Historians in the News

History Was Never Subject to Democratic Control

by Helen Lewis

Neither the local economic elite who put up Edward Colston's statue in Bristol, England nor the activists who tore it down operated with a public mandate. What are the prospects for democratic and consensual public history? 

Ying-shih Yu, Renowned Scholar of Chinese Thought, Dies at 91

"Professor Yu often returned to the theme that China’s long traditions could be a wellspring, not an enemy, of enlightenment, individual dignity and democracy."

Jefferson Expected the Constitution to Last 19 Years. Where are We Now?

by Jesse Wegman

Our eighteenth-century Constitution combines with twenty-first century partisanship to block meaningful reforms and place basic rights in the hands of the judiciary. A panel of legal scholars weighs in on the possibility of change. 

The Culture Wars – They're Back

by Laura Ansley

Texas historian Trinidad Gonzales discusses the local and national context of the state's efforts to ban the teaching of divisive concepts. 

Yale, Historians Honor the Contributions of Donald Kagan

Donald Kagan is remembered as a prolific and influential scholar of Ancient Greece and an engaging teacher with a gift for narrative and storytelling. He was also a key figure in the linkage between political conservatism and classical tradition.

Filmmaker Greg Mitchell on the Government's Suppression of Scientists' Film about A-Bombs

"I’ve always wanted to promote an honest debate about what happened. I want all of the facts out there. I want Americans to have conversations and examine moral issues."

A Star Times Reporter was Paid by Government Agencies He Covered

Historian Alex Wellerstein's book is one of two that exposes the self-dealing of reporter William Laurence and his complicity with propaganda about the effects of nuclear weapons. 

The Liberals Who Weakened Trust in Government

by Kim Phillips-Fein

Historian Kim Phillips-Fein writes that Paul Sabin's new book "Public Citizens" adds to understanding of the rise of conservatism and the power of attacks on "big government" by focusing on the role of liberal public interest groups in exposing the capture of the liberal regulatory state by big business interests. 

Are the Democrats About to Repeat Mistakes that Led to Jim Crow?

If Democrats won't go all out to protect the franchise for their most loyal constituencies, how can they expect to govern? The history of the Jim Crow south suggests they won't, according to historian Richard White. 

The Customer is Always... Insufferable? The History of Today's Beleaguered Service Worker

Writer Amanda Mull checks with historians Susan Strasser and William Leach to explain why American diners, shoppers and passengers seem to be driven to torment servers, clerks and flight attendants. 

Historian Rebecca Hall's New Graphic Novel Highlights Women's Role in Slave Revolts

With illustrator Hugo Martinez, Rebecca Hall's debut graphic novel examines women's roles in slave rebellions during the Middle Passage and in the Americas. 

New Book of Family History Recreates the Anti-Nazi Resistance in Germany

Rebecca Donner, great-great-neice of Mildred Harnack, an American-born woman executed in 1943 for anti-Nazi activity in Germany, has written a book of family history that also shows the melting away of German delusions about Hitler's intentions and power. 

Gloria Ratti: Historian of the Boston Marathon Who Made History Herself

Gloria Ratti was not a runner, but supported the first generation of women marathoners while pushing race organizers to implement other innovations that added to the growth of marathon running in America. 

A Century Ago, FDR Was Stricken with Polio, Changing History

"It was a transformative moment in American history, and the start of the “central event” in the life of one of the country’s greatest presidents, historian Hugh Gregory Gallagher has written."

Historian: Americans All Need To Study Mexico

NPR's Kelsey Snell speaks with Harvard history professor Gabriela Soto Laveaga about her recent op-ed titled, "Every American needs to take a history of Mexico class."

What is Left of the New Deal?

by Michael Kazin

Eric Rauchway's book on the New Deal stresses that FDR believed democracy could survive only if people accepted, and government supported, their mutual dependence on one another. Preserving the New Deal political order means recognizing and celebrating its tangible achievements. 

Professors: Tennessee Students Don't Learn Enough Black History

Despite charges of a "politically correct" curriculum, Tennessee history professors report that students enter their classes with almost no exposure to Black (or Native American) history from their high school studies. 

The Revolution that Wasn't: What did 1960s Radicals Achieve?

by Michael Kazin

A new book of narrative history of the 1960s New Left repeats a common error: mistaking rhetoric for revolution and ignoring a key outcome of the decade: that the right emerged more powerful, argues reviewer Michael Kazin. 

Emails Show U of Mississippi Officials Concerned that Fired Historian Criticized Private Prison Ties, Upset Donors

"Felber drew a line between the university’s history of slavery, its hand in the creation of the slave plantation-like Parchman Prison and one celebrated instructor’s financial ties to a private-prison corporation."

Heather Ann Thompson and Joe William Trotter, Jr. on the Value of Urban History

The Urban History Association's outgoing and incoming presidents discuss how the COVID pandemic and global protests, among other events in recent tumultuous years underscore the importance of urban historians' contributions to public discourse.