Current Events that Relate to History
-
LongreadTrump's War on History
As America’s 250th anniversary approaches, the president wants to control the country’s future by bulldozing its past.Mother Jones -
ComparisonPlaying the Grinch at America’s 250th Birthday Party
How do we celebrate America's 250th anniversary as ICE and the Border Patrol threaten and abuse ordinary Americans?Washington Monthly -
StudyAccountability for ICE and CBP
However bad you think the corruption and misconduct at ICE and CBP is — the reality is far far worse.Doomsday Scenario -
CommentWhen Did Everything Become Terrorism?
How actual terrorists like Trump and ICE have expanded the definition of terrorism to include everyone they don’t like.Tropics of Meta -
CommentHistorical Perspective on the Unitary Executive
Article II of the Constitution offered significant concessions to those who preferred a more plural executive.Law & Liberty -
CommentThe Path to the Trump Doctrine
From Syria to Lebanon to Gaza, the coercion central to the new regime has been incubated in the Middle East.Boston Review -
exhibitFederal Bureaucracy
The federal government is the nation’s biggest employer. To many, its size is a problem in itself. This exhibit asks: how big is too big, and what do we miss when we focus on size alone?
From the HNN Archive
-
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.