The History of Black Women Championing Demands for Reparations
By Ana Lucia Araujo
The Latest 
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George Orwell and Why the Time to Stop Trump is Now
David Goldfischer
From 1776 to the fall of the Berlin Wall, believers in human freedom and democratic self-governance have known when to shrug off setbacks and summon their will. That time is now.
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From 37 to 79: Age and Presidential Campaigns
Ron Faucheux
When Buttigieg was born, Biden had already served nine years in the U.S. Senate. When Sanders was born, Franklin Roosevelt was president.
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Civics 101: Instilling Constitutional Literacy in Tomorrow’s Strategic Leaders
Gregory D. Foster
A professor at one of the U.S. military’s senior colleges argues that if the public is to be properly served by uniformed military officers, federal civil servants, and Foreign Service Officers, their education should focus more on Civics 101.
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History does not Bode Well for President Trump’s Peace Plan
Yoav J. Tenembaum
History has taught us that every attempt by the United States to settle the Arab Israeli conflict by advancing its own peace plan has failed.
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Into the Teeth of the Dragon’s Jaw in Vietnam
Erik Moshe
The Thanh Hoa, or “Dragon’s Jaw” bridge was one tough target to crack for war strategists and military pilots during the Vietnam War. Erik Moshe interviewed the authors of Dragon's Jaw to learn more.
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Presidential Moral Character and Teddy Roosevelt
Robert N. Macomber
A look back at the turn of The Gilded Age.
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Anton Chekov: Environmental Prophet for Our Planet
Walter G. Moss
Like Netflix's documentary Our Planet, the Russian writer often displayed a deep love of nature in his hundreds of stories and plays.
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Why Do People Join Extremist Organizations?
B.Z. Khasru
It didn’t take long after the suicide bombings that hit Sri Lanka over Easter Sunday for an old question to resurface: What motivated the attackers?
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Thomas Harriot and the lost North Carolina Algonquian Language
Robyn Arianrhod
In this UN International Year of Indigenous Languages, here is the story of a pioneering linguist and ethnographer.
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To Prevent Brain Drain, Kosovo Must Eradicate Corruption
Alon Ben-Meir and Arbana Xharra
On the eve of the twentieth anniversary of the end of Kosovo war, the country is facing a dramatic large-scale brain drain.
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The Coming of American Fascism, 1920–1940
Chris Wright
Michael Joseph Roberto's The Coming of the American Behemoth: The Origins of Fascism in the United States, 1920–1940 is particularly timely, as the old structures of American fascism have deepened in the last generation and colonized much of the world.
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What Trump Could Learn About Immigration from Teddy Roosevelt
Greg Bailey
The history of the Gentlemen’s Agreement of 1907.
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What If Donald Trump Resigned?
Vaughn Davis Bornet
When President Richard Nixon finally decided the time had come, he wrote a one line notification of what he was doing.
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Cassius Marcellus Clay and Muhammed Ali: What’s in a Name?
Joshua M Casper
They were born with the same moniker, and both changed history. Two names. Two men. Two identities, Muhammed Ali and Cassius Marcellus Clay will forever be linked.
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Roundup Top 10!
This week's broad sampling of opinion pieces found on the Internet, as selected by the editor of HNN.
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The D-Day Warriors Who Led The Way to Victory in World War ll
Alex Kershaw
An excerpt from The First Wave.
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‘What’s Up, Doc?’’ Bugs Bunny Takes on the New York Philharmonic, Carrots and All
Bruce Chadwick
Featuring an interview with the conductor George Daugherty.
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Blog
Citizenship and the Census
Steve Hochstadt
Democrats need to tell Americans how we think about citizenship, not just the paperwork and the legalities, but the ethics and good behavior.
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George Orwell and Why the Time to Stop Trump is Now
David Goldfischer
From 1776 to the fall of the Berlin Wall, believers in human freedom and democratic self-governance have known when to shrug off setbacks and summon their will. That time is now.
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Carolyn Forché: Bearing Witness to the Wounds of History
Robin Lindley
A Conversation with Renowned Poet and Human Rights Activist Carolyn Forché on Her New Memoir, Mass Trauma, History, and the Plight of Refugees Today.
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When War Was a Family Affair
Walter R. Borneman
The stories of family members who served on the same Naval ships in World War II.
