should embrace its historical roots.
-
The Civil War's Unforgiving Final Year and How It Changed the War’s Legacy
S.C. Gwynne
"What happened in the war’s final, brutal phase, is what I call the Lee Paradox."
-
Throwing Away the “Electability” Argument
Matthew Crawford
There is no historical basis for the idea that women and minority candidates aren’t electable.
-
The Widening Gap Between the Super-Rich and Other Americans
Lawrence Wittner
Although President Donald Trump has claimed that “inequality is down,” federal data released this year show that, in 2018, the nation’s income inequality reached the highest level since the U.S. Census Bureau began measuring it five decades before.
-
What the Most Influential Text on Cannibalism Can Teach Us About Studying History
Tim Seiter
From the Man-Eating Myth’s saga, we learn that if we focus too heavily on a single perspective while ignoring others, dangerously flawed history is bound to be produced.
-
A Brief History of the Fox
Adele Brand
In a flash of geological time, we have rewritten the fox’s wildwood, in ways both graphic and subtle. We have added, taken away, replanted and concreted.
-
Why Originalism Should Apply to Impeachment
Donald J. Fraser
I have never been a supporter of originalism. Until recently, I was also skeptical that impeachment was the right way to handle Donald Trump’s presidency. But I have recently changed my mind.
-
1949: A Crucial Year for America, Russia, China and the World
Kevin M. Shanley
It’s valuable to revisit three events of global importance from 70 years ago and reflect on how global events intertwine with personal histories.
-
What Can Historians Do? An Update from Historians for Peace and Democracy
Margaret Power and Kevin Young
We welcome everyone who agrees with our mission, whether professional historians, K-12 teachers, or non-historians with an interest in putting history at the service of movements for peace, democracy, and justice.
-
“The Uplift of All” Through Nonviolent Direct Action
Michael Honey
Nonviolence struggle links you backward and forward to generations of people who have changed the world and provides a personal link to others that can sustain a life of activism.
-
Did Jefferson Think Humans Occupied a Privileged Position in the Cosmos?
M. Andrew Holowchak
Just where did humans fit in the wondrous and gargantuan cosmos for Thomas Jefferson?
-
Citations Are a Metaphor for Erasure in American History
Anne C. Bailey
Last week, the Washington Post failed to cite my book in an article about "The Weeping Time." Here's why such oversights matter.
-
We Must Not Grow Numb To The Yazidi Genocide
Alon Ben-Meir
The international community cannot grow numb to genocide, as this will continue to haunt us only with greater force. The Yazidis have paid the ultimate price, and no other ethnic group should be subjected to the same fate by any perpetrator with impunity, and with apathy from the international community.
-
Roundup Top 10!
This week's broad sampling of opinion pieces found on the Internet, as selected by the editor of HNN.
-
The Internet At 50: How the Dot-Com Bubble Burst
Harlan Lebo
As a cautionary tale and a business school lesson about irrational investor expectations, no modern example proved better than the dot-com bubble.
-
1600s Verona: Romeo, Juliet, and A Romantic Tragedy for the Ages
Bruce Chadwick
This Romeo and Juliet is a triumph.
-
Trump and the Divine Rights of Kings
Ed Simon
Nobody feels sorrier for themselves than a monarch who discovers that their divine right is an illusion; nobody is more liable to lash out and project the blame for their predicament.
-
Kurdish Stalingrad: The Origins of the US-YPG Battle Synergy
Robert Troy Souza
The American president would be wise to familiarize himself with the recent history that led to the small falafel shop in central Kobane that bears his name.
-
A Democratic GUT-Check: A Grand Unifying Theory of Democratic Victories
Jeff Bloodworth
The preceding century of Democratic presidential politicking reveals that “electability” is not milquetoast, split the difference centrism. Historically, Democrats win when they adhere to a grand unifying theory (GUT).
-
Melania Trump Just Restarted a 100-Year-Old Political Controversy: The White House Tennis Court
Ryan Swanson
Presidents, be wary of associating with country club sports during times of political crisis.
