News at Home

6/30/19

Independence Day and the Importance of Public Service in the Face of Regnant Tyranny

by Gregory D. Foster

It isn’t hard to recognize something of the challenge before all public servants – certainly those who accept the proposition that we have enduring civic obligations, grounded in the Oath we have taken, that demand to be met – now, perhaps as never before. 

6/30/19

Colin Powell’s Recent “Lincoln Medal” Disregards A Checkered Past

by Jeffrey J. Matthews

Powell’s outstanding service as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff notwithstanding, the perpetual lionizing of the general has had the effect of misbalancing the historical record. Despite of—or because of—his popularity and patriotic achievements, Powell has not been held to account for some of his major failings as a public servant.

6/30/19

The Case for Religious Progressivism

by Walter G. Moss

Those who argue, “We should keep religion out of politics,” are being simplistic. One can more properly cite individuals like Frederick Douglass, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King Jr., Barack Obama, and Pope Francis who counter that the spiritual and moral values commonly advocated by major religions should inspire our politics.

6/30/19

Presidential War Powers and Bill Clinton's Battles

by Paul W. Lovinger

Reviewing the 1999 attack on Yugoslavia and other belligerent acts: a study of arbitrary power and its supremacy over the Constitution in modern times.

6/30/19

What We Can Learn About Tough Times and Problem-Solving from the 1970s

by Tracy Dahlby

If 70s sage E.F. Schumacher has anything to teach us today, it may lie in his chronically appealing idea that optimism about the human spirit, and faith in our potential for problem-solving, can flourish even in the toughest of times.

6/30/19

What to the Refugee Child is the Fourth of July?

by Ed Simon

We should revisit Frederick Douglas' famous speech, "What to the Slave Is the 4th of July?" Analyze the rhetoric, the grammar, the syntax, the diction of Douglas’ address, and ask yourself if one iota should be changed in 2019?

6/27/19

What Historians Are Saying: 2020 Election Democratic Primary Debates

Tweets, retweets, and likes by historians discussing the Democratic Primary Debates.

6/23/19

From "Ghettos" to "Concentration Camps," the Battle over Words

by Daniel B. Schwartz

We can and should learn from the Holocaust to fight against racism and dehumanization, mindful of what they can lead to, but we should avoid comparisons that collapse the distance between the Holocaust and current events and result in the trivialization of the former.

6/23/19

How Estes and Ike Transformed the New Hampshire Primary – And How JFK Defined It

by Patrick Lacroix

The New Hampshire primary isn't just important because it's the first presidential primary. 

6/23/19

Weaponizing Nicknames, From Earl Long to Donald Trump

by Ron Faucheux

The tactic of nicknaming political opposition has survived the modern age of electronic media. Donald Trump is the new master of the game––delighting supporters, mortifying adversaries. 

6/23/19

The Moon Landings Have a Nazi Problem

by Fraser MacDonald

As we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landings, the Nazi provenance of some technology and personnel is too often kept at bay. 

6/23/19

We Need A Long-Arc Historical Perspective to Understand White Supremacist Extremist Violence.

by Eric V. Tait, Jr.

Much like today, in the early 1980s, people of color and the gains of the civil rights movement were increasingly under attack and many Americans wanted to “turn back the clock to an earlier era.”

6/16/19

Silent Spring: Why Rachel Carson’s words still ring true today

by Catherine Whitlock

Any future US president would do well to heed the likes of Rachel Carson and her successors and invest in clean energy policies, protect the environment, and promote biodiversity.

6/16/19

Are Historians Doing Enough to Address Climate Change?

by Walter G. Moss

For too long historians also paid too little attention to the most important topic of our day.

6/9/19

On the eve of Pride 2019, D.C. LGBT Community Reflects on its own history with Lavender Scare

by Andrew Fletcher

The film screening gave viewers a chance to ask questions and tell their stories. The Lavender Scare is set to premiere on PBS on June 18th.   

6/9/19

Political Corruption Underwrites America’s Gun-Control Nightmare

by Thom Hartmann

The story of the rich politician whose extreme corruption inspired the 17th Amendment--and how the Citizens United ruling allows money to rule politics once again. 

6/9/19

What We Can't Forget As We Remember Anne Frank

by Rafael Medoff

Today would have been her 90th Birthday. Here's how FDR could have done more to save Holocaust victims like her. 

6/9/19

Whatever Happened to an Affordable College Education?

by Lawrence Wittner

Over the past 40 years, the average cost of attending a four-year college increased by over 150 percent for both public and private institutions.  

6/9/19

The Challenges of Writing Histories of Autism

by Jonathan Rose

And how historians might overcome those obstacles. 

6/9/19

The President is Disrupting the U.S. Economy

by Robert Brent Toplin

It is high time that leaders in Washington acknowledge the risks associated with the president’s trade wars and demand a more effective policy course.