PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN 2008 WATCH:

• Primary Season Election Results - NYT
• All the Way to the Convention? - History.com
• Bruce Schulman on"Democratic squabbles could give McCain a boost": McCain is not anti-immigration,"and he's even from that part of the world. Actually, the historical odds are pretty good for John McCain, if you think about the 15 presidential elections there have been since the end of World War II, and ask yourself how many times has a Democrat won a majority of the popular vote. The answer is just three, and Al Gore, who lost the election, was one of those three. The other two were Jimmy Carter, narrowly, and Lyndon Johnson's landslide. John Kennedy, Bill Clinton, Harry Truman, they never won majority of the popular vote." Republican winners Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush all got between 35 and 40 percent of the Hispanic vote, Schulman said, while the losers, George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford, got about 20 percent. - San Francisco Chronicle, 3-30-08
• Julian Zelizer on"Democratic squabbles could give McCain a boost": The white vote is another wild card. Should Obama win the Democratic nomination, he may struggle with conservative white"Reagan Democrats" much as he has through the primaries, said Julian Zelizer, a historian at Princeton University. Even the war may not prove deadly to McCain's prospects."You know, in 1968 the country voted for Nixon, not Humphrey, not an anti-war activist," Zelizer said."They went for the hawk to get us out of the war." - San Francisco Chronicle, 3-30-08
• John Hope Franklin on"Where Should Conversation on Race Start?":"We've almost come to a position, where at least I can live like a human being without climbing up some back step." But the incremental change only proves the value of the conversation we've long been having and the need to keep having it, he says. Reflecting on Clinton's race panel, which was derided by critics, Franklin says,"It was clear to me that we couldn't get very far and we didn't get very far and I was very much distressed over the way in which the country reacted to what we were trying to do. I think this is a better time." - AP, 3-30-08
• Julian Zelizer on"Clinton walks tightrope on strength and emotion":"It's not the first time in the campaign she's tried to humanize herself.... She can't afford to lose votes because people don't connect with her." - Reuter, 3-28-08
• James Klotter on"Clinton draws a crowd":"For Kentucky to be in the spotlight during the primary is highly unusual." Prior to the 1970s most of the nominees were picked at the convention and primaries and caucuses were rare, Klotter said. Since primaries have become more important, most candidates have spent their time and money in larger battleground states, he said."It's historically unusual to have a primary of this significance in Kentucky," he said - State Journal, 3-26-08
• Jeremy Varon on"In polls, McCain edges ahead of Clinton, Obama":"McCain wants to do the war right - in a way that's principled, and that functions as a positive example of the differences between us and the terrorists. This is the way in which people on the left see him as somewhat admirable: because principles seem to matter to him." - Boston Globe, 3-25-08
• Robert Dallek on"To Tell or Not? Disclosing Candidate Health Issues":"The candidates are very leery about letting on to any weakness, any flaws, because they are so afraid that it will bring them down..." - NPR, 3-24-08
• Ira Berlin on"What Politicians Say When They Talk About Race":"It's not an easy subject for black people or white people. As Obama indicated, there are lots of legitimate hurts on both sides. It is extremely easy for people to misspeak. In part because we don't speak a lot and because we don’t speak a lot you don’t understand the language. People don't understand where the land mines are. They sometimes use the wrong words or are condescending or seem to be condescending when they're trying to be honest. It's easy for people to take offense when the wrong language is used, particularly when they've got within them a lot of anger and are looking for someone to beat with a small stick. In those circumstances, it's often better to say nothing." - NYT, 3-25-08
• David Goldfield on"What Politicians Say When They Talk About Race":"I think he is uniquely positioned because he straddles the racial divide very well. I think some of what he said will resonate. But it's a gamble." - NYT, 3-25-08
• Julian Zelizer on"Obama Edges Clinton in Cash and Spending in February":"This is a horse race, and it is a close one. Every ad, every appearance, every dollar counts." - Bloomberg, 3-21-08
• Julian Zelizer: Comment: How Democrats can lose in November - Reuters, 3-20-08
• Akhil Reed Amar: Law prof. who often doubles as historian suggests both Clinton and Obama become president! - Slate, 3-21-08
• Edward J. Blum: Interviewed about Obama and race - Newsweek, 3-19-08
• Julian Zelizer on"Obama Condemns Pastor's Remarks, Won't 'Disown' Him": Obama's speech fits in with his promise to bring a new perspective to major issues."He will need to continue to demonstrate to supporters and opponents that he has a different vision for the nation. Candidates must deal with the virtues and vices of their supporters, which sometimes is more difficult than the attacks from their opponents." - Bloomberg, 3-18-08