-
To Stop The Rise of Nationalism, We Must Remember High-Tech’s Role in Supporting Past and Present Nationalistic Agendas
Clyde W. Ford
Since the dawn of the digital age, nationalism has relied on digital technology.
-
A History of Influencing Presidential Children to Change Policy
Aaron Coy Moulton
How Dominican Dictator Rafael Trujillo used the ambassador to the Dominican Republic's son to try to influence American foreign policy.
-
The Greatest Danger in the Kurdish Crisis
Zaman Stanizai
If the heavy-handedness of the Turkish military is any indication, Erdogan seems to be bent on the ethnic cleansing and relocation of Kurds in northern Syria and resettling their lands along the Turkish border with Arab Syrian refugees currently residing in Turkey.
-
Can a 1960s-like Counterculture Emerge?
Walter G. Moss
Today we have just as much reason to protest as did the 1960’s dissidents. We need a counterculture, or an opposing culture or way of life, to embolden our emotions and imaginations and challenge "throaway" consumer culture.
-
American Historian Claire Arcenas on John Locke, Teaching, and More
Erik Moshe
“The past’s distance—and nearness—informs how we do history.”
-
Modi's 'two nations' theory roils India
B.Z. Khasru
By scraping Kashmir's status, the prime minister has taken a highly risky step toward making the misguided dream of the right-wing Hindu extremists come true and shaken up secular India.
-
Can Studying Human Evolution Help Us Understand Impeachment?
David P. Barash
What The Goodness Paradox can teach us about the importance of enforcing societal norms.
-
Blog
Jimmy Carter's Presidency Contrasts Sharply with Trump's
Ronald L. Feinman
Carter will always be considered a better president by historians and political scientists. By the American public, Carter will...
-
The History Briefing on Indigenous Peoples Day: Why Fewer Places Celebrate Columbus Day
Elisabeth Pearson
As Trump's statement this past week revealed, despite the increasing deamnds since the 1990s to change Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s day, the public narrative of the holiday is still contested.
-
An Act of Betrayal and Infamy
Alon Ben-Meir
To think that the President would sell America’s interests and abandon its allies for the sake of personal financial gain is not merely outrageous but criminal.
-
The Internet at 50: Four Steps in Transforming the Digital World
Harlan Lebo
The internet may have been “born” in October 1969, but it then percolated for years as complex, near-impenetrable masses of data stored in computers around the world. Online technology would evolve for more than two decades before it would become practical for everyone to use.
-
Roundup Top 10!
This week's broad sampling of opinion pieces found on the Internet, as selected by the editor of HNN.
-
Blog
Breaking Down Republican Lawmakers' Defenses of Trump
Steve Hochstadt
Only a very few Republican Senators have taken the evidence we all have seen seriously.
-
Love in Post World War II Paris
Bruce Chadwick
An American in Paris is a complicated story of a man who loves a woman.
-
Over the Rainbow to Oz Once Again with Judy
Bruce Chadwick
The story of the film classic is told in a bright, cheerful new musical, Chasing Rainbows, the Road to Oz, that opened last week at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey,
-
Blog
Should We Care About Presidential Age?
Ronald L. Feinman
Age seems even more important after Sanders suffered a heart attack earlier this month.
News
- Live through incredible Berlin Wall escape stories with YouTube's VR history project
- How Codebreakers Helped Secure U.S. Victory in the Battle of Midway
- The Equal Rights Amendment May Pass Now. It’s Only Been 96 Years.
- Teenage Rescuer, Now 92, Meets Family She Saved From Nazis
- Mormons in Mexico: A brief history of polygamy, cartel violence and faith
- Chris Riback is Reading the Impeachment Inquiry Opening Statements Aloud on His Podcast
- Julie Hirschfeld Davis & Michael D. Shear: Inside Trump’s Assault on Immigration
- 14 Ships' Figureheads Weighing Over 20 Tons Arrive at UK's Newest Museum, The Box
- Historian Hope Harrison Interviewed for article on German Reunification in The Atlantic
- “If you liked this interview, you’ll love this book”: A Review of Sarah Milov’s The Cigarette: A Political History (2019)
Trending Now
