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The Fantasy of Hispanic Heritage Month

by Frank P. Barajas

Conceived by a Congressman to honor the contributions of ethnic Mexicans to American society, Hispanic Heritage Month is based in a mythical Spanish past that obscures the indigenous history of the west and legitimates the succession of power from Iberian to Anglo elites. 

Passing Time and the Challenge of Catching "Eyewitnesses to History"

by Thomas Doherty

Historians have only recently wised up to the need to capture eyewitness remembrances of events. As the "Greatest Generation" passes and the Baby Boomers age, a cultural historian urges: talk to people while you still can. 

The Horseshoe Crab is the Unsung, and Threatened, Hero of the Pandemic

by William Sargent

With due regard to Anthony Fauci, horseshoe crabs are truly the unsung heroes of the pandemic.

A House Still Divided (Part 2)

by Walter G. Moss

There are signs that Americans can begin to resolve the fierce struggle underway about what kind of nation we will be. 

Ending COVID in Our Lifetimes Requires Seeing the Bonds of Shared Humanity

by Michael Hogan

"In the end, like those who sought to escape the plague in Poe’s “Masque of the Red Death,” we are all vulnerable and at risk if we do not look to see that our fellow human beings both at home and abroad are safeguarded as well."

The Forgotten History of Solidarity Between Black and Indigenous Freedom Movements

by Kyle T. Mays

"We have forgotten a similar time in history when African American and Native American activists battled against colonialism and white supremacy, respecting the uniqueness of both groups’ history, but understanding that an end to US empire would require solidarity."

How Evangelical Conversion Narratives Feed the "Free Choice" Rhetoric at Your School Board Meeting

by Rebecca L. Davis

Evangelical Christianity grew in America by emphasizing the power of individual conversion as a "choice for Christ." This frame explains not only the prominence of Evangelicals among anti-mask and anti-vaccine protesters, but also the frequent rhetorical connections they make between COVID policy and LGBTQ tolerance. 

At 82, Dion Offers a Rock and Roll Light in the Darkness

by Richard Aquila

Dion's new recording isn't just a work of Baby Boomer nostalgia; it reaches to the past to understand the present, says a historian of rock in American culture.

A House Still Divided (Part 1)

by Walter G. Moss

The core of our polarization is a disagreement about what kind of country we will be – one dominated by Christian white men or one, in Frederick Douglass's words, "of perfect civil equality to the people of all races and of all creeds, and to men of no creeds." 

The Roots of the Politicization of the National Parks Service

by Nick DeLuca

The National Park Service has never been totally independent of politics. But a 1996 law requiring Senate approval of the NPS Director, combined with the Trump administration's use of acting directors, has created uncertainty. Approving Biden's nominee Chuck Sams is a key step to putting the National Parks on solid footing. 

The Rogues Gallery: The Messy Growth of Modern Policing in Gilded Age New York City

by John Oller

John Oller's new book on the rise of the NYPD combines a history of the social dynamics of the booming city, with its extremes of wealth and poverty, and a gallery of colorful rogues – in and out of uniform – whose battles shaped American law enforcement for good and ill. 

We are All Becoming Cassandras: Leaders Must Heed the People on Climate, Disarmament, and Pandemic

by Lawrence Wittner

In classical myth, Cassandra was a lone prophet whose accurate predictions were ignored. Today, a growing share of humanity are playing the Cassandra role against a political and economic elite standing in the way of solutions to the threats of climate change, pandemic disease and nuclear annihilation. 

Richmond's Lee Statue Has Come Down. What About Confederate Memorials in Cemeteries?

by Jeffrey Smith

The statue of Robert E. Lee on Richmond’s Monument Avenue finally came down, to both fanfare and controversy. But some Confederate monuments are even more politically loaded—the ones where we bury the dead.

Inequality Tends to Reach Political Tipping Points – Is That Happening Today?

by Richard Vague

"Proposals for a $15 minimum wage, more support for childcare and education, and even an alternative minimum income did not emerge out of nowhere as radical notions imported from Western Europe."

See a Piece of History: Retired FDNY Fireboat John D. McKean

The Fireboat McKean Preservation Project and the Hudson River Parks Friends offer those in New York the opportunity to visit the McKean at Pier 25 in lower Manhattan. The McKean's half-century of service most notably included evacuation and firefighting support on 9/11. 

The Missed Lesson of Vietnam: Plan for Unconditional Victory or Don't Intervene at All

by James D. Robenalt

Comparisons between American withdrawal from Vietnam and Afghanistan miss a key point: failure was overwhelmingly likely from the beginning because, if the United States was unwilling or unable to secure unconditional surrender, time was on the side of its foes. 

9/11's Memorials and the Politics of Historical Memory

by Marita Sturken

Major 9/11 memorials try to fix the public memory on a moment of national unity that, 20 years later, seems illusory. Other memorials point the way to using the force of memory to encourage critical reflection on nationalism.

Teaching "All Men are Created Equal" (Part II)

by Jeff Schneider

In the second part of this essay, a longtime teacher of American history maintains that a close reading of the Declaration of Independence makes it possible to discuss revolution and racism in a thoughtful way without intimidating either white students or students of color.

Teaching "All Men are Created Equal" (Part I)

by Jeff Schneider

A longtime teacher of American history maintains that a close reading of the Declaration of Independence makes it possible to discuss revolution and racism in a thoughtful way without intimidating either white students or students of color.

Scammed From the Beginning: Rejecting Expertise as an American Value

by Guy Lancaster

When Americans demand and take unauthorized medications to treat COVID-19, they aren't indulging a new conspiratorialism but are tapping into currents of American cultural and religious history that have always rejected established authority.