Historians/History

Loray Mill Strikers Deserve to be Remembered

by David Lee McMullen

April 1 marks the anniversary of one of the most infamous strikes in the history of American labor history, the 1929 Loray Mill strike in Gastonia, North Carolina.  Today, while many have heard of the strike, few have a clear understanding of the events that took place or the circumstances surrounding the two murders that occurred during the strike.Most people who know anything about Loray are quick to note that the strike was organized by communists, a distinction that bu

Medicine as History: A Conversation with Historian of Medicine Dora Weiner

by Jill O'Neill

Professor Dora Weiner's fields of scholarly inquiry include the social and intellectual history of eighteenth and nineteenth century me

K.C. Johnson Missed the Point About Naftali

by Max Holland

I write in response to K.C. Johnson’s “Holland, Naftali, and the Wisdom of Discretion.”  In it he chides me for supposed bias in my criticism of Tim Naftali’s work for the 9/11 Commission. (See The Historian as Hustler).I agree with what I believe to be Johnson’s underlying point:  it’s improper to criticize a former colleague based on personal an

Holland, Naftali, and the Wisdom of Discretion

by K.C. Johnson

I spent several years as a non-resident research associate at the Miller Center for Public Affairs, working with the Center’s Presidential Recordings Program.

Women's History and a Woman's Subtle Power

by Catherine Allgor

On the heels of Black History Month, Women's History Month began March 1. With the civil rights movement still fresh in our collective memories, and with a black president at the nation's helm, even the most glib commentators can justify focusing on black history. But putting aside a whole month to honor women seems harder to explain. When pressed, most Americans would assume that Women's History Month arose from a kind of historical politeness or political correctness. Th

The Theater Has a Power Beyond the Lone Pursuit of History

by Howard Zinn

Why would a historian move outside the boundaries of the discipline (refuse to be disciplined) and decide to enter the world of the theater—that is

Think the East Coast Blizzards Were Bad This Year? Try 1947

by Hannah Regan

Given this past winter’s weather quirks, a quick glance over the proverbial shoulder seems in order.  While there are always dozens of frozen blasts throughout the winter season, those that garner the most attention are naturally those that hit major metropolitan areas, and for good reason.  Just a few inches of frozen or semi-solid precipitation can stall traffic, tie up commutes, shut down power to buildings, close offices, and carry a hefty price tag for clean up, sn

Globalization and the Fall of the Roman Empire

by Peter Heather

The fall of Rome exerts a powerful hold on the popular imagination, but that’s not necessarily a good reason for academics to keep on writing about i

Zinn Lives: Scholars Remember the Person Behind A People’s History

by Guy Mount

Howard Zinn is dead.  For Zinn himself, however, the news of his own demise may have scantly warranted a mention in one of his many books and articles.  If it did somehow make the cut, we can only imagine that Zinn would have written himself into the history books exclusively for the sake of exploring the responses of everyday people to his work while drawing attention to the causes he fought so diligently for.  Indeed, throughout his career, Zinn was one of the foremost

Marx for a New Century: An Interview with Bertell Ollman

by Aaron Leonard

Bertell Ollman is a Marxist scholar and professor of politics at New York University.  His work is a canny mix of serious scholarship and novel pop

History as Creative Writing

by James Goodman

A couple of years ago, not long after I signed on as U.S. editor of Rethinking History, I penned a called for contributions for a series of themed issues.  I called those issues “History as Creative Writing,” but not without some hesitation, even reluctance.  I knew those words would strike some readers as tired (another revival of narrative?), or pretentious (another literary turn?) or just plain meaningless.  But I meant something modest, something

Lenin's Brother: An Interview with Philip Pomper

by Aaron Leonard

Alexander Ulyanov, was V.I. Lenin’s older brother. Like his brother he was a revolutionary committed to the overthrow of the Russian autocracy

Mexican War Traitor, Hero, and Irishman: The Three Faces of John Riley

by Peter F. Stevens

By the end of the Mexican-American War, 1846-48, John Riley wore three labels – American traitor, Mexican hero, and Irish nationalist.  Which o

A Discussion on Irish Immigrants in America with Timothy Meagher

by Jill O'Neill

Timothy Meagher is associate professor of history and curator of the American Catholic History Collections at the Catholic University of America in W

Immigrant Loyalties During the Great War and Today

by David Laskin

Italians, Poles and Jews, the three largest groups of newcomers during the peak years of immigration at the turn of the last century, arrived in the United States with deep cultural traditions, fervent religious beliefs, grea

Oliver Stone's Secret History: An Interview with Peter Kuznick

by Dave Lieberson

Since The Birth of a Nation, Hollywood has been trying to make history its own.  While some movies are loathed by historians (Troy) and others loved (Platoon) it is hard to find a movie or television show that sheds light on an entertaining subject and yet remains historically accurate.  Peter Kuznick and Oliver Stone are collaborating on a ten part Showtime series in an attempt to do just that.  The series focuses on the new, undiscovered asp

A Critique of Peter Kuznick's Interview with HNN

by Ron Radosh

If you wonder how people on the Left deal with their critics, look no further than this new lengthy interview with Prof. Peter Kuznick, the co-writer and co-director with Oliver Stone of the forthcoming Showtime ten-part documentary on the twentieth century.  I first

Why Saladin Continues to Captivate the Arab World

by Jonathan Phillips

On October 2, 1187, the demoralized Christian defenders of Jerusalem watched Saladin, the ruler of the Muslim Near East, enter the city.  This day – by coincidence, the anniversary of the Prophet’s Nigh

Korea's Truth and Reconciliation Commission: An Interview with Kim Dong-choon

by Mark Selden

Since the formation of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to come to terms with the legacy of apartheid and colonialism, Commissions have sprung up in many countries that have sought to come to terms with painful legacies of colonialism, war, and interna

Decline of a Great Power?

by Robert Brent Toplin

Yale historian Paul Kennedy’s 1987 best-seller, The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers, has been getting renewed attention these days, because the book carries a message of interest to Americans in 2010.  Kennedy demonstrated that many of the great nations of earlier history made expensive military commitments.  Eventually, the cost of defending vast interests weakened their economies.  Kennedy said the United States appeared to be engaging in “overstr