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Jane Manning James and African American Women in the Mormon Church
Quincy D. Newell
Jane Elizabeth Manning James, a free black woman who converted to Mormonism in the early 1840s, provides a little-known vantage point from which to tell a story of Mormonism that takes the church’s racial history into account.
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Blog
The Activist Origins of Mother's Day
There's No There There
Few Americans know that Mother’s Day was initially suggested by two peace-minded mothers, Julia Ward Howe and Anna Reeves Jarvis.
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Mothers and Food Aid from World War One to Today
William Lambers
There are millions of mothers across the world right now desperate to save their children from malnutrition. On Mother’s Day, and every day, we should take action to help them.
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The Remarkable History of the Union League Club
Michael Hogan
Few remember the pivotal role played by a small social club in New York City during the Civil War and beyond.
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George Mason: Lost Founder
William G. Hyland Jr.
Why George Mason rightly deserves to be considered one of the fathers of our national government.
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In Dalmatia, Distant Pasts Influence the Present
Erik Moshe
The ancient past is usually well-hidden underground. The medieval past rarely makes an appearance. However, in Dalmatia, ancient, medieval and the early modern past are inextricably intertwined, and visible on every corner.
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Protesting with her Feet: The World’s Fastest Middle-Distance Woman versus Sports Governing Bodies
Jeffrey R. Kerr-Ritchie
A deeper look into athletics, gender, and Caster Semenya.
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The Loss of Republican Principle
Ronald L. Feinman
Mitt Romney, Mitch McConnell, and Kevin McCarthy are handling Trump far different than their counterparts during Watergate.
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Blog
Senator Grassley says the New Deal "didn't work"; historians have other ideas
Checkered History
Senator Grassley’s statement about the New Deal is stark and definitive. Quite simply, in his mind, it did not work. The historians who responded to our request for input disagreed strongly,...
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Roundup Top 10!
This week's broad sampling of opinion pieces found on the Internet, as selected by the editor of HNN.
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How Chinese History Restarted 100 Years Ago
Peter Zarrow
On Sunday, May 4, 1919, some 3,000 students assembled at Tiananmen Square in Beijing to protest the Versailles Treaty that ended World War I.
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A Bloody Mary Bar and a Barroom Full of Fun
Bruce Chadwick
The story includes the history of the Bloody Mary, Irish Coffee. Champagne and the Bellini, brunch drinks, told in spirited, light hearted songs presented by a seasoned and a deliciously giddy cast.
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Run, Hide, Fight If You Must…Now What?
David Lee McMullen
A history professor at UNC Charlotte reflects on the campus shooting last Tuesday.
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James Byrd, Jr., John William King, and the History of American Lynching
Ashraf H. A. Rushdy
We need a historical understanding of how lynchg discourse continues to shape America’s enduring “dialogue on race.”
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A Tale of Two Suffragists: Hazel Hunkins and Maud Wood Park
Susan Ware
Thousands of women took different paths and pursued multiple strategies to win the goal of securing the right to vote.
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Why the Middle East Studies Association Should Not Defend Omar Barghouti
A.J. Caschetta
MESA portrays Barghouti as a dissident who has been unfairly treated but Barghouti is much more than an outspoken activist whose opinions conflict with U.S. policy.
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Denying Omar Barghouti Admittance to the U.S. Is a Free Speech Issue
Zachary Lockman
A response to A.J. Caschetta from the chair of the North America wing of the Middle East Studies Association’s Committee on Academic Freedom.
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Capitalism? Socialism? How about Just a Fair and Moral Economy?
Walter G. Moss
The terms "capitalism" and "socialism" have too much historical baggage.
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Navassa Island: The U.S.’s 160-year Forgotten Tragedy
Ken Lawrence
Both the U.S. and Haiti claim the island. Here's why its history matters.
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Grover Cleveland Bergdoll and the Long Reach of World War I’s Jingoism
Dirk Langeveld
Although it presented an extreme case, the Bergdoll saga demonstrates how the sentiments that had brought about “liberty measles” in 1917 were still alive and well more than two decades later.
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An Interview with Historian Michael Adas
Tiffany April Griffin
Adas discusses why he chose to write about the Vietnam War and his advice for young historians.