BIGGEST STORIES: Women's History Month

• 'Remarkable Women' Part of Women’s History Celebration at City Tech - Brooklyn Daily Eagle, NY, 3-14-08
• Women's History Month at Southern Miss Kicks off today - Hattiesburg American, MS, 3-3-08

HNN STATS THIS WEEK:

• Most Popular Article: Carol V. Hamilton:"A Christian Nation?" - 2-18-08
• Most Popular Blog Entry: Judith Apter Klinghoffer: "OBAMA ON HIS NOT"TYPICAL WHITE" GRANDPARENTS" Deja Vu -Judith Apter Klinghoffer, 3-22-2008
• Hottest Topic: About the History of Iraq
• Most Popular Feature: Ferenc M. Szasz:"Quotes About History"
• All-Time Favorite:"What Is the Difference Between Sunni and Shiite Muslims--and Why Does It Matter?" 9-9-02

THIS WEEK IN HISTORY:

• 03-24-1603 - Queen Elizabeth I died at age 69 after ruling England for more than 40 years.
• 03-24-1934 - The Philippine Islands in the South Pacific were granted independence by President Franklin D. Roosevelt after nearly 50 years of American control.
• 03-24-1999 - NATO begins launching air strikes in an attempt to force Serbia to cease hostilities against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo.
• 03-25-1634 - Maryland was founded by settlers sent by the late Lord Baltimore.
• 03-25-1894 - Jacob Sechler Coxey and his"army" of unemployed men began their march from Ohio to Washington, DC.
• 03-25-1911 - A fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Co. in New York City killed 145 workers.
• 03-25-1931 - The Scottsboro boys were arrested in Alabama.
• 03-25-1965 - The 25,000-person Alabama Freedom March to protest the denial of voting rights to blacks, led by Martin Luther King Jr., ended its journey from Selma on the steps of the State Capitol in Montgomery, Ala.
• 03-26-1945 - The battle of Iwo Jima ended; about 22,000 Japanese troops were killed or captured in the fighting and more than 4,500 U.S. troops were killed.
• 03-26-1979 - In a ceremony at the White House, President Sadat of Egypt and Prime Minister Begin of Israel signed a peace treaty ending 30 years of war between the two countries.
• 03-26-1982 - Groundbreaking ceremonies for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial took place in Washington, DC.
• 03-26-2000 - Vladimir Putin was elected president of Russia.
• 03-27-1794 - Congress authorizes the construction of six frigates, including the Constitution (Old Ironsides), for the U.S. Navy.
• 03-27-1866 - President Andrew Johnson vetoed a civil rights bill which later became the 14th amendment.
• 03-27-1958 - Nikita Khrushchev became Soviet premier and first secretary of the Communist Party.
• 03-28-1797 - Nathaniel Briggs patented a washing machine.
• 03-28-1939 - The Spanish Civil War ended.
• 03-29-1867 - The North America Act was passed by the British parliament, creating the dominion of Canada.
• 03-29-1951 - Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were found guilty of passing atomic secrets to the Russians and were sentenced to death.
• 03-29-1971 - Lt. William Calley was convicted of murdering 22 Vietnamese civilians in the My Lai massacre.
• 03-29-1973 - The last U.S. troops left South Vietnam.
• 03-30-1856 - The Treaty of Paris was signed, ending the Crimean War.
• 03-30-1867 - A treaty for the purchase of Alaska from Russia for the sum of $7.2 million, approximately two cents an acre, was submitted to the U.S. Senate.
• 03-30-1870 - The 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution went into effect, guaranteeing the right to vote regardless of race.
