With support from the University of Richmond

History News Network

History News Network puts current events into historical perspective. Subscribe to our newsletter for new perspectives on the ways history continues to resonate in the present. Explore our archive of thousands of original op-eds and curated stories from around the web. Join us to learn more about the past, now.

Roundup Top 10!

On 9/11, Luck Meant Everything

by Garrett M. Graff

When the terrorist attacks happened, trivial decisions spared people’s lives—or sealed their fate.

Busing Ended 20 Years Ago. Today Our Schools Are Segregated Once Again

by Gloria J. Browne-Marshall

Any desegregation plans must be a shared burden. But are we willing to take it on?

On or off, peace talks with the Taliban spell disaster for Afghanistan

by Ali A. Olomi

If history is any indication, the consequences of the Trump administration’s reckless attempt at an agreement and even hastier reversal will be borne out by Afghans themselves.

The Electoral College was Terrible from the Start

by Garrett Epps

Epps doubts that Alexander Hamilton could foresee the consequences of an electoral college.

The Lost Promise of Reconstruction

by Eric Foner

Can we reanimate the dream of freedom that Congress tried to enact in the wake of the Civil War?

Should We Give Up on Democracy?

by Rick Shenkman

Some social scientists say we might not have a choice.

How Africa is transforming the Catholic Church

by Elizabeth A. Foster

Pope Francis’s visit to Africa highlights the growing trend toward decolonizing Catholicism

Why Southern white women vote against feminism

by Angie Maxwell

The often overlooked question that explains why discussion of a gender gap leads us astray.

The Necessary Radicalism of Bernie Sanders

by Jamelle Bouie

Conflict was the engine of labor reform in the 1930s. And mass strikes and picketing, in particular, pushed the federal government to act.

 

 

The Power of Serena Williams

by Tera W. Hunter

"What she and Venus have accomplished is far more important than future titles and broken records."