Historians in the News

In Memoriam: Dr. Robert Farris Thompson, Pioneering African and Afro-Atlantic Art Historian

Dr. Thompson's research pushed academics to consider African art as art, and developed important theories of Black aesthetic traditions in multiple art forms throughout the African diaspora. 

The 1860 Crittenden Compromise Aimed to Stop Civil War while Preserving Slavery

John J. Crittenden hoped that restoring the Missouri Compromise and other measures to stop slavery's expansion would prevent slaveholders from following through on threats to secede. Abraham Lincoln wasn't buying it. 

When the United Fruit Company Wanted to Buy Guatemala

by Olúfémi O. Táíwò

The United Fruit Company secured the overthrow of Guatemala's government after it refused to pay what amounted to a ransom of more than $200 million in today's dollars. 

Journalism Lessons with Robert Caro

"Caro’s great subject—power—and his approach to journalism are as pertinent and vital here in the young years of this century as is the close, empathetic attention he pays toward those who become caught in the crosshairs of the powerful."

Rutger Bregman: Despite Everything, Humans Aren't the Worst

Kara Swisher's "Sway" podcast features Rutger Bregman's defense of the human potential for good, and the need to create the social structures in which genius can thrive. 

New Website to Offer View of Uncensored GI Opinion about World War 2

"So much of what we know about the everyday experiences of Americans who served in the war comes from such sources as letters that were censored, memories recorded later, or films,” says historian Edward Gitre of the American Soldier in World War II Project. 

Bouie: Language is Not the Democrats' Problem

Historian Gerardo Cadava's research on Hispanic Republicans suggests that there is an enduring affinity for the conservative themes of work and initiative among Latino voters; addressing the desire for upward mobility in concrete ways, not tweaking their language, is the most urgent task facing Democrats. 

The Trump-Bannon Feud Sheds Light on the Direction of the Far Right

Nicole Hemmer explains to Post columnist Greg Sargent that Bannon represents an explicitly anti-democratic strain of nationalism that is separate from the political allegiance of many conservatives to Donald Trump. 

Military Historian: 3 Myths about Pearl Harbor

Rob Citino of the National World War II Museum addresses how Pearl Harbor has "lived in infamy" but not necessarily in accuracy. 

Not Humane, Just Invisible: A Counternarrative to Samuel Moyn’s “Humane”

by Priya Satia

A historian of empire takes issue with a recent book examining the contradiction between changes that make war supposedly less brutal while also making it les 

New Book Revisits the Debate over NYC's Iconic Subway Maps

For fans of transit cartography, the New York Subway Map Debate of April 20, 1978, is remembered as a legendary showdown between two irreconcilable approaches.

Smithsonian's Ten Best History Books of 2021

The titles chosen offer an escape from the present while also showing our connections to the past. 

Tiya Miles Connects Generations of Black Women Through One Artifact

All That She Carried is the history of a single bag. Historian and author Tiya Miles used what few historical records she could find to tell the stories of three generations of Black women with ties to that sack dating back to 1850.

Has the Myth of the "Good War" Done America Harm?

Remembrance of the second world war obscures the ambivalence many Americans felt about the conflict and the frequent divergence of military strategy and propaganda from the noble ideals of freedom and democracy. Elizabeth Samet's book asks if the myth of the good war has encouraged war since.

What Will it Look Like if Abortion Becomes a Crime Again?

Since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, America's law enforcement and mass incarceration systems have grown, and women are already today the fastest-growing imprisoned demographic. What happens if the widespread practice of abortion is criminalized? 

The Last, Best Chance to Bolster Democracy May Have Passed

by Perry Bacon, Jr.

Thomas Zimmer offers insight on the growing commitment of the Republican Party to lock in one-party rule wherever they can. 

Review: How the Germans Coped With Defeat

by Richard J. Evans

Monica Black's new book argues that irrationality and mysticism filled the cultural void created by defeat and the discrediting of Nazism in postwar Germany; Richard Evans says it doesn't quite prove its case, but offers insight into the present spread of nonsense on social media.

What Can 19th Century Whaling Diaries Tell Us About Climate Change?

Whaling ships' logbooks contain detailed navigational notes and descriptions of wind and weather, which can help construct a picture of climate patterns on distant stretches of ocean. 

Black Voices Excluded from Critical Race Theory Debates in Virginia

“The parents who are outraged right now and spreading this misinformation about teaching critical race theory ... why were they not concerned about [slavery] being taught as if it was a game?”

The Storm over the American Revolution

by Eric Herschthal

By shoehorning his recent book on the Revolutionary War into the space of the debate about slavery and the founding, critics of Woody Holton are missing important points about the importance of indigenous land to the founding and the global context of colonial independence.