• 03-30-1981 - President Ronald Reagan was shot in the chest by John Hinckley as he left a Washington hotel.
• 03-31-1492 - Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain expelled Jews who would not accept Christianity.
• 03-31-1889 - The Eiffel Tower in Paris officially opened.
• 03-31-1918 - Daylight Saving Time went into effect in the United States.
• 03-31-1949 - Newfoundland became Canada's tenth province.
• 03-31-1959 - The Dalai Lama, fleeing Chinese repression of an uprising in Tibet, arrived at the Indian border and was granted political asylum.
• 03-31-1968 - President Lyndon Johnson announced that he would not run for re-election
• 04-01-1789 - Frederick Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania was elected the first Speaker of the House of Representatives.
• 04-01-1933 - The Nazi persecution of Jews began in Germany with a boycott of Jewish businesses.
• 04-01-1945 - American forces landed on Okinawa during World War II.
• 04-01-1970 - President Nixon signed a bill into law banning cigarette ads from radio and television.
• 04-01-1979 - Ayatollah Khomeini proclaimed the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
• 04-01-2003 - Pvt. Jessica Lynch was rescued by U.S. commandos in a raid on an Iraqi hospital.
• 04-01-2004 - President Bush signed the"Laci Peterson" bill making it a separate federal crime to harm a fetus during an attack on the mother.
• 04-02-1513 - Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon landed in Florida.
• 04-02-1792 - Congress authorized the first U.S. mint, in Philadelphia.
• 04-02-1865 - Confederate president Jefferson Davis and most of his cabinet fled the Confederate capital of Richmond, Va.
• 04-02-1870 - Victoria Claflin Woodhull announced her candidacy for president of the United States.
• 04-02-1917 - President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war against Germany.
• 04-02-1932 - Charles Lindbergh paid a $50,000 ransom for the return of his kidnapped son.
• 04-02-1982 - Argentina seized the Falkland Islands from Britain
• 04-02-2005 - Pope John Paul II died.
• 04-03-1882 - Outlaw Jesse James was shot in the back by Bob Ford, one of his own gang members, reportedly for a $10,000 reward.
• 04-03-1936 - Bruno Hauptmann was electrocuted for the kidnapping and murder of the Lindbergh baby.
• 04-03-1948 - President Truman signed the Marshall Plan, which would foster the recovery of war-torn Europe.
• 04-04-1818 - Congress adopted a U.S. flag with one star for each state.
• 04-04-1841 - President William Henry Harrison died from pneumonia, one month after his inauguration.
• 04-04-1945 - The Ohrdruf death camp was liberated from Nazi occupation.
• 04-04-1949 - The treaty establishing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was signed.
• 04-04-1968 - Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated.
• 04-04-1973 - The ribbon was cut to open the World Trade Center in New York City.
• 04-05-1614 - Pocahontas married John Rolfe.
• 04-05-1792 - George Washington cast the first presidential veto.
• 04-05-1951 - Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were sentenced to death for giving away atomic secrets to the Russians.
• 04-05-1955 - Winston Churchill resigned as prime minister of Britain.
• 04-06-1862 - The Battle of Shiloh in the American Civil War began.
• 04-06-1917 - U.S. declared war on Germany and entered World War I.
• 04-06-1994 - The presidents of Rwanda and Burundi were killed in a plane crash.

