Historians in the News

Historians and Constitutional Scholars’ Statement on the Second Impeachment of President Donald Trump

by Historians and Legal Scholars for Impeachment

A group of historians and legal scholars has created an open letter calling for the impeachment of Donald Trump over his role in the Capitol riot of January 6. 

"Sedition": A Complicated History

Joanne Freeman, Annette Gordon-Reed, Manisha Sinha and Gregory Downs offer insight into the history of the term "sedition," the relationship between speech and deed, and the specific context of white supremacy that has accompanied discussions of sedition since the overthrow of reconstruction. 

The Day the Confederate Flag Flew in the United States Capitol: Bill Moyers and Heather Cox Richardson

Heather Cox Richardson discusses the southern drive to reinstitute one-party, white supremacist oligarchy after Reconstruction, and how the present insurrection reflects the same drive on a national scale. 

Review: Was the Constitution a Pro-Slavery Document?

by Gordon S. Wood

Gordon Wood says James Oakes's new book examines the dialectical relationship between 19th century interpretations of the Constitution as a pro-slavery and anti-slavery document and argues that that debate steered Lincoln toward a commitment to racial equality as inextricable from abolition.

There’s an Alternative to Impeachment Or 25th Amendment for Trump, Historians Say

by Michael S. Rosenwald

Eric Foner discusses Section III of the 14th Amendment, which barred those guilty of engaging in or aiding insurrection against the United States from holding elected or civil office in the United States. The section has no provision for removal from office but would prevent Trump's reelection if he were found guilty of insurrection.

How the Pro-Trump Mob Fits in the History of U.S. Lynching

Kathleen Belew joins Nikole Hannah-Jones on Joy Ann Reid's show to discuss the rise of the far right movement that drove the Capitol rioting on January 6. 

Confederate Battle Flag an Unnerving Sight in Capitol

Historians Mary Frances Berry and William Blair discuss the history of Confederate attacks on Washington and the jarring symbolism of the symbol being carried in the Capitol by rioters.

Don't Compare the Capitol Riot to the "Third World"

"Lucia Dammert, a Wilson Center Global Fellow and Professor at the University of Santiago of Chile objects to the comparison to the Global South -- adding that the U.S. has played a key role in sparking the turbulence, especially in Latin America."

‘The Turner Diaries’ Didn’t Just Inspire The Capitol Attack. It Warns Us What Might Be Next

Historian Kathleen Belew discusses the centrality of the 1978 novel to the far right and its possible use as a blueprint for future attacks.

Disciplining The City: Scholarship And The Carceral State Year In Review 2020

Charlotte Rosen and Matthew Guariglia compile 2020's most essential works of scholarship on the nexus of urbanization, racism, policing, and mass incarceration. 

Historian: White Terrorist Groups Attacked Democracy During Reconstruction, They Are Doing It Again

Historian Manisha Sinha discusses the antecedents of Wednesday's mob invasion of the U.S. Capitol, incited by Donald Trump during the certification of the electoral college victory of Joe Biden.

'Another Milestone in the Long, Long Road.' Rev. Raphael Warnock's Georgia Senate Victory Made History in Multiple Ways

by Olivia B. Waxman

Historians including Adam Domby and Kali Nicole Gross relate the symbolic and political significance of Rev. Raphael Warnock's victory in Georgia's senate runoff. But that history suggests gains in Black political power will face backlash, warns Carol Anderson. 

Some Point Out Differences In Police Treatment Of Capitol Riot And BLM Protests

NPR's Audie Cornish talks with Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, an assistant professor in Princeton University's Department of African American Studies, about how police handled the breach of the Capitol.

Neil Sheehan, Reporter Who Obtained the Pentagon Papers, Dies at 84

Neil Sheehan's earned skepticism of the rightness of the American mission in Vietnam made him the reporter to whom Daniel Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers in 1971. He won a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award for his volume "A Bright Shining Lie" about the war. 

Until 1968, a Married Texas Woman Couldn’t Own Property or Start a Business Without Her Husband’s Permission. This Dallas Attorney Changed That

Louise Raggio was the Texas attorney who pushed for the Marital Property Act of 1967 which legally allowed married women to take legal and financial actions without their husbands' permission (her prior legal career had been in technical violation of the law). 

Media Should Call GOP Election Fight An Attempted Coup, Historian Says

"I've been using that word for months now," historian and author Timothy Snyder told Stelter on "Reliable Sources" Sunday.

University of Mississippi Professors Research Legacy of Slavery at State’s Flagship University

A multidisciplinary task force of scholars at the University of Mississippi is working to tell the stories of people enslaved at the university and examine the role of slavery in building the institution. 

Michigan State University Launches Online Database Chronicling North-Atlantic Slave Trade

Enslaved.org is a searchable database that contains millions of records representing enslaved Africans and their descendants.

Heather Cox Richardson Offers a Break From the Media Maelstrom. It’s Working

NYT media reporter Ben Smith looks at the phenomenon of Heather Cox Richardson's newsletters, which have become popular for their long view of the present moment and rejection of sensationalized outrage. 

'Where Are The Women?': Uncovering The Lost Works Of Female Renaissance Artists

Since 2009, a nonprofit organization called Advancing Women Artists has worked to recover work by female artists and document the history of sexism in the arts.