Historians/History

My Memories of Voter Suppression

by Lawrence Wittner

After witnessing firsthand the depth of struggle needed to secure the Voting Rights Act in 1965, the author says the 2013 Supreme Court decision to gut the VRA and subsequent acts by state governments to suppress the vote "betray the most basic principle of democracy."

The Lenin Plot: The Concealed History of The US-Led Effort to Overthrow the USSR

by Barnes Carr

"The Lenin Plot was a massive embarrassment for the Allies, and they tried to cover it up. The denial continued for years."

Winners, All: A Personal History of Soldiers at War

by Ron Steinman

Whether they knew it at the time, the wounded servicemen the author met at the 3rd Field Hospital outside of Saigon were the spirit of America. Winners all, they were not then suckers, losers, fools or mugs.  

"Provided I Can Fuse on Ground Which I Think is Right": A Lincolnian View of the White House History Conference

by Allen C. Guelzo

"The fact that Americans have not always lived up fully to that Enlightenment universalism, or that ethnicity has often gotten bloodily in the way of it, merely shows that we are human, not that it is wrong."

The Battle of Salamis Opened the Door for Ancient Greece’s Golden Age

by Fred Zilian

September marked the 2,500th anniversary of the Battle of Salamis, where the Greeks won a surprising naval victory over Persian forces, thwarted their efforts to conquer Greece, and set the stage for the golden age of Athenian civilization. 

Video: Danger on the Right (1964)

A 1964 news story on the rise of the John Birch Society and its political views.

Corrected American History: The Cheery Colonial Period

by Lawrence Baron

Peruse a leaked lesson plan from the 1776 commission. 

Will 2020 Place the US Alongside Apartheid South Africa in History's Hall of Shame?

by Teresa Barnes

The South African National Party won a parliamentary victory in 1948 and consolidated power quickly to institutionalize Apartheid and focus national politics on racial issues. This surprise turned into a half-century of hard right rule and stands as a warning to Americans today.

The Etymology of "Jazz": A Cautionary Word About Digital Sources

by Ken Lawrence

Digitization projects have made historical newspapers much more readily accessible, but the process admits error and historians should be cautious making bold claims based on them. 

Combatting History “Indoctrination” in 1945 and 2020

by Brian M. Puaca

As the new 1776 Commission begins to consider how to wield history as a weapon against indoctrination, America’s educational work in Germany can serve as a guidepost for a commitment to preparing vigilant young men and women to build and defend democracy.

"Heroes of Our America": Reading a "Patriotic" History of the United States

by Alan J. Singer

Not long ago, history textbooks were written as patriotic fables. Examining one offers a warning about the cost of putting mythmaking ahead of historical learning.

The Future of History in the Pandemic Age

by Michael Creswell

Historians need to consider and prepare for changes to the profession that will follow the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Trump’s Comments on History Point Down a Stalinist Road

by Walter G. Moss

During the 1930s, Stalin directed historians and schools to teach patriotism to help convince Soviet citizens that, like earlier Russian leaders such as Alexander Nevsky, Ivan the Terrible, and Peter the Great, he was defending Russian interests.

Woody Guthrie's Communism and "This Land Is Your Land"

by Aaron J. Leonard

The author of a new book on the FBI's surveillance of folk musicians argues that Woody Guthrie did join the Communist Party, though he was at odds with leadership over discipline. The affiliation is reflected in the lyrics of his most famous song. 

Nostalgia and the Tragedy of Trump's Speech at Mount Rushmore

by John Bodnar

Trump's July 3 speech at Mount Rushmore, like his attacks on historians this week, embodied an escapist nostalgia that purges injustice, conflict, and violence. Abraham Lincoln's brand of nostalgia is more worthy of embracing. 

Dirty Politics, Then and Now

by George Herring

Political mudslinging by presidential surrogates is nothing new. But Trump digs in personally to his social media smears in a way that is unprecedented and degrading to the office and the nation.

Unlike the Germans We Have Failed to Recognize and Atone for Our Holocausts

by Walter G. Moss

Reconciling America's racial divisions requires honest reckoning with the past, and teaching history as a search for the truth, not an effort to inclulcate patriotism, placate parents, or pander to censorious textbook commissions.

Dwight Eisenhower Built up American Intelligence at a Crucial Moment

by Steve Vogel

Dwight Eisenhower oversaw an aggressive building of American intelligence capability toward the USSR, moving espionage to a more prominent role in Cold War foreign policy. This included ordering the CIA to tunnel into East Berlin to tap Soviet phone lines. 

Fried Ice Cream and Steak: A Personal History of Hong Kong

by Ron Steinman

For a journalist on leave from Vietnam, a Hong Kong restaurant was a brief reprieve from the demands of war coverage and the tumult of rebellion in Hong Kong. 

How an American TV Mini-Series Helped the Germans Acknowledge the Holocaust

by Robert Brent Toplin

An American television minseries overcame initial skepticism by German authorities to rouse public conscience about the Holocaust and the complicity of ordinary Germans with persecution and genocide. Americans hesitant toward "political" popular culture should consider its contributions to truth and reconciliation.