IN THE NEWS:

• Christopher Smout: Queen's Scots historian joins battle to save graveyard - The Scotsman, 3-29-08
• Alon Confino: An anti-history historian - Haaretz, 3-27-08
• Gideon Remez: Discovers error in Pentagon history. Pentagon admission - Secrecy News, written by Steven Aftergood, is published by the Federation of American Scientists, 3-27-08
• Study: Profs lean left, but students unaffected - Inside Higher Ed, 3-27-08
• Scholars Question Library of Congress's Plan to Relocate a Reading Room - Chronicle of Higher Ed, 3-26-08
• Outcry at BBC's 'English perspective' on history of Scotland Outrage at 'Anglo-centric' nature of documentary - The Edinburgh Journal, 3-26-08
• TV's The History Channel drops 'the' and 'channel' from its name - The Canadian Press, 3-20-08
• David Kaiser: Should Harvard University Press have published his JFK conspiracy book? - Scott McLemee at the website of Inside Higher Ed, 3-19-08
• JSTOR for all AHA Members - Robert Townsend at the AHA blog, 3-17-08
• David Rattray: Two killers jailed for life - http://www.dispatch.co.za, 3-18-08
• Rwanda: Historians Want to Write True History - http://allafrica.com, 3-17-08

REVIEWED AND FIRST CHAPTERS:

• Evan Thomas on Max Hastings: Death in the Pacific RETRIBUTION The Battle for Japan, 1944-45 - NYT, 3-30-08
• Max Hastings: RETRIBUTION The Battle for Japan, 1944-45, First Chapter - NYT, 3-30-08
• Joe Jackson: An act of"biopiracy" 130 years ago enriched England and devastated Brazil THE THIEF AT THE END OF THE WORLD Rubber, Power, and the Seeds of Empire - WaPo, 3-30-08
• Martin Evans and John Phillips: Algeria's Dirty Wars After the French tortured the Algerians, the Algerians tortured each other ALGERIA Anger of the Dispossessed - WaPo, 3-30-08
• Nicholson Baker: How Good a War? Novelist Nicholson Baker argues that World War II was not inevitable or necessary HUMAN SMOKE The Beginnings of World War II, the End of Civilization - WaPo, 3-30-08
• Jorg Friedrich: Editor of The Fire says he knew Friedrich's book would be special - Peter Dimock, at the Columbia University Press Blog, 3-26-08
• Gordon Wood: American history author seeks to appeal to general public, academics - Deseret News, 3-23-08
• Matthew Connelly: Says backers of family planning made terrible mistakes - Nicholas Kristof in the NYT Book Review, 3-23-08
• Tim Weiner: Book on CIA comes under scathing attack - CQ Politics, 3-15-08
• Nicholson Baker: Novelist turned historian claims Churchill should have negotiated with Hitler - Patrick T. Reardon in the Chicago Tribune, 3-18-08

OP-EDs:

• Martin E. Marty: To his former professor, congregant, and friend, Jeremiah Wright has been both - Chronicle of Higher Ed, 3-28-08
• Michael Wreszin: Says Obama's race speech was truly impressive - Letter to the Editor of the NYT, 3-20-08
• Roy Strong: A historian puts three diets from the past on trial - Daily Mail, 3-14-08

BLOGS:

• Stephen Peter Rosen and Martin Kramer: Scholars announce debut of new message board - Middle East Strategy at Harvard (MESH blog), 3-26-08

PROFILED:

• Edward Renehan: Historian charged with stealing Theodore Roosevelt letter - AP, 3-27-08

INTERVIEWS:

• Douglas Blackmon: The Untold History of Post-Civil War 'Neoslavery' - NPR, 3-25-08
• Ilan Pappe: I'm not a traitor (Interview) - Israel News, 3-15-08

FEATURES:

• History, story telling make books enjoyable - The Current-Argus, 3-22-08
• Scholars' roundtable at Salon.com on the looting of Iraq's museum and archaeological sites - Salon, 3-20-08
• John Patrick Diggins vs. Steven Waldman: Is HBO's John Adams series any good? - Exchange in the New Republic, 3-18-08
• Melvyn Leffler: Compared with John Lewis Gaddis - H-Net Roundtable on Melvyn P. Leffler. For the Soul of Mankind: The United States, the Soviet Union, and the Cold War, 2-22-08
• David McCullough: Says he knew Tom Hanks was serious about a film on Adams - Seattle PI, 3-14-08

