Current Events that Relate to History
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CommentHow Trump Wants to Change History
Late last month, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to restore “truth and sanity to American history.”Compact -
AntecedentRadical Tariffs Aren’t New, But They Have Been Disastrous
An American story.Perspectives on History -
Q&AChoice and Its Discontents
Today no one on either side of the political spectrum would present themselves as an enemy of choice. Sophia Rosenfeld exposes the complex legacy of this idea.Jacobin -
Book ReviewSelling Out Our Public Schools
For decades, the term “school choice” was widely and rightly dismissed as racist. Now it’s the law in thirty-three states.New York Review of Books -
Book ReviewIs The ‘Predatory’ Property Tax An Instrument Of Oppression?
According to Andrew Kahrl, the property tax has been used to disposs black homeowners since the 19th century.Forbes -
DebunkHe’s a Key Thinker of the Radical Right, But Is He All That?
Where the rediscovery of Sam Francis goes wrong.The Bulwark -
exhibitAmerican Environmentalisms
Tracing the many forms that environmentalism has taken in the U.S., from transcendentalism and conservationism to the 20th century push for regulation to today's climate justice movement.
From the HNN Archive
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What Is the Role of the Historian?
Rethinking the job of history — and the American Historical Association — after the veto of the Gaza “scholasticide” resolution. -
“A Party for the White Man”
The scene at the 1964 Republican National Convention, when Barry Goldwater was nominated and black Republicans’ worst fears about their party were confirmed. -
Indifferent to the Fate of Freedom Elsewhere
Jimmy Carter is known for his defense of human rights worldwide. But in 1979, he threatened to deport thousands of Iranian student protesters. -
Ohio’s Little-Known Fascist Member of Congress
How a local prosecutor protected white supremacists and went on to a career in Washington, DC. -
Whose Side Are College Administrators On?
There’s a long history of politicians targeting student protesters — and of campus leaders abetting those efforts. -
The Constitution Does Not Speak for Itself
In 1841, John Tyler said he was the president. The Constitution said he wasn’t. What happened next? -
“At Any Future Time”
In 1880, the daughter of a Welsh politician turned to fiction to expose perspectives missing from the official record, upending histories for generations to come. -
Letting the World Scream
In 1984, the U.S. rejected the International Court of Justice’s jurisdiction, revealing its tendency to ignore international rules it sees as unfavorable — even when it helped write them.