Roundup

Tackling a Century-Old Mystery: Did My Grandmother Vote?

by Martha S. Jones

The historian of Black women's fight to secure the vote had a question of family history to solve that drove her research. 

Amazon Is a Private Government. Congress Needs to Step Up.

by Stacy Mitchell

A handful of tech companies constitute a private government with potentially dangerous control over information and commerce. Congress should boost antitrust law to reduce this power. 

An Interview With ‘Playboy’ Magazine Nearly Torpedoed Jimmy Carter’s Presidential Campaign

by Rick Perlstein

Jimmy Carter's 1976 campaign was nearly destroyed by an honest and introspective magazine interview; the fact that the magazine was "Playboy" did not help.

The Roundup Top Ten for August 14, 2020

The top op eds by historians or about history from around the web this week. 

Stacey Abrams Could Have as Much Impact on 2020 as Kamala Harris

by Liette Gidlow

Stacy Abrams's work to protect voting rights and ballot access may be a decisive factor in the 2020 election. 

We Can Tear Down False Idols of History. Thomas Jefferson Did it to Jesus Christ

by Peter Manseau

"Considering “The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth” anew today, we might begin by asking whether Jefferson’s willingness to challenge convention gives the lie to a justification of his many failings as unavoidable for a man of his time."

How History Turns Riots Into Tea Parties

by Stacy Schiff

For years Boston hesitated to erect a monument to the rabble-rousers of 1770. We do not care for the revolutionary spirit to survive the revolution. The revolution, however, goes nowhere without it.

’Back To School’ Amid a Pandemic and Uprisings Gives Teachers a Unique Opportunity

by Kabria Baumgartner

The history of Black women educators shows a path for teachers to directly engage the social conflicts and inequalities that affect their students lives. 

The Inevitability of Defending Henry Kissinger

by Jim Sleeper

A new book on the Cold War statesman offers a dangerous justification for the unaccountability of powerful figures. 

In the Fire of Activism: Julian Bond’s Life in Politics and Protest.

by Robert Greene II

A new edited collection of Julian Bond's writings illustrate the transition from Black protest to Black officeholding and the incomplete struggle to secure freedom for Black Americans. 

Hamilton And The Unsung Labors Of Wives

by Jennifer Forestal and Menaka Philips

Women, and particularly wives like Eliza Hamilton, have been essential to our political and intellectual histories; it’s long past time we tell their stories.

Colorblindness Has Become A Conservative Shield For Racial Inequality

by Frank J. Cirillo

Beginning in the 1970s, white politicians selectively appropriated the dream of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. for a future post-race society by pretending it was already reality, rejecting further action to address racial inequality.

Armed Poll Watchers: New Jersey’s Cautionary Tale Ahead Of The 2020 Presidential Election

by Mark Krasovic

In the history of voter suppression in the United States – including attempts to stop Black and Latino people from voting – Republican tactics in the 1981 New Jersey gubernatorial race are worth highlighting.

African Americans Have Long Defied White Supremacy And Celebrated Black Culture In Public Spaces

by Shannon M. Smith

Long before Confederate monuments occupied city squares, African Americans used those same public spaces to celebrate their history. But those African American memorial cultures have often been overshadowed by Confederate monuments that dominate public space and set in stone a white supremacist story of the past.

1864 Elections Went on During the Civil War – Even Though Lincoln Thought it Would be a Disaster for Himself and the Republican Party

by Calvin Schermerhorn

Abraham Lincoln understood that the war for the Union was about the integrity of a constitutional republic, not the president or the party.

“The Mask Law will be Rigidly Enforced”: Ordinances, Arrests, and Celebrations during the 1918-1919 Influenza Epidemic

by Jessica Brabble, Ariel Ludwig, and E. Thomas Ewing

History teaches us that masking is a community effort in which individuals choose to act for the good of all, despite the inconvenience or discomfort. 

Kamala Harris Vice Presidential Pick Launches Biden Towards A Cabinet That Looks Like America

by Lindsay M. Chervinsky

Joe Biden's selection of former rival Kamala Harris suggests he will follow other successful presidencies and appoint a cabinet that brings different views to policy discussions. 

Before Kamala Harris Became Biden’s Running Mate, Shirley Chisholm and other Black women Aimed for the White House

by Sharon Austin

Joe Biden has now selected a woman who he believes can not only help him win the election but also to govern if he is elected. It is a watershed moment for African Americans, Asian Americans and women who’ve so long been excluded from so many aspects of politics.

Trump Is Hobbling the Mail the Old-fashioned Way

by Winifred Gallagher

If Republicans wanted to limit voter turnout and raise doubts about the election’s integrity, creating chaos within the Postal Service and undermining its independence would be an efficient way to pursue that goal.   

As College Football Grapples with the Coronavirus, it also Confronts its Racist History

by Bennett Parten

It's no coincidence that the south is the heartland of college football. The region first embraced the game as an expression of southern honor culture. While southern colleges were slow to adopt integrated rosters, today's Southeastern Conference teams rely heavily on the unpaid labor of Black players.