Recently Published

Free Speech and Civic Virtue between "Fake News" and "Wokeness"

by Campbell F. Scribner

Left critics of the recent "Harper's Magazine" open letter on free speech and open debate make some claims that are narrowly meritorious. But they don't address the value of speech as a way of building the collective citizenship necessary for democracy. In this respect, the signers are correct.

Did the Atomic Bomb End the Pacific War? – Part I

by Paul Ham

Many people, including historians, believe that the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki caused Japan's unconditional surrender, saved a million American lives, and was the least morally repellent way to end World War II. Paul Ham contends that none of this is true. 

The Mississippi Flag and the Shadow of Lynching

by David T.Z. Mindich

Lynching helped to raise the odious flag in 1894.  But in 2020, hundreds of thousands of marchers protesting the lynching of George Floyd brought the flag down. 

Will the Crisis Year of 2020 Turn Out Like 1968?

by James Thornton Harris

Trump’s attempt to use Nixon’s outdated playbook will fail. Our nation is younger, more diverse and better educated now. We know better. 

Two Contagions, One Opportunity to Reboot our Approach

by Steve Pyne

Outbursts of megafires resemble emerging diseases because they are typically the outcome of broken biotas – a ruinous interaction between people and nature that unhinges the old checks and balances. 

Weighing the Evidence when a President is Accused of Antisemitism

by Rafael Medoff

In weighing the evidence that has so far been produced concerning Trump, one must consider the standards that historians have applied with regard to the other three presidents who have been accused of antisemitism—Richard Nixon, Harry Truman, and Franklin Roosevelt.

Lincoln, Cass, and Daniel Chester French: Homely Politicians Divided by Politics, United through Art

by Harold Holzer

In the age before the glare of television and instantaneous photography were relentlessly aimed at our leaders, politicians could succeed even if they looked like Lewis Cass. Or Abraham Lincoln.

What's in a Name?: Decolonizing Sports Mascots

by Paul C. Rosier

Decolonizing sports history requires a deeper analysis of how false historical narratives that ‘blamed the victim’ became embedded in public venues in everyday life that shaped generations of Americans’ perceptions of Native people.

Mankato’s Hanging Monument Excluded Indigenous Perspectives when it was Erected and when it was Removed

by John Legg

Both while it stood and when its presence became inconvenient, the Hanging Monument shows how memorials control historical narratives and elevate particular interpretations of the past.

Let Us Now Remove Famous Men

by Calvin Schermerhorn

Should the statues remain up, doing the quiet work of reinforcing white supremacy while we get to work dismantling the interlocking components of structural racism? Or are the statues part of a 400-year history of violence against African-descended people that needs urgent attention and rectification?

Can Martin Luther King’s Spiritual Vision Kindle a New Progressivism?

by Walter G. Moss

Advocates for a broader social democratic political agenda should consider the spiritual roots of Martin Luther King's activism, which have historically engaged a broad range of political views to reform movements. 

"You Sold Me to Your Mother-in-Law...": An Ongoing Quest to Reconnect a Family

by Ken Lawrence

David Jackson had been forcibly separated from members of his family with no word of their subsequent fates for more than two decades, yet he had not given up hope of finding them. Can today’s historians shed light on his quest?

One of the Chicago 7 Reflects on Dissident Politics Then and Now

by Lee Weiner

A veteran of dissident politics in the 1960s warns that while today's broad coalition of activists for a more just and democratic America are on the right track, they must learn from the mistakes of an older generation and find ways to keep united despite difference. 

What the Faithless Electors Decision Says about SCOTUS and Originalism

by Ray Raphael

The outcome of the "faithless electors" case shows that judicial "originalists" use that principle pragmatically and selectively. 

A Historian's Reflections on American Dissent

by Ralph Young

At a time like this one longs for a Gandhi or a King to come along and show us the way. Or a Lincoln or a Roosevelt who took up the challenge of leading the United States through existential crises. But I don't see that happening. Not in 2020. Not on the federal level.

Monumental Folly

by Pete Daniel

Change is on the front foot, and this is no time to allow wealth and ignorance to gain ground.  Achiever exhibits and sculpture gardens seem pathetic sideshows to the powerful history of the country.

Trump Made it Manifestly Clear: The Discussion of National Destiny is Ongoing

by G.W. Gibson

We can take heart that our country and our discipline have come a long way from the nadir and Frederick Jackson Turner. Somewhere between Teddy Roosevelt and Colin Kaepernick, we have managed to pick up a few yards as Americans and as American Historians.

Make Digital History a National Common Ground

by Stewart D. McLaurin

No one should be at a disadvantage because they can’t visit D.C., or other historical landmarks like Presidential homes and libraries. We can take advantage of our increased dependence on online learning to inspire students, no matter where they live.

Who Was Our Worst President? Think About it When a Grim 75th Anniversary Arrives

by Paul W. Lovinger

The anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki should inspire consideration of the global fallout from Harry Truman's presidential decisions. 

Thinking About Racism Beyond Statues and Symbols

by Dolores Janiewski

In his life and his death Floyd experienced the coercive structures that constrain, punish and eventually kill altogether too many Americans. More than Confederate statues, these need to be torn down.