Historians/History

• 
• 1/26/20
  

  Twelve Scholars Critique the 1619 Project and the New York Times Magazine Editor Responds

  Scholars composed a letter to The New Times Magazine concerning 'The 1619 Project.' The NYTM editor, Jake Silverstein, responded but the NYTM declined to publish the letter and his response. The scholars created a reply and Silverstein had no objection to publishing the exchange in another venue. It is published here.

• 
• 1/26/20
  

  Modeling Grief: the Death of Children in Historical Perspective

  by Maria E. Doerfler

  As students of the history of emotions have argued, even the deepest and most primal feelings require models for experiencing one's own suffering and for responding appropriately to others’. The relative lack of such models in contemporary American society contrasts sharply with other eras' approach to voicing bereavement.

• 
• 1/22/20
  

  The History of Presidential Misconduct Beyond Watergate and Iran-Contra

  by HNN Staff

  At the AHA, James Banner, Kathryn Olmstead, Kevin Kruse, and Jeremi Suri discussed how they revived a long forgotten report on presidential misconduct. 

• 
• 1/22/20
  

  The History Behind the Border and Immigrant Detention Centers

  by HNN Staff

  Families are separated at the border and people are indefinitely detained in overcrowded facilties. How a panel at this year's AHA conference examined the history of immigration. 

• 
• SOURCE: Smithsonian
  1/21/20
  

  What Will the Museums of the Future Be Like?

  Help the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History by taking this brief survey to share what you’d like to see from *your* National Museum.

• 
• 1/19/20
  

  Remembering Dennis Showalter, Grandmaster of Military History

  by Paul A. Thomsen

  On the evening of December 30, 2019, Dennis Showalter, a noted scholar of German, American, and military history, fought his last battle and rode off on a pale horse.

• 
• 1/19/20
  

  Four Speeches by Dr. King That Can Still Guide Us Today

  by Alan Singer

  Martin Luther King, Jr. challenged the war in Vietnam, U.S. imperialism, and laws that victimized working people and the poor, not just racial discrimination.

• 
• 1/12/20
  

  Do Morals Matter in Foreign Policy?

  by Joseph S. Nye, Jr.

  Examining 14 presidencies since 1945 shows that a radically skeptical view of morality is bad history. Morals did matter.

• 
• 1/12/20
  

  Why The West Is Losing The Fight For Democracy

  by Ivan Krastev and Stephen Holmes

  We once had trouble imagining a future that is not essentially democratic and capitalist. That is not the way we think today. Most of us now have trouble imagining a future, even in the West, that remains securely democratic and liberal.

• 
• 1/5/20
  

  A Personal History of Vietnam War Refugee Policies

  by Ron Steinman

  The story of how a Vietnamese family came to America after the Vientam War and started a new life. 

• 
• 1/5/20
  

  Reexamining the Mayflower 400 Years Later

  by Stephen Tomkins

  The colonists seemed to have difficulty articulating exactly what compelled them to leave the Netherlands for America.

• 
• 1/3/20
  

  Important Links for AHA 2020

  Quick links to help you navigate the Amerian Historical Assocation's annual meeting. 

• 
• 12/22/19
  

  An Abolitionist and the Christmas Tree

  by John Buehrens

  Christmas, in 1835 Boston, was not yet widely celebrated. New England’s Puritan heritage considered it “popish.”

• 
• 12/29/19
  

  What a Line Deleted from the Declaration of Independence Teaches Us About Thomas Jefferson

  by M. Andrew Holowchak

  Congress deleted the line to avoid tackling issue of slavery. 

• 
• 12/29/19
  

  Confederate Monuments in National Perspective

  by Thomas J. Brown

  Northern monuments established a foundation for the argument that Confederate military service deserves recognition although rendered in a deplorable cause.

• 
• 12/22/19
  

  The Real Alexander von Humboldt: A Scientist of the Romantic Age

  by Maren Meinhardt

  Putting people on pedestals, beyond the reach and understanding of lesser mortals, does not help us understand them better. If, perhaps, we lose a hero, we may gain, in Humboldt, an extraordinary scientist who was affected by the extraordinary times he lived in. 

• 
• 12/29/19
  

  "There is a historian in each one of us:" Historian Anna Müller on the Experiences that Have Shaped Her Scholarship

  by Erik Moshe

  “History was pulling me in with incredible force. All I wanted was to understand the changing reality, and history seemed to hold the keys to understanding.”

• 
• 12/29/19
  

  Barbarous Hun: The Sinking of the Lusitania and the Rise of Propaganda

  by Albinko Hasic

  British and U.S. war advocates quickly turned the tragedy into pro-war propaganda and created everything from postcards, to medals, to posters.

• 
• 12/18/19
  

  Why FDR Turned Away Jewish Students

  by Rafael Medoff

  American immigration policy was governed by a strict quota system, based on national origins. But the law contained three major exceptions: clergy, professors, and students could be admitted outside the quota restrictions.

• 
• SOURCE: Medium
  12/15/19
  

  Over 2000 Historians and Scholars Sign Letter Urging Impeachment

  The letter was released two days before the House is expected to vote on two articles of impeachment.