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The Template for the Holocaust- Germany's African Genocide
David Carlin
In the 20th Century’s first genocide, Imperial Germany’s campaign of annihilation provided precedents for the racial ideologies and exterminatory tactics of the Holocaust.
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Sidney Blumenthal on Abraham Lincoln and Why History Always Matters
To celebrate the History News Network's arrival at the George Washington University, HNN hosted "Why History Always Matters." As part of the event, HNN Editor Kyla Sommers interviewed Mr. Blumenthal on the importance of history and his 5-part biography of Abraham Lincoln.
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Roundup Top 10!
This week's broad sampling of opinion pieces found on the Internet, as selected by the editor of HNN.
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Most Americans Reject Trump’s “America First” Policy
Lawrence Wittner
The reaction of the American public to Trump’s withdrawal of the United States from key international agreements has been hostile.
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Blog
Showing the Data: The Political Uses of the Past Browser
Checkered History
Search, sort, and browse a growing collection of political uses of the past by elected and appointed officials.
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6 Presidents Who Never Lost an Election
Ronald L. Feinman
Of America’s 44 presidents, only six have won every election they have contested.
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The Upstart Press Mogul Who Changed How We Understand the World
Bruce Chadwick
A review of Ink--the play about controversial media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
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Beware Anew the Military-Industrial Complex: Revisiting Eisenhower's Warning
Gregory D. Foster
The military-industrial complex has been given new, unfettered life and license by the 2018 National Defense Strategy document.
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The Notre-Dame Fire and Digital Preservation
Deirdre Ryan
We have the technology in hand to preserve what is most precious to our past. Our challenge is to make this a priority.
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Racism’s Longue Durée: Why the Citizens’ Councils Matter Now
Anders Walker
A review of Stephanie Rolph's new book Resisting Equality: The Citizens' Council, 1954-1989.
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Why FDR Wouldn't Condemn Hitler
Rafael Medoff
A few words from the White House directly taking issue with Hitler’s aggressive actions and persecution of the Jews could have helped alert the public to the Nazi danger.
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Breaking the Grip of Militarism: The Story of Vieques
Lawrence Wittner
The successful struggle by the Viequenses to liberate their island from the burdens of militarism also provides a source of hope for people around the world.
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Bangladesh Prime Minister Hasina's War on Yunus and America
B.Z. Khasru
Why did why Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina declare war on Nobel prize winner Muhammad Yunus?
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Yet Another Assault on the Meaning of an Education
David Barber
Education which allows us to discover who we are and where our potentialities and passions lie can only be achieved if we demand it.
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Aram Goudsouzian: Study History, Then Make It
Erik Moshe
"Nothing is more important" to be a historian "than taking satisfaction in the process."
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Blog
To His Followers, Trump is a Folk Hero
Steve Hochstadt
Villainy unalloyed by any goodness has also propelled many people, almost all men, into the ranks of folk heroes, like Jesse James, Butch Cassidy, and Bonnie and Clyde. These criminals captured the...
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Roundup Top 10!
This week's broad sampling of opinion pieces found on the Internet, as selected by the editor of HNN.
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How the New Deal’s Federal Arts Programs Created a New American History
Nina Silber
Without government funding, it would have been almost impossible for this alternative narrative to gain much of a foothold in the public imagination.
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The Value of Rating Presidents
Susan Swain
Presidential rankings are quick, fun, and highly shareable on social media. They foster lively debate about contemporary presidents and even help resurface some of our most obscure presidents.
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The History of the Meaning of Life
Michael Ruse
And how we can find meaning in a "Darwinian existentialism.”
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Slavery and the Electoral College: One Last Response to Sean Wilentz
Alan Singer
As historians and public figures, we have an obligation to defend democratic institutions and expose vestigial anti-democratic elements like the Electoral College that threaten democracy, which includes a careful examination of their origin and history.
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The Unseen Significance of Jefferson’s Natural-Aristoi Letter to Adams
M. Andrew Holowchak
Jefferson’s Radical Redefinition of “Aristoi” for a Thriving Jeffersonian Republic.
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We Judge Presidents in part by Who Precedes and Follows Them
Ronald L. Feinman
Some Presidents are fortunate to come before or after a President who was not a great success so they seem like a better president in comparison. Others follow and precede a President who was perceived as successful, dimming their reputation.
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The Middle East, Land Disputes, and Religious History
Zaman Stanizai
Can a land be claimed on the basis of the scriptural myths of one religion with implied exclusion of all other religious communities?
