News at Home

Trump Checks all of the Impeachment Boxes: Will it Matter?

by Donald J. Fraser

Unlike other presidents, Trump’s actions meet each of the requirements that the Framer’s laid out to impeach a president. Ironically, just as impeachment is needed most, the partisan tenor of the times may make it impossible to accomplish.

Can America Recapture Its Signature Exuberance?

by Tracy Dahlby

Walt Whitman understood transcendence of national mood is an uphill climb. Periods of division and strife sort new realities into a renovated sense of purpose. Yet periods of upheaval must necessarily lead to a refitting, not obliteration, of our common story or democracy is toast.

Trump is no Hitler: His Enablers are the Greater Problem

by David Marks

The degree of Trump's success has been achieved only because of the leverage he has on political cronies.

A Historian Reflects on the Return of Fascism

by Lawrence Wittner

In the last decade or so, enormous headway has been made by movements and parties following the old fascist playbook, with rightwing demagogues trumpeting its key elements of virulent nationalism, racial and religious intolerance, and militarism. 

A History of Climate Change Science and Denialism

by David Carlin

Climate science is not a new discipline and the scientific consensus on climate change is far older than many people think.

Capitalism Versus Socialism: Did Capitalism Really Win?

by Walter G. Moss

The main task of voters in 2020 and thereafter will not be to choose whether we want capitalism or democratic socialism. Rather, it will be to decide the best pragmatic mix of the two (and best presidential candidate) to further the common good. 

A Civil War Heirloom, Ancestry.com, and the Importance of Tracing Our Family's Historical Roots

by James Ottavio Castagnera

 Retracing of the tap root of what made each of us an American can be a profound reminder of why we must put our democratic republic ahead of transient sectarian differences and deal with tomorrow’s existential challenges as, collectively, the American constitutional democracy.

Does truth matter less than it did in 1974?

by Roy E. Finkenbine

At the moment of the impeachment and pending trial of another president, there are still lessons to be learned from Watergate.  One of these is the sad story of Earl Landgrebe.

Impeachment Wounded the Republic

by Christopher Binetti

This scenario is exactly opposite to Gracchus in Rome, but the result will be the same. 

Americans Are Ready for a Different Approach to Nuclear Weapons

by Lawrence Wittner

Although today’s public protests against nuclear weapons can’t compare to the major antinuclear upheavals of past decades, there are clear indications that most Americans reject the Trump administration’s nuclear weapons policies.

Could Eisenhower have been impeached in 1960?

by James Ottavio Castagnera

Eisenhower’s approval of the U-2 incursions was motivated by genuine national security interests, albeit his subornation of perjury was primarily politically motivated.  One could contend national security and political interests more or less coincided. In Trump’s case, the two sharply diverged from the get-go.

Pass the Protecting the Right to Organize Act

by Martin Halpern

If unions and their allies win passage of this legislation, they may begin to shift the country away from the glaring inequality that is at the core of the country’s discontent. 

Why Holocaust Education Is So Important Today

by Claudia Moscovici

The Never Again Education Act is an effort by a bipartisan group of US legislators in both the House and the Senate to promote Holocaust education.

The Real Santa Who Fed the Hungry

by William Lambers

St. Nicholas was passionate about helping the poor and hungry. 

What Carl Sandburg and Wendell Berry Can Teach Us about Relating to Trump Voters

by Walter G. Moss

With campaigning for the 2020 presidential election already underway, Democrats are asking themselves how to approach Trump supporters.

Jimmy Carter: Watergate’s Final Victim

by Michael A. Genovese

Today, at 95, Carter is the longest-lived president in history, as well as the nation’s longest-retired president. Facing several health-related challenges, perhaps it is time to reflect on the rise, fall, and rise of James Earl “Jimmy” Carter.

Is Donald Trump a Conservative?

by Jonathan Montano

Does Trump fit the mold defined by historians on conservatism? Does his brand of populism even fit the classical ideology of conservative populist thought?

Reform or Revolution: England’s Lessons of 1688 for Today and Tonight's Democratic Debate

by David Walter Leinweber

As we go forward into the holidays, and then a contentious election, the English example in 1688 continues to provide an important lesson. We can cherish our history and institutions, while still being clear-eyed about necessary changes.  

Impeachment and the Electoral College

by Robert Hardaway

The greatest fear of the Framers was concentration of power in one branch of government that might overpower and abuse the other branches. It was for this reason that the framers’ firmly rejected the unitary parliamentary model of Great Britain. 

The 1936 Olympics Teach Us Why Trump's Lies Are So Dangerous

by Andrew Maraniss

In the face of a mounting threat to humanity, a campaign of lies, inaction, and disinterest in the truth were all equally dangerous.