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!


Saving History

by Abram Van Engen

From the founding of the nation through the 19th century and into the eventual establishment of the NEH in 1965, the nation’s most formative leaders agreed wholeheartedly in this: History is fundamentally important, and it deserves our fullest support.


I’m Sticking with My President

by Rick Perlstein

What has changed since Nixon’s day?


There’s a Logic to Trump’s War On the Media

by David Greenberg

Trump goes after the news media not because he thinks they’re strong, but because he thinks they’re weak and he can diminish them further.


Did You Know? U.S. Presidents Have Secretly Recorded Conversations Since 1940

by Alexander B. Magoun

Unauthorized recordings provide insight into the history of presidential leadership.


Close down all fraternities

by Jonathan Zimmerman

The real question isn’t how to regulate fraternities; it’s whether we should have them at all.


George Washington: the great mind behind early America

by Kevin J. Hayes

Throughout history, George Washington has been highly regarded for his common sense and military fortitude.


The Census and Right-Wing Hysteria

by Herbert J. Gans

Predictions about the end of the white majority are misleading.


Party Time

by Jill Lepore

Smear tactics, skulduggery, and the début of American democracy.


Which Middle East Authoritarian Leader is Trump most Like?

by Juan Cole

Of course, Trump hasn’t yet done anything as egregious as al-Sisi or Erdogan. But he is clearly supporting them and perhaps learning from their tactics. But we can learn, too, for the purposes of the resistance.


Trump will likely win reelection in 2020

by Musa al-Gharbi

Even when people are unhappy with a state of affairs, they are usually disinclined to change it.