Historians/History

40 Years Ago a Bomb Blew Up the Former Ambassador of Chile in Downtown Washington DC

by Alan McPherson

This act of terrorism perpetrated by Chile’s dictator Augusto Pinochet marked the end of U.S. tolerance of state-supported terror abroad.

George Washington, America’s First Spymaster? Yes, Indeed.

by John A. Nagy

Concerned about spies from the beginning of the war, his policy was to feed them false information.

It’s that Time of Year Again ... When We Recognize Indigenous People!

by Dina Gilio-Whitaker

The rest of the year the mainstream media and schools treat Native people as extinct. There are consequences to this neglect.

The President Who Deserves the Credit for Reviving Presidential Debates May Have Lost Because of Them

by Yanek Mieczkowski

This is the explanation for his gaffe.

How a Jewish Kid from the Suburbs Transformed Jewish Studies in America

by Aaron W. Hughes

When he started out he didn’t know Hebrew and hadn’t studied at a Yeshiva. These were advantages.

How the Great Escapes Under the Berlin Wall Came to an End

by Greg Mitchell

Tunnel escapes stopped abruptly 52 years ago because of one sensationalized and misconstrued event.

Why the Fact that We’ve Never Paid Serious Attention to Missy LeHand Is Deplorable

by Kathryn Smith

She, like the other female gatekeepers presidents have had, played a vital role in a president’s administration.

How the Patty Hearst Kidnapping Led to U.S. Police Militarization

by Brad Schreiber

That’s the story the media’s missed.

Response to Critique by Brent Aucoin

by John Fea

John Fea responds to criticism of his article, "Why the Founding Fathers Wanted to Keep Ministers from Public Office."

One Historian’s Questionable Use of the Founding Fathers

by Brent J. Aucoin

A critique of John Fea’s claim that the Founding Fathers objected to ministers serving in public office.

This Valentine’s Day, Let’s Finally Get Jefferson’s Love Letter to Maria Cosway Right

by M. Andrew Holowchak

What unfortunately is often missed is the extent to which the love letter provides an enduring expression of Jefferson’s views on issues such as man in society, moral sense, and most importantly, the relationship between the moral sense and reason.

What Are Historians Supposed to Make of Quotes Reported by the Discredited Historian and Holocaust Denier David Irving?

by Christopher A. Lawrence

The question gains new attention as a movie about his trial hits theaters.

Why You Shouldn’t Believe US Presidents Were Benevolent or at Least Fair-Minded Toward Indians

by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz and Dina Gilio-Whitaker

An excerpt from a book about myths about Native Americans.

The Real Reason for the Declaration of Independence

by Larrie D. Ferreiro

It was expressly designed to signal to France and Spain that the Americans no longer considered themselves British subjects.

9/11 Struck Fear in Americans for more than the Obvious Reasons

by Peter N. Stearns

15 years later it’s time to acknowledge why we reacted the way we did.

It’s Been 350 Years since a Jewish Self-Proclaimed Messiah Converted to Islam

by Ed Simon

Here’s why it’s worth remembering Sabbatai Zevi.

4 Decades Later We Still Don’t Know What the CIA’s Role in Watergate Was

by Ray Locker

The CIA’s own history, which was just disclosed, is filled with nagging gaps.

After 13,000 Days in Retirement, It’s Time To Reassess Jimmy Carter’s Presidency

by Ronald L. Feinman

And it is time to acknowledge that Jimmy Carter also had major accomplishments.

Custer’s First Last Stand

by Jim Stempel

It happened 12 years before the disaster that ended in his death. And he made the same mistake.

The Year Black People Were Hounded Out of Forsyth County, Georgia

by Patrick Phillips

It happened in 1912.