political history

Understanding the Leading Thinkers of the New American Right

by Charles King

The framework of integralist thought championed by Adrian Vermeule, Patrick Deneen and others argues for a view of the common good to supplant liberal individual rights as the core of a constitutional order. They claim to connect to intellectual traditions centuries old, but their claims of moral decline echo those of early 20th century eugenicists and nativists. 

Ron DeSantis's Book on the Founders has been Disappearing Online. We Found a Copy

by Gillian Brockell

Written during his days as a Tea Party Congressman, DeSantis's 2011 book cherry-picks quotes from the Washington and Hamilton to argue that Barack Obama was engaged in an unconstitutional power grab that would have appalled the founders. It also makes bad arguments about the centrality of slavery to the early Republic. 

Two New Books Take the 1990s as a Pivotal Decade

by Henry M.J. Tonks

Books by Lily Geismer and Nicole Hemmer look at the changes that took place within the Democratic and Republican parties (respectively) during a decade that was supposed to be the end of history. 

Contemporary Pundits Need a Refresher on Populism's History

by Steve Babson

"Elites who tar their critics in the U.S. with the sly pejorative of 'populist' count on our collective amnesia. They’d rather the real Populists remained forgotten, along with the potential they represented."

Gary Gerstle on the End of Neoliberalism and What's Next

Political "orders," rather than election cycles, are a key way to understand big political shifts, like the rise and dismantling of the New Deal in America. 

Confronting the Roots of American-Style Fascism in One Family's History

by Julie Carr

What led Populist Party founder  Omer Madison Kem, the author's great grandfather, on a path from economic radicalism to eugenics? 

The Feinstein Situation Shows the Senate Dems Have No Plan

by Norman Ornstein

After 9/11, a joint committee formed by two prominent think tanks studied how the Senate could deal with large-scale incapacitation of Senators through temporary replacements. The COVID pandemic and the aging of the Senators make those recommendations, still unfulfilled, more urgent than ever. 

The Long, Sordid History of Expelling Black Lawmakers

by David A. Love

Throughout the reconstruction era (and after) Black lawmakers faced challenges to their legitimacy by proponents of antidemocratic rule by a white elite. 

Review: Will Bunch on the College-No College Divide

by Johann N. Neem

A new book argues that making higher education a public good is part of the solution to overcoming the growing split between degreed and undegreed Americans. But is it sufficient to overcome the political expediency of culture-war divisions? 

Could One Party Dominate America Again?

by Michael Kazin

A party that can offer a compelling explanation for a crisis and move the government to an effective response has a chance to cement its dominance. It's not clear that one will. 

David Hollinger on Christianity's Place on the Right—and the Left

The historian discusses his new book on Christianity in America and the changes that have made the religious more conservative as the society became more secular. 

James Kloppenberg Reviews New Books on Democracy and Polarization

The eminent political historian reviews books by Timothy Shenk, Michael Kazin, Julian Zelizer, Gary Gerstle, Jefferson Cowie and Sam Rosenfeld that place the current concern with polarization in decades- and centuries-long perspective. 

New Books Force Consideration of Reconstruction's End from Black Perspective

Books by Kidada Williams and Mari Crabtree shift attention away from the motives and mentality of white racist terrorists toward the impact on African American cultural, political, and psychological life in the wake of attacks by the Klan and other vigilantes. 

Why Can't the Democrats Build a Governing Majority? (Review of Timothy Shenk)

by Kim Phillips-Fein

In an implicit response to Richard Hofstadter's finding of the continuity of a narrow "American Political Tradition," Timothy Shenk examines the ways that activists have occasionally disrupted the political order and convinced people to "take a leap into an unknown future."

Why do Republicans Keep Calling it the "Democrat Party"?

by Lawrence B. Glickman

The odd rhetorical device isn't just trolling—it reflects 70 years of the Republican Party seeking to define itself against the opposition even as terms like "liberal" and "conservatism" had not yet taken on stable meaning. 

Edward Larson Speaks to the New History Wars

by Jon Meacham

"To me, Larson’s unemotional account of the Republic’s beginnings confirms a tragic truth: that influential white Americans knew — and understood — that slavery was wrong and liberty was precious, but chose not to act according to that knowledge and that understanding."

Anastasia Curwood on New Shirley Chisholm Bio

By framing Chisholm as a person with a life history, Curwood elevates knowledge of the New York congresswoman from a "first major party candidate" to a political theorist and visionary. 

Laugh at McCarthy's Travails, but History Shows Chaotic Congress Isn't a Joke

by Joanne B. Freeman

Protracted Speakership battles have always reflected moments where factions struggled over power in ways that the party systems of the day couldn't contain. Today, the differences at stake aren't about policy, but power, making the moment particularly dire. 

New Anthology Mistakes the Roots of the Problem as "Misinformation" Rather than Power

by Paul M. Renfro and Matthew E. Stanley

The new "Myth America" offers insight into some recurrent myths about history from some excellent scholars, but it hews too closely to the idea that historical lies are a Trumpian phenomenon, rather than a broader aspect of the pursuit and consolidation of power for MAGA and New Democrats alike. 

The Legacy of Charlene Mitchell: The First Black Woman Presidential Candidate

by Alyssa Spinosa and Adam Arenson

Although Charlene Mitchell's candidacy with the Communist Party gained few votes, her campaign reflected an effort to advance a critique of capitalism that addressed the American context of racial inequality and oppression.