Historians/History

Why Brown Had Such an Impact

by Michael J. Klarman

Brown v. Board of Education is often identified as the most important Supreme Court decision of the twentieth century, but the precise way in which it mattered is not widely appreciated. Brown helped ensure that when sit-ins, freedom rides, and other civil rights demonstrations came to the South in the 1960s, they would be met with violence. And that fact proved an incomparable boon to the civil rights movement. In the wake of Brown, politicians in Southern

The IRS: The Most Secretive Institution in the Federal Government

by Shelley Davis Bishop

For nearly eight years, I worked for the IRS. I did not process tax returns. In fact, I rarely saw tax returns. My job was unique for the tax collector. I was one of nearly 10,000 employees at the headquarters of the IRS in Washington D.C. , but I was the only one with the job title of historian. I turned out to be not only the first, but also the last, official IRS historian! In the 1990s, my revelations of massive document destruction at the IRS, essentially the wholesale loss of the

Why the History Channel Had to Apologize for the Documentary that Blamed LBJ for JFK's Murder

by Stanley I. Kutler

LBJ's family and friends heatedly protested the program.

The British JFK Producer Who Brought Shame on the History Channel

by Max Holland

The first allegation in print that Lyndon Johnson was not merely a bystander or witness in Dealey Plaza, but a perpetrator and the chief beneficiary of President Kennedy’s assassination, dates back to 1966.On January 31st of that year, a well-known New York dealer in autographs named Charles Hamilton put on sale a letter allegedly written by Jack Ruby.The sales catalog described the letter this way:

Historians Vs. Reality

by Ronald Radosh

Gathered in Boston last weekend for the annual conference of the Organization of American Historians (OAH), my profession just proved itself to be out of touch with reality. The OAH Executive Board approved a resolution calling for a committee of historians to investigate supposed repression against historians who have been victimized because of their anti-war and anti-Bush views. The motion came from a group of left-wing activists who call

Benny Morris's Lies About My Book

by Ilan Pappe

In March the New Republic published Benny Morris's harsh review of Illan Pappe's new book, A History of Modern Palestine: One Land, Two Peoples. Mr. Pappe wrote a response and asked TNR to publish it. TNR declined. His response appears below. Benny Morris tells his readers in the

My Response to Steers & Chaconas and McPherson

by Ray Neff

My Response to Steers & Chaconas and McPherson

by Ray Neff

My Response to Steers & Chaconas and McPherson

by Ray Neff

My Response to Steers & Chaconas and McPherson

by Ray Neff

My Response to Steers & Chaconas and McPherson

by Ray Neff

My Response to Steers & Chaconas and McPherson

by Ray Neff

My Response to Steers & Chaconas and McPherson

by Ray Neff

My Response to Steers & Chaconas and McPherson

by Ray Neff

My Response to Steers & Chaconas and McPherson

by Ray Neff

HNN Readers Who Attended the 2004 OAH Annual Meeting: Their Observations

General ObservationsBy Jeremy Greene (Teacher,Chelmsford (MA) High School )•  In the future register on-line: If not, you were blocked from all walking tours even if you pre-registered, as I did, by mail. •  The food: I was struck that the World History Association conference (see http://hnn.

Why Rosie the Riveter Deserves a National Park--And Got One

by Ruth Rosen

ON A RECENT warm Sunday afternoon, joggers, bikers, strolling couples and picnicking families began filling up the Rosie the Riveter Memorial National Historical Park in Richmond. Tucked away in a spectacular waterfront setting, this national historical site, which opened in October 2000, commemorates some 18 million women who worked in the home-front defense industries that helped the United States win World War II. So who was Rosie the Riveter? With her slee

Should the Allies Have Bombed Auschwitz: William J. vanden Heuvel vs. Rafael Medoff

In his recent book, The Conquerors, Michael Beschloss take Franklin Roosevelt and others to task for not bombing Auschwitz during World War II. In a recent edition of"Passport: The Newsletter of the Society For Historians of American Foreign Relations," William J. vanden Heuvel, co-chair of the Roosevelt Institute, harshly criticized Beschloss's account, contending that FDR had little choice but to conclude that the fastest way to bring the suffering of the Jews to an end was to end t

What Really Drives History?

by Thomas Fleming

As we ride an historical roller coaster in Iraq, it might be a good time to ponder a hot new word in the history game: contingency. It means that more and more historians are admitting that Marxism or Progress or some other abstraction is not the driving force of history. It is events -- often unexpected events or decisions made by prime ministers and presidents and generals. That could lead to a bad case of the jitters. Perhaps the best antidote is a look at some

Historians Against the War Petition the Organization of American Historians (OAH)

The people behind the organization, Historians Against the War (HAW), are celebrating tonight. This afternoon the executive board of the Organization of American Historians (OAH) decided to establish a committee to investigate reports of repression involving historians. The OAH is holding its annual meeting in Boston. The news was announced by HAW member Jesse Lemisch, a well-known Sixties radical, at a meeting sponsored by the OAH this evening to honor radical historian Howard Zinn.