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One Man’s Quest to Crack the Modern Anti-Immigration Movement—by Unsealing Its Architect’s Papers

John Tanton donated 25 boxes of documents related to his work with anti-immigration advocacy organizations beginning in the 1960s. The gift stipulated that much of the collection be sealed until 2035. An immigration advocate says that Tanton's connections to right-wing anti-immigrant groups and the pro-eugenics Pioneer Fund means the university should unseal the papers now. 

Maryland’s State Song, a Nod to the Confederacy, Nears Repeal

"Maryland, My Maryland" was written by a Confederate sympathizer in 1861 and has come under scrutiny in recent years for its characterization of the Union army as a force of tyranny and call for listerners to fight for the Confederacy. 

The History Of The Suez Canal

The Suez Canal, according to Zachary Karabell, has been a nexus for past great power conflicts, anticolonialist struggle, and the Arab-Israeli conflict. Now it shows the vulnerability of global capitalism's supply chain infrastructure. 

Montana Universities Prepare for Guns on Campuses

Montana's public universities are struggling to plan for the consequences of the legislation signed in February allowing open and concealed carry of firearms on campuses. 

Church Membership in the U.S. has Fallen Below the Majority for the First Time in Nearly a Century

Political Scientist Ryan Burge predicts that there will no longer be a single dominant religion in the United States in 30 years, due principally to the rise of non-affiliation. 

Justice for the Negro Leagues Will Mean More Than Just Stats

Major League Baseball will incorporate player records from various Negro League competitions in its official statistics. Black players denied the chance to play in the segregated Major Leagues will now be listed among the official all-time greats, but will this move actually raise awareness of the political and social forces that kept the game segregated?

Editors Refused to Publish Richard Wright's Most Important Novel—Until Now

"Though Wright himself considered The Man Who Lived Underground his finest work, its depiction of police brutality was so graphic, his publishers believed that it shouldn't see the light of day. When Wright submitted the work to his editor, it was turned down."

The Social Justice Purge at Idaho Colleges

Concerns about free speech on campus should consider the Idaho legislature's recent attacks on "critical race theory" as an effort to use education funds to restrict academic freedom, says NYT opinion columnist Michelle Goldberg.

The Other Nuremberg Trials, Seventy-Five Years On

by Erica X. Eisen

The defense of capitalism during the Cold War meant that businesses and businessmen who collaborated in war crimes went unpunished. 

Beverly Cleary, Legendary Children's Author Who Quietly Revolutionized Kid Lit, Dies at 104

"She often credited one young library patron for launching her literary career after the boy stubbornly lamented––as she once did––that he couldn’t find any books about kids 'like us'."

‘Atomic Cover-Up’ Reveals A Previously Unseen Story Of Human Devastation

The new documentary "Atomic Cover-Up"  reminds that "people of goodwill can differ over whether we did the right thing in order to bring a terrible war to its conclusion or if, instead, we committed unforgivable crimes against humanity. What none of us can do is look away."

Colleges Are Using COVID as a Pretext to Make Draconian Cuts to the Humanities

The COVID pandemic has given cover to massive declines in academic employment, with the humanities being particularly hard-hit. It's unclear whether the liberal arts will remain viable at many institutions or how higher ed will change as a result. 

The Crimson Klan

Harvard's administration treated the burning of a cross on Harvard Yard in 1952 as a "prank" and threatened Black students with disciplinary action if they described the incident to the press. A student journalist's research shows that the incident was not out of step with the university's practices in the 20th century. 

Filmmaker’s Suit Says A&E Networks Suppressed ‘Watergate’ Series

A documentarian is suing the A&E cable network claiming it didn't promote his 2018 Watergate series out of deference to Trump voters. The network says the decision was based on ratings and defends its record of airing controversial subjects. 

The Obscure Case That Could Blow Up American Civil-Rights and Consumer-Protection Laws

Law professor Eduardo Peñalver argues that the case of Cedar Point Nursery v. Hassid which challenges a 1975 California law allowing labor organizers limited access to private agricultural land to speak to workers, could apply a radical version of the "takings" doctrine to block many kinds of labor, consumer, and civil rights law. 

Minneapolis Homeowners Can Now Reject Racial Covenants On Their Deed

Racial restrictive covenants have been legally unenforceable since 1948 and illegal under the Fair Housing Act of 1968, but remain on the deeds of many older properties. A program in Minnesota allows homeowners to remove them. 

Virginia Becomes First Southern State to Abolish the Death Penalty

Governor Ralph Northam explained that the state could guarantee neither racial equity nor the indisputable guilt of condemned prisoners. Virginia had executed more prisoners than any American state or colony in 413 years of the death penalty.

Does Requiring Only Men to Register for the Draft Violate the Constitution?

by Adam Liptak

A Supreme Court challenge to the male-only requirement to register for the draft is an odd coalition of the ACLU and the anti-feminist National Coalition for Men. If successful, it could end one of the last legal sex-based distinctions in federal law. 

The Future of Conservatism?

by Charlie Sykes

"The Bulwark" columnist compares a recent task force for conservatism convened by former Governor Scott Walker to the legacy of the movement and finds it sorely lacking. 

Why America’s Great Crime Decline Is Over

Sociologist Patrick Sharkey examines the trajectory of crime in modern America and rejects single-cause explanations.