Current Events that Relate to History
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Origin StoryQuestioning Parental Divorce: The Surprising Origins of a Contentious Debate
The century-long debate over whether parental divorce harms or helps children.Process: A Blog for American History -
Book ReviewSven Beckert’s Chronicle of Capitalism’s Long Rise
Capitalism is a global economic system, so a proper chronicle of its rise to dominance has to examine the entire world.Jacobin -
CommentA Republic, If We Can Afford It
The framers of the United States Constitution envisoned economic discipline that they thought was a requirement for a republic to endure.Public Seminar -
Origin StoryMy Search for Barbie’s Aryan Predecessor
The original doll was not made by Mattel but by a business that perfected its practice making plaster casts of Hitler.The Nation -
Q&AFIREstorm
A conversation on the wave of landlord perpetrated arson in the Bronx during the 1970s.History & Political Economy Project -
DebunkSouthern Strategies
You're misreading Lee Atwater’s infamous “southern strategy” quote as a confession.Campaign Trails -
exhibitCrimes of War
Stories about the civilian victims of past wars, and the extent to which Americans have acknowledged and accounted for atrocities committed in their name.
From the HNN Archive
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How to Succeed in Government Without Really Trying
The long history of promising an “efficient” federal government. -
If the Slipper Doesn’t Fit
A scorched shoe is a crucial part of Zelda Fitzgerald’s modern mythology. But there’s no proof it existed. -
Indifferent to the Fate of Freedom Elsewhere
Jimmy Carter is known for his defense of human rights worldwide. But in 1979, he threatened to deport thousands of Iranian student protesters. -
Elevating the Few
What JD Vance excludes from the history of the Civil War and immigration. -
Whose Side Are College Administrators On?
There’s a long history of politicians targeting student protesters — and of campus leaders abetting those efforts. -
Solve for AI
What the history of the pocket calculator reveals about the future of AI in classrooms. -
“At Any Future Time”
In 1880, the daughter of a Welsh politician turned to fiction to expose perspectives missing from the official record, upending histories for generations to come. -
Slamming America’s Door Behind Him
How a son of European immigrants fought to keep Indian immigrants out of America. -
Governing by Police
The Metropolitan Police Department in DC has been an essential component of Washington politics since its founding. -
When Good Housekeeping Meant Getting Vaccinated Against Polio
The pages of 1950s lifestyle magazines offer a glimpse of a time when childhood vaccines were anything but controversial.