Roundup

The Answer to the Media Industry’s Woes? Publicly Owned Newspapers.

by Victor Pickard

Local democracy requires coverage of local news. As the commercial media fail to provide it, it's time to reconsider the history of municipal newspapers.

Take Some Deep Breaths and Prepare to Wait for Election Results

by Ellen L. Weintraub and Kevin M. Kruse

Americans and the American news media must face the fact that the safety of voters requires us to slow down on reporting election results as more voters will cast ballots by mail. 

The Lessons of the Great Depression

by Lizabeth Cohen

The larger lesson the New Deal offers is that recovery is a complex and painful process that requires the participation of many, not directives from a few. And that, ultimately, we’re all in this together.

If Trump had Been in Charge during World War II, this Column would be in German

by Max Boot

What if FDR had speculated that mobilization might be unnecessary if we can develop a “death ray” straight out of a Buck Rogers comic strip?

The Neoliberal Era is Ending. What Comes Next?

by Rutger Bregman

From higher taxes for the wealthy to more robust government, the time has come for ideas that seemed impossible just months ago.

Venezuela Failed Raid: US Has a History of Using Mercenaries to Undermine Other Regimes

by Andrew Thomson

The arrest of Silvercorp mercenaries in Venezuela echoes a long history of the U.S. government supporting private troops to overthrow foreign governments. 

Donald Trump Is Redefining the Role of "Big Government" in America

by Amitai Etzioni

Donald Trump's response to the COVID-19 pandemic has not renewed "big government." Trump has channeled public funds to private enterprises and left state and local governments responsible for providing services without the resources or power to do the job effectively.

These Young Socialists Think They Have Courage. They Don’t.

by Mitchell Abidor

If Mr. Trump is re-elected, many DSA members could spend the next four years suffering little more than the pangs of political outrage. But millions of less fortunate people would suffer real consequences.

The ‘American Way of Life’ Is Shaping Up to Be a Battleground

by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor

The median wealth of a U.S. senator was $3.2 million as of 2018, and $900,000 for a member of the House of Representatives. These elected officials voted for one-time stimulus checks of $1,200 as if that was enough.

Roundup Top Ten for May 15, 2020

This week's best op-eds by historians or about history from around the web.

We Must Not Forget The Jackson State Massacre

by Robert Luckett

The killings at Jackson State in 1970 should be a reminder that state-sanctioned violence aimed at the marginalized remains a systemic part of American life. 

Will Covid-19 Lead to Men and Women Splitting Care Work More Evenly?

by Sarah Keyes

History shows men have always been able to handle care work — when they have to.

‘Mrs. America’ Reminds Us that More Women in Politics Won’t Necessarily Mean More Liberal Policies

by Leandra Zarnow

The recent streaming hit "Mrs. America" underestimates the influence of New York Representative Bella Abzug on future progressive politics and the complex impact of women's activity in the political arena.

Shanghai’s Past, Hong Kong’s Future

by James Carter and Jeffrey Wasserstrom

The story of Hong Kong and Shanghai isn’t simply a defining story of the last two centuries of Chinese history. It is really the story of all world cities around the globe today: how they thrive and how they decline.

Flight Status

by Sarah Rose

During the Vietnam War, the women who served on special Pan Am flights flew into a war zone to transport soldiers. Why has their role been forgotten?

“Don’t Regret. Remember”: Frictions of History and Gender in Céline Sciamma’s “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”

by Paris A. Spies-Gans

Historian Paris A. Spies-Gans discusses the historical references and significance of the critically acclaimed French film.

The Dirty History of Soap

by Judith Ridner

Evolving from home production utilizing waste to industrial manufacturing using highly engineered ingredients, the making of soap has been a dirty process.

Brave New Classroom: Lessons from the First Six Weeks

by Hannah Leffingwell

This crisis has pulled the ground out from under us all—professors, researchers, doctoral students, and undergraduates alike. But in truth, the weak spots revealed through this crisis have long existed.

Pandemics of the Past

by Jon Meacham

"It’s too early to know where our own battle against Covid-19