QUOTED:

• Ron Bryant on"Davis' bicentennial eclipsed by Lincoln":"I'll say it this way - winners write history. We need heroes, we need villains. Lincoln became a hero and Davis a villain." - Kentucky Kernel, 3-28-08
• Jo Paoletti on"Prolonged economic pessimism has a silver lining":"I believe that it is life's tough and painful experiences that give humans their best perspective into what is truly valuable about existence... That is as true for personal loss such as death as it is for economic loss." For example, after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, families began"nesting" together at home. Residents of New Orleans vowed to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina, and others donated to the cause. Paoletti said some even had positive recollections of family life during the Great Depression. - Baltimore Sun, 3-30-08
• Edmund Kern on" Pottermania lives on in college classrooms":"As a kind of global cultural phenomenon, Harry Potter in a sense is unprecedented. I think movies have been extremely popular around the world, I think that certain music has been extremely popular around the world, but never before has a single literary endeavor caught the attention of so many people." - CNN, 3-25-08
• Glenn Williams: Clears up myths about GW's campaign against Iroquois - The Newsletter of the New York American Revolution Round Table, 3-19-08
• Craig Canning: Historian says ties between US and China have long been built of trade - Richmond Times-Dispatch, 3-19-08
• John L. Esposito: Sad that his predictions came true about Iraq War - Middle East Strategy at Harvard (MESH blog), 3-20-08

HONORED, AWARDED, APPOINTED:

• Karl Campbell: ASU historian's bio of 'Sen. Sam' wins state award - Asheville Citizen-Times, 3-29-08
• Deborah Lipstadt: Scholar to Receive Honorary Degree in April at Ohio Wesleyan University - Connect 2 OWO, 3-26-08
• David Greenberg, Historian of Presidents and Politics, Receives Hiett Prize - Media Newswire (press release), NY, 3-27-08
• Columbia Announces 2008 Bancroft Prize Winners - Media Newswire (press release), NY, 3-27-08
• Bancroft prizes in history announced - Ralph Luker at HNN blog, Cliopatria, 3-18-08

EXHIBITS:

• McLean County Museum of History offers look into Lincoln Legacy Starting May 12, students can take a tour to Springfield to learn more about President Abraham Lincoln - Daily Vidette, IL, 3-26-08

CALENDAR:

• April 2, 2008: Margaret Humphreys, the Josiah Charles Trent Professor in the History of Medicine and an associate clinical professor of medicine at Duke University, will speak on"The South's Secret Weapons: Disease, Environment and the Civil War" at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 2, in Giffels Auditorium at the University of Arkansas - University of Arkansas Daily Headlines, AR, 3-27-08
• April 3, 2008: The Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas will host a panel discussion titled"First Spouses: Changing Roles and Expectations" at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 3. Panelists include South Carolina first lady Jenny Sanford; Carl Sferrazza Anthony, an expert and biographer of first families and their political impact; and Paul Boller, a presidential historian. - infozine.com, 3-23-08
• April 11-13-08: Honestly, how many Abes can there be? Scores of Lincoln impersonators heading to Alton - Belleville News-Democrat, 3-30-08
• May-September 2008: Elizabeth Brand Monroe, Deborah A. Lee, Lectures Showcase Leesburg's History for 250th Anniversary - WaPo, 1-18-08
• David Zabecki: Hooks up with Stephen Ambrose Tours / Zabecki will lead the 14-day tour to visit historic World War II sites in Gdansk, Krakow, Warsaw and Berlin from May 16-30, 2008.- Press Release--Stephen Ambrose Tours, 1-10-08

