Historians in the News

Death, Taxes, and Ivory Towers

Universities have long claimed to be engines of local economic development. The tax exemptions many wealthy institutions enjoy bring that claim into question. Historian Davarian Baldwin provides background to a report on Yale and New Haven. 

A Short History of the Long Conservative Assault on Black Voting Power

Eric Foner and Kevin Kruse discuss the historical precedent for the resurgent ideological position that some votes should be more equal than others. 

Why Confederate Lies Live On

by Clint Smith

Throughout the south, and in the minds of Americans, aesthetics and idealized depictions of valor continue to obscure the fact that the Confederacy fought to maintain a social order based on the ownership of human beings and white supremacy.

In One of the Oldest Congresses Ever, the Democrats' Majority May Depend on Good Health

Jane L. Campbell of the U.S Capitol Historical Society offers perspective on the aging Democratic caucuses. Although it may be impolite to discuss, death in office for members of the House and Senate has been historically quite common. 

On the Life and Legacy of Black Journalist Louis Lomax (Review)

by Joshua Clark Davis

Louis Lomax was a provocateur, and was comfortable writing critically about both moderate and militant participants in the Black freedom movement; Thomas Aiello's new biography examines the complicated figure in African American journalism. 

Gaming The System: KU Professor Says 'Call Of Duty' Can Help Teach History

Historians should recognize that many of their students are exposed to views of the past informed by video games and explore how to build on that interest while correcting errors, says University of Kansas historian Andrew Denning. 

Academics Address the Filibuster

Seth Cotlar notes that history doesn't directly inform present action, but since advocates for retaining the filibuster had used many bad historical claims in their arguments it is only fair for historians to weigh in on the debate. 

Howard University's Decision To Cut Classics Department Prompts An Outcry

Anika Prather of Howard's Classics Department shares her view of the decision to close the department. 

Why the New Deal Still Matters Today

Eric Rauchway of UC Davis joins Letters and Poltics on Pacifica Radio to discuss the ongoing legacy of the New Deal.   

The First Asian American Settlement Was Established by Filipino Fishermen

The first Asian American settlement in what is now the United States was by Filipino sailors and indentured servants who escaped from Spanish ships in the Gulf of Mexico and established settlements in Louisiana. 

The Night of the Long Knives: The Bloody Purge that Secured Hitler’s Power

Hitler's 1934 purge of his perceived rival Ernst Röhm and his followers suspected of disloyalty foreshadowed the eliminationist violence of his regime. 

The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre: Looking Back, Looking Ahead: May 19

Join the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy and the African American Intellectual History Society (AAIHS), for a conversation with leading policy makers, academics, and researchers on the historical legacy of the Massacre, the effects on current-day policy and organizing debates related to racial justice, and the movement for reparations.

Society of American Historians Announces 2021 Prize Winners

Lonnie G. Bunch III, Christopher Tomlins, Brianna Nofil and Afia Atakora are recognized by the Society of American Historians for their achievements in the last year. 

Studying History Should not be Only for the Elite, Say Academics

Professor Kate Williams said she was angry that the Tory government is “pushing a vision that only Stem subjects [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] matter and degrees are only worthwhile if you immediately move to a job paying a very high salary”.

How Malcolm X Inspired John Coltrane to Embrace Islamic Spirituality

by Richard Brent Turner

John Coltrane's embrace of influences from religious music from Africa, Asia and the Middle East, profoundly influential to the Black Arts movement and African American spirituality, was influenced by Malcolm X. 

Connecticut Professor Sends Controversial Anti-1619 Project Email Blast to Public School Superintendents

A professor of European history at Central Connecticut emailed every public school superintendent in the state to urge them not to allow use of the 1619 Project in their districts, raising questions about the use of state email resources and the control of history curriculum in secondary schools. 

France Battles Over Whether to "Cancel" or Celebrate Napoleon

French President Macron will place a wreath on the former Emperor's tomb to commemorate the bicentennial of his death, as French citizens debate his legacy including his contempt for Republicanism both in independent Haiti and in France itself.

West Virginia Univ. Researcher Wins Carnegie Award for Study of Appalachian Feminism

Jessica Wilkerson's research examines how the women's movement unfolded in places outside the nation's urban centers and how women decided what constituted "women's issues" in their own communities in Appalachia. 

Teacher Appreciation Week: In a Tough Year, These Educators Stood Out

Clemson historian Rhondda Thomas is among the history teachers lauded for excellence – for work to memorialize the Black people who were enslaved by the university or employed under exploitative conditions of convict labor or Jim Crow. 

White Freedom: The Racial History of an Idea, by Tyler Stovall

Tyler Stovall's new book argues that Enlightenment concepts of liberty and the slave trade were not contradictory; whiteness and freedom were mutually necessary to each other.