government 
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SOURCE: History.com
8/25/2021
What Did the Continental Congresses Do?
From the runup to the Revolution to the adoption of the Constitution, three Continental Congresses were the de facto national government. Here's what they did.
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SOURCE: Public Books
4/23/2021
Urban Democracy's Documentarian
Frederick Wiseman's documentaries valorize not only the institutions but the labor that makes local government function against the odds.
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SOURCE: The New Republic
12/9/2020
The End of the Businessman President
by Kyle Edward Williams
Will Donald Trump's response to the coronavirus pandemic mark the end of the pernicious myths that the popular good is served by running government like a business, or that business executives have a talent for governing?
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SOURCE: Made By History at The Washington Post
9/17/2020
The Deep Roots of Disdain for Black Political Leaders
by Carole Emberton
From Thomas Jefferson's writings, through the proslavery argument of the middle of the 19th century, the overthrow of Reconstruction, and the Jim Crow era, American politics has been influenced by the racist idea that Black people were incapable of exercising leadership in a democracy.
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SOURCE: New York Times
9/9/2020
Reform the Police? Guess Who Funds My State’s Officials
by Miriam Pawel
Translating protest into reform depends on breaking the influence law enforcement unions exert on state legislators, including through campaign contributions.
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SOURCE: TomDispatch
6/30/2020
Fear of Falling: Can Making Black Lives Matter Rescue a Failing State?
by Rebecca Gordon
Recent American failures to control vigilante violence, provide public services, and reach common decisions are indicative of a failing state; addressing demands of the Black Lives Matter movement will push America to rebuild its capacity to work for the common good.
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2/16/20
In Defense of Public Institutions
by Elizabeth Stice
While the generations of the past sought to establish public institutions, in our era, there is a relentless push for more privatization, far beyond the postal service.
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SOURCE: The Atlantic
October 1, 2019
The Constitution Needs Reform
by Sanford Levinson
The system is rigged, and it’s the Constitution that’s doing the rigging.
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SOURCE: Washington Post
9/19/19
Why President Trump gutting the USDA’s research service is so dangerous
by Jamie Pietruska
Since the 19th century, Americans have benefited from access to rigorous, unbiased statistics about our foodways.
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6/9/19
On the eve of Pride 2019, D.C. LGBT Community Reflects on its own history with Lavender Scare
by Andrew Fletcher
The film screening gave viewers a chance to ask questions and tell their stories. The Lavender Scare is set to premiere on PBS on June 18th.
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SOURCE: Financial Times
5/2/19
US declining interest in history presents risk to democracy
by Edward Luce
In an ever more algorithmic world, Americans increasingly believe humanities are irrelevant.
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SOURCE: Chronicle of Higher Education
2/27/19
The Academy Is Unstable and Degrading. Historians Should Take Over the Government, Instead.
by Daniel Bessner
Were Mills and Chomsky correct to assume that radical intellectuals could have little effect on U.S. policy?
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SOURCE: Atlantic
Accessed 2/1/19
The Bitter Origins of the Fight Over Big Government
What the battle between Herbert Hoover and FDR can teach us.
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SOURCE: Pacific Standard
1/5/19
A Former House Historian Speaks About the Unprecedented New Congress – and the Government Shutdown
No one has ever shut down the government before over a single issue. Plus: What's special about this incoming class of congresspeople.
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11/4/19
Government Shutdowns Illustrate the Pragmatism of the Founding Fathers
by Dale Schlundt
While we feel elements of failure and despair during a shutdown, it is also illustration of the fundamental brilliance of our Republic.
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SOURCE: Gallup
2-28-18
U.S. Satisfaction With the Government Remains Low
More than one year into Donald Trump's presidency, Americans' satisfaction with their national government shows no signs of improving.
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11-19-17
Make America Great Again
by David Goldfield
How? The accomplishments of government in the two decades after World War II provide a blueprint.
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SOURCE: Reason TV
3-5-13
Amateur historian surpasses gov't in digitization efforts [VIDEO]
One computer expert working alone has built a historic newspaper site that's orders of magnitude bigger and more popular than one created by a federal bureaucracy with millions of dollars to spend. Armed only with a few PCs and a cheap microfilm scanner, Tom Tryniski has played David to the Library of Congress’ Goliath.Tryniski's site, which he created in his living room in upstate New York, has grown into one of the largest historic newspaper databases in the world, with 22 million newspaper pages. By contrast, the Library of Congress' historic newspaper site, Chronicling America, has 5 million newspaper pages on its site while costing taxpayers about $3 per page.[*] In January, visitors to Fultonhistory.com accessed just over 6 million pages while Chronicling America pulled fewer than 3 million views.