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Civil War History Brought to Life
Elisabeth Pearson
"What better, than to see in motion, the very people or places you are reading about."
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A History of Huntington Disease and Beyond
Robin Lindley
A Conversation with Pioneering Neurogeneticist Dr. Thomas Bird
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Presidential Personality and Politics
Jerome Braun
A review of American Dialogue: The Founders and Us by Joseph J. Ellis.
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Do Those Closest to Trump Think He's Fit for Office?
Vaughn Davis Bornet
If Trump can’t or won’t support a rational federal government in all three branches, something will have to be done about it.
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Roundup Top 10!
This week's broad sampling of opinion pieces found on the Internet, as selected by the editor of HNN.
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Blog
American Jews Versus Israeli Politics
Steve Hochstadt
The latest Israeli elections suggest there will be no solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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Blog
I Stuck with Nixon. Here’s Why Science Says I Did It.
Stone Age Brain
And what that reveals about Trump supporters.
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The Sorrow of Watching Notre Dame Burn
Ed Simon
"In this age of uncertainty, of rage, of horror, and of violence; of the decline of democracy and the heating of the planet; it can feel as if Notre-Dame’s fire is as if watching the very world itself be engulfed."
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Benny and Joon and a Good Look at Schizophrenia
Bruce Chadwick
It is the story of how all mental illnesses affect families. We need more of these stories.
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President Donald Trump, HIV/AIDS, and Black Lesbian and Gay Activism
Darius Bost
Trump’s plan to end AIDS within this decade came as a surprise given his history with communities most impacted by HIV/AIDS.
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Health Care for All – A Cautionary Tale from the 1970s
Richard Moe
If the ultimate goal is to expand affordable health care to every American, Jimmy Carter and Ted Kennedy offer important lessons.
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Ilhan Omar is a Reconstruction Reformer
William Horne
The failure to hold the race-baiting press, politicians, and vigilantes responsible during Reconstruction undermined any semblance of equality for more than 100 years. We can't make the same mistake.
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Oh, What a Beautiful Piece of American History
Bruce Chadwick
The story of young settlers as they try to find their place in Oklahoma, America, and the world. It is a nicely told saga told within all of those memorable tunes.
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When Women Ran Hollywood
Juliette Fay
Their names may no longer be widely recognizable, but women built and ran early Hollywood, shaped the industry in myriad ways, and influenced what we see on the silver screen even today.
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Trump’s War on Civil Rights and Beyond: A Conversation with Acclaimed Political Analyst and Civil Rights Historian Juan Williams
Robin Lindley
"We need to understand how much blood, sweat, and tears it took to create the thriving Black America of today and protect us from those who, like President Trump, couldn’t care less."
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Teacher Pay, Presidential Politics, and New York’s Modest Proposal of 1818
Adam Laats
When underpaid teachers threaten to walk away, school leaders have always considered desperate plans to fix desperate financial problems.
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How did President Reagan Deal with Violent Radicals In His Own Party?
Jeffrey Kaplan
Trump's reaction to the tragedy in New Zealand and the series of domestic church and synagogue shootings bring to mind an earlier day and a very different president.
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Is the Western World Declining and Russia Rising?
Walter G. Moss
Yes, according to Glenn Diesen’s 2018 book The Decay of Western Civilization and Resurgence of Russia. But this isn't the first time scholars have made such a prediction and been wrong.
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The Spies' Marathon before Patriots Day
William Lambers
A tale of a spy mission gone wrong and the history behind Patriots' Day.
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The Israeli Elections and What We Can Learn from History
Yoav J. Tenembaum
To understand the Israeli electoral process one has to delve more deeply into Israeli society and the way it has evolved.
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Roundup Top 10!
This week's broad sampling of opinion pieces found on the Internet, as selected by the editor of HNN.
News
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- They Resisted Hitler. They Were Executed. At Last, They Lie at Rest.
- Historians Argue That The History Major Won’t Go the Way of the Dodo
- Tenure, Twitter and Taking Her Board to Task
- The new Statue of Liberty Museum is a quiet paean to America’s embrace of immigrants—but what is there to celebrate?
- McCullough’s new book on pioneers’ history draws criticism
- What to Do With Richmond’s Confederate Statues
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