Historians in the News

Parents, Historians Urge DC’s Mayor Bowser To Initiate Wilson High Name Change

Honoring a person like Wilson sends a poor message when in general, society should be honoring the ideals of diversity, respect, equality and inclusion said Judith Ingram, co-founder of the D.C. History and Justice Collective.

As Monuments Fall, How Does The World Reckon With A Racist Past?

Historian Kevin Gaines discusses the growing movement to challenge memorialization of racists in public places and suggests its cross-racial nature makes it harder to ignore. 

Millsaps History Professor Explains History Behind Mississippi State Flag

Professor Stephanie Rolph says that lawmakers in 1894 chose the design to appease Confederate veterans.

The Western Origins of the “Southern Strategy”

by Bruce Bartlett

The growing importance of racially conservative white Republicans in the western states after World War II helped present southern whites with a viable alternative to the Democratic Party. 

Abolitionist “Wide Awakes” Were Woke Before “Woke”

What the "Wide Awakes" helped create was focus in muddled political times, a whipping up of the enthusiasm of other voters: “By the end of 1860, the nation was wide awake.”

Naomi Oreskes: Feminist Science is Better Science

Historian Andrew Needham interviews Naomi Oreskes about her new book Why Trust Science and the crisis of expertise in American society. 

Scholar Robin D.G. Kelley on how Today’s Abolitionist Movement can Fundamentally Change the Country

"Part of defunding the police is a recognition that the police, as constituted, make life more dangerous for vulnerable populations even as it creates a sense of false safety for white people."

Why A History Professor Says ‘Racist’ Emancipation Memorial Shouldn’t Come Down (audio)

Protesters want to remove the Emancipation Memorial in Washington, D.C. NPR’s Michel Martin speaks with Yale history professor David Blight about why he thinks the memorial should stay up.

Top French Historian Slams Macron's Hardline Stance on Statues

Historian Nicolas Offenstadt told French radio that Macron had a made a "hugely damaging confusion between history and memory that will not help public debate in France."

UHA Summer 2020 Virtual Roundtables On Race, Policing And Abolition (JULY 1)

The Urban History Association will live stream a panel discussion on the history of racist police violence and organization to fight against it. 

AHA Statement on the History of Racist Violence in the United States (June 2020)

George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police officers cannot be understood in isolation, as a tragic moment detached from a familiar narrative of “who we as Americans really are.” What happened to George Floyd stands well within our national tradition.

Policing the World (Review)

by Andrew Lanham

Since World War II, the United States has spread its style of policing—and police technology—around the world as a way to exert control. This link between modern policing and the national security state means they will have to be democratized together.

Erasing History or Making History? Race, Racism, and the American Memorial Landscape: July 2

The American Historical Association will host a Zoom discussion of memorials and racism on July 2 at 12:30 PM EDT.

21 Lessons From America's Worst Moments

Historians reflect on the lessons to be learned from the worst episodes of American history (if Americans can look unflinchingly on them). 

Ken Burns: Our Monuments are Representations of Myth, Not Fact

James Baldwin reflects on the complexity of "liberty" in the context of anti-black racism. 

Artists Helped Lift America out of the Great Depression. Could that Happen Again?

Art historian Jody Patterson, an expert on public art in the 1930s, discusses the legacy of the New Deal's support for the arts and efforts to establish art as a public good. 

Who Was Junipero Serra, and Why Do Activists Want His Name Stripped From Institutions and His Statues Toppled?

The architect of the Spanish Mission system in California has some defenders among historians, but Native American activists associate his legacy with genocide. 

Past Pandemics have Reshaped Society. Will Coronavirus do the Same?

Jeffrey Brown speaks to two historians, Frank Snowden of Yale University and Nancy Bristow of the University of Puget Sound, about how previous pandemics have shaped societies.

Kennedy Center Board Chairman David Rubenstein Hosts New PBS History Series

“If somebody watches these programs … it might whet the appetite to do two things: one, read the book that has been talked about … and two, learn more about history and other important people and important events and maybe read other books.”

American Oligarchy: ‘How the South Won the Civil War’

A review of Heather Cox Richardson's book How the South Won the Civil War.