Current Events that Relate to History
Recently Published
View AllOriginal features and excerpts of new books
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Features
Young Washington Is Old History
A new movie relies on 19th century myths to portray the very British George Washington as a moralistic proto-American ready to pursue independence. -
Excerpts
A Danger to Civilization
Lothrop Stoddard believed that the concept of “natural equality” between people was a threat to America. In the 1920s, it was hardly a fringe idea. -
Features
Declaring “Revolution”
Even after the fighting started, it took years before American Patriots started calling their cause a “revolution.”
In the Newsletter
View All EditionsCurated collections that explore a different theme each week
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CommentThe New History Wars
Inside the strife set off by an essay from the president of the American Historical Association.The Atlantic -
Q&ADo We Need a New Approach to Our Origin Stories?
An interview with historian Ned Blackhawk on the United States’ contested founding.The Nation -
CommentWho Owns American History?
Under the second Trump administration, the fight over history has become a fight over democracy. Who deserves to be trusted with the country’s memory?Dissent -
ArgumentOn Radical Preservation
If we fail to think through and delimit the role of AI in our lives, we risk initiating a period of which it may be possible to say that “nothing happened.”The Point -
ComparisonHow Ronald Reagan Used Diplomacy to End the Cold War
In stark contrast to Trump's handling of the Iran war, Reagan valued communication and conferred with State Department experts before each meeting.Foreign Policy -
StudySlavery Linked to Mortality Gap Between Black and White Americans Today
New study is among the first to quantify and explain slavery’s influence in contemporary U.S. health disparities.Science -
personDolly Parton
January 19, 1926 — August 25, 2026