ON TV: History Listings This Week

• C-Span2, BookTV: History This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War Author: Drew Gilpin Faust - Monday, March 31 @ 5:00am ET - C-Span2, BookTV
• PBS: American Experience:"Minik, the Lost Eskimo," Monday, March 31 @ 8pm ET
• History Channel:"Andrew Jackson," Monday, March 31, @ 2pm ET/PT
• History Channel:"Cities Of The Underworld :New York: Secret Societies," Monday, March 31, @ 9pm ET/PT
• History Channel:"Journey to 10,000 BC," Tuesday, April 1, @ 2pm ET/PT
• History Channel:"Tsunami 2004: Waves of Death," Tuesday, April 1, @ 4pm ET/PT
• History Channel:"Quest for the Lost Ark," Wednesday, April 2, @ 2pm ET/PT
• History Channel:"Mysteries of the Garden of Eden," Wednesday, April 2, @ 4pm ET/PT
• History Channel:"History's Mysteries :Japan's Mysterious Pyramids," Wednesday, April 2, @ 5pm ET/PT
• History Channel:"Titanic's Achilles Heel," Thursday, April 3, @ 2pm ET/PT
• History Channel:"Titanic's Final Moments: Missing Pieces," Thursday, April 3, @ 4pm ET/PT
• History Channel:"Cities Of The Underworld :Underground Apocalypse," Thursday, April 3, @ 10pm ET/PT
• History Channel:"Last Stand of The 300," Friday, April 4, @ 2pm ET/PT
• History Channel:"Lost Worlds :City of Armageddon," Friday, April 4, @ 5pm ET/PT
• History Channel:"Battle 360 :The Grey Ghost" Friday, April 4, @ 10pm ET/PT
• History Channel:"A Global Warning?," Saturday, April 5, @ 8pm ET/PT
• History Channel:"Decoding The Past :Doomsday 2012: The End of Days," Saturday, April 5, @ 10pm ET/PT
• History Channel:"King," Sunday, March 6, @ 8pm ET/PT

SELLING BIG (NYT):

• Jonah Goldberg: LIBERAL FASCISM #6 -- 11 weeks on list - 4-6-08

FUTURE RELEASES:

• Gilbert King: The Execution of Willie Francis, March 31, 2008
• Charles Lane: The Day Freedom Died: The Colfax Massacre, the Supreme Court, and the Betrayal of Reconstruction, April 1, 2008
• Philip Bobbitt: Terror and Consent: The Wars for the Twenty-First Century, April 1, 2008
• Louis P. Masur: The Soiling of Old Glory: The Story of a Photograph That Shocked America, April 1, 2008
• Cokie Roberts: Ladies of Liberty: The Women Who Shaped Our Nation, April 8, 2007
• Tony Judt: Reappraisals: Reflections on the Forgotten Twentieth Century, April 17, 2008
• Ted Sorensen: Counselor: A Life at the Edge of History, May 6, 2008
• Scott McClellan: What Happened, May 12, 2008
• William F. Buckley, Jr.: Flying High: Remembering Barry Goldwater, May 12, 2008
• John Lukacs: Blood, Toil, Tears, and Sweat: The Dire Warning: Churchill's First Speech as Prime Minister, May 12, 2008
• Peter Clarke: The Last Thousand Days of the British Empire: Churchill, Roosevelt, and the Birth of the Pax Americana, May 13, 2008
• Thurston Clarke: Last Campaign, May 27, 2008
• John S. Eisenhower: Zachary Taylor: The 12th President, 1849-1850, May 27, 2008
• Paul Finkelman (Editor): Congress and the Emergence of Sectionalism: From the Missouri Compromise to the Age of Jackson, May 28, 2008
• Shane O'Sullivan: Who Killed Bobby?, June 3, 2008
• Gil Troy: Leading from the Center, June 9, 2008

DEPARTED:

• Distinguished emeritus professor dies William Mulder taught at the U for 41 years - The Daily Utah Chronicle, UT, 3-28-08