Recently Published

On the Decline of Presidential Press Conferences

by Rick Shenkman

The most important image of this presidency is the one you cannot bring to mind. It is George W. Bush standing in front of the Washington press corps taking questions.

Ellis As a Rorschach Test

by James Banner

Like most American historians, I've been repeatedly asked these past few days the same question:"What do you think of Joseph Ellis?" Joseph J. Ellis is the Mount Holyoke College historian recently exposed by the Boston Globe as a spinner of tall tales about his past. A former army officer, he fabricated a record of service in Vietnam. A liberal, he concocted a role in anti-war and civil rights protests. An outstanding high school student, he invented tales of his prowess on the footbal

Joseph Ellis's Past Statements About Character

by HNN Staff

The Boston Globe has accused the Pulitzer Prize winner of falsifying his military record in the Vietnam War. The newspaper reports that Ellis, who teaches at Mount Holyoke, claimed in class lectures and media interviews that he went to Vietnam in 1965, where he served as a paratrooper with the 101st Airborne Division. In fact, he never went to Vietnam at all. After finishing his ed

The Holocaust Documentary Disappointingly Skirts Big Questions of FDR's Responsibility

by Martin Ostrow

In another documentarian's view, the series unduly frames Roosevelt as a captive to global politics and antisemitism, not a leader with the power to change them.

Climate, Catastrophe, and Faith

by Philip Jenkins

Temporary climate catastrophes have been an understudied contributor to changes in religious doctrine and practice throughout history. These episodes may preview spiritual and communal upheavals as climate change progresses.

One Small View of a Big Picture

by Arnold R. Isaacs

A journalist and writer didn't expect a Black Lives Matter demonstration to happen in his mostly white, Trump-supporting suburban Baltimore community. Here are his observations on the event and what it might tell about white Americans' actions and attitudes. 

Historians criticize Trump after he calls impeachment inquiry a ‘lynching’

by Laura Gonzalez

President Trump's tweet drew backlash from historians against the use of a racially charged word. 

Where Are the Hong Kong Protests Headed?

by Kevin M. Shanley

After ten weeks of protest by students and others in Hong Kong the crisis seems to be spiraling toward a tragic climax.

My Relatives Were on the Ill-fated Jewish Refugee Ship, the St. Louis

by Martin Goldsmith

They perished in the Holocaust. This is what I found when I looked for their roots.