No Land, No Life: The Structure of Debilitating Black Land Loss in the South

By Annelise Straw

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  New York State's Lessons on Preventing a Crisis of Judicial Legitimacy

  Bruce W. Dearstyne

  Forceful activism amid rapid social change results in legislation shot down by the most powerful court, leading to calls for sweeping court reform. This was New York State in the early 20th century. How the State Court of Appeals weathered this storm holds lessons for SCOTUS today, if the Justices and their critics care to learn from history.

• Books
  

  

  Can a New Labor Movement Grow and Win with Direct Action Instead of Collective Bargaining?

  Lawrence Wittner

  "In this time of growing corporate domination of the United States and of the world, William E. Scheuerman's A New American Labor Movement illuminates a useful path forward in the long and difficult struggle for workers’ rights."

• News at Home
  

  

  What Happens When the "End Times" are Now?

  Martyn Whittock

  Evangelical Christianity's enthusiasm for viewing current events as markers of the End Times is nothing new, but those tempted to mockery should nevertheless recognize how politically potent those ideas can be. 

• Blog
  

  

  The All-American Fallacies that Threaten Our Survival

  Steve Hochstadt

  "Thus far, Americans have failed miserably at the ultimate task of surviving today’s two greatest natural disasters, climate change and COVID. We show no sign of acting together in eithe...

• Roundup
  

  

  The Roundup Top Ten for January 14, 2022

  The top opinion writing by historians and about history from around the web this week. 

• News at Home
  

  

  We Almost Lost Our Democracy – and Still Could: A Conversation with Congressman Adam Schiff

  Robin Lindley

  "There's no division in our purpose. We're all united in wanting to get to the truth and expose the truth to the American people and then legislate in a way that protects our country going forward."

• News at Home
  

  

  One if by Land, Two if by Sea, and Three if by the Capitol Steps

  Elise Lemire

  On the first anniversary of the Capitol attack, and the 162nd of Longfellow's poetic canonization of the Boston patriot, Paul Revere's ride remains a contested and protean symbol for a nation in crisis. 

• News at Home
  

  

  A Year Later: Our Tattered and Fragile Democracy

  James D. Zirin

  American political institutions face a crisis: can they defend themselves against a growing movement that will deploy violence to achieve its goals, or will January 6 become the new normal? 

• News at Home
  

  

  Debt Jubilees: An Ancient Solution for a Modern Problem

  Richard Vague

  "Like our ancient forefathers, we need to reset our economy by offering hard-pressed debtors a jubilee now, not in some utopian future."

• News Abroad
  

  

  A Walk Around the "Wood that Built London"

  C.J. Schüler

  The remnants of the North Wood outside London posed a mystery of cartographical history to the author: how to reconstruct the forest that was timbered to build the metropolis.

• Roundup
  

  

  The Roundup Top Ten for January 7, 2022

  The top opinion writing by historians and about history from around the web this week. 

• HNN
  

  

  Editor's Choice, 2021: 25 Articles Showing How HNN Covered Another Tumultuous Year

  Multiple Authors

  25 stories from 2021 show how HNN's contributors offered insight onto current events in 2021.

• HNN
  

  

  To our Readers: To Keep HNN Publishing Original Stories Like These, Contribute to Our Reader Fund Drive

  December is HNN's annual reader fund drive month. If you value the historical perspective HNN gives to the news, please support us. 

• Roundup
  

  

  The Roundup Top Ten for December 23, 2021

  For the last time in 2021, HNN rounds up the best op-ed, longform, and think-piece writing by historians and about history from around the web this week. The Roundup will return in 2022.