Historians/History

Making History with Music

by Jason Burt

PFC Richard Burt played the trumpet in a military band tasked with raising morale in the fight to retake the Philippines before a career as a music teacher. His grandson, a history teacher, wants to make him and his bandmates posthumous recording stars.

On Labor Day, Think of Bread and Roses

by William Lambers

On Labor Day, remember the demands of striking textile workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Working people deserve more than bare subsistence; they're entitled to dignity and pleasure too.

The "Triple Nickles": Jim Crow Was an Elite Black Airborne Battalion's Toughest Foe

by Robert F. Williams

The lesson of the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion for African Americans is a sadly familiar one: proving oneself is not enough; becoming members of a select fraternity was not enough to earn the respect and equality that comes with full citizenship.

"Elvis In The Box": The National Enquirer Issue that Made Today's Celebrity Culture

by Michael Nelson

As fans mourned Elvis at Graceland, the National Enquirer came to Memphis and got the coffin shot that sold 6.7 million copies.

The Latest Resurgence of Ethnic Studies

by Elwood Watson

The history of ethnic studies as an academic movement is a cycle of rise and retrenchment; protest movements often push for more representative curricula, while forces of tradition and austerity seek to uphold a canon or push majors linked directly to the job market. Today's protest movements are pushing an ethnic studies renaissance despite the dire financial straits of many colleges and students.

Is Gen Z Like the World War II Generation?

by John R. Bawden

It's necessary to go back to the time of the Great Depression, rationing and wartime austerity to see a generational experience like that of Gen Z. Will this formative time lead to a future of political consensus and social solidarity? 

John Adams Knew When to Go Home

by R.B. Bernstein

One thing that John Adams never did was to voice a word of regret about leaving the presidency at his term’s end. None of his successors has ever violated or dishonored the precedent he established. And, if we are fortunate, none ever will.

Monopoly in the 20th Century: Roosevelt Warns of Concentrated Wealth and Fascism (Excerpt)

by Thom Hartmann

Franklin Roosevelt recognized that the concentrated economic power of big businesses was a threat to democratic society and a step on the road to fascism, and wasn't afraid to say it. 

Where Will the Culture of Internet Attacks Lead? Nazi Opponent Friedrich Kellner's Diaries Offer Warnings

by Robert Scott Kellner

The diary of a German Social Democrat and local official who observed and opposed the Third Reich offers a warning about today's unleashed online anger. 

Was there a Third A-Bomb? A Fourth? A Fifth?

by Don Farrell

Japan's surrender makes the question a matter of speculation, but the history of military facilties built on Tinian in the Mariana Islands suggests that American military leadership was preparing to assemble many more atomic bombs should the Pacific war have continued. 

The Paradox of Executive Underreach

by Michael A. Genovese

While the Constitution says more about limiting the overreach of the executive branch, functioning government must beware of an underreaching executive that abdicates responsibility. 

A Lost Lyrical Commemoration of the Watts Rebellion

by Ken Lawrence

A never-recorded song from 1955 linked the Watts rebellion to systemic injustice and a long history of police abuse. 

Gassed: A Personal History

by Ron Steinman

I first experienced the horror of CS gas more than 50 years ago. Today when I think of CS gas I remember how badly I felt when tear gassed on the streets of Saigon, and in Northern Ireland.

Who Shaped the Story of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

by William Johnston

Most Americans' knowledge of Hiroshima and Nagasaki reflects how American leaders in 1945 wanted the atomic bombings remembered more than their real history. 

The United States of America v. Robert Morris

by Jeffrey Amestoy

The 1851 prosecution of Black attorney Robert Morris for violating the Fugitive Slave Act showed how complicit in the brutality of slavery northern white elites could be. 

Honor a Hiroshima Survivor's Legacy: Ban Nuclear Testing and Move to Disarmament

by William Lambers

Miyoko Matsubara survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and became an advocate for abolishing nuclear weapons. The United States Senate can honor her and all victims and survivors of nuclear war by ratifying the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. 

Hiroshima (1953, Hideo Sekigawa)

View a segment from, and read about, Hideo Sekigawa's 1953 film "Hiroshima."

75 Years Later, Purple Hearts Made for an Invasion of Japan are Still Being Awarded

by D.M. Giangreco

There has been much debate about how close the United States was to victory in the Pacific before the atomic bombs were dropped 75 years ago this week. But in 1945, the military ordered so many Purple Heart medals in anticipation of an invasion of Japan that medals from that supply are still being awarded today.

Unconditional Surrender: The Domestic Politics of Victory in the Pacific

by Marc Gallicchio

The terms on which the United States pressed Japan for surrender were shaped by American domestic politics; New Deal Democrats and their liberal allies succeeded in convincing Harry Truman that it was necessary to dramatically rebuild Japan's society along more social-democratic lines. 

The History of the Boycott Shows a Real Cancel Culture

by Mark Holan

Authors, academics, musicians, and others bothered by their work being “cancelled” might consider the original boycott for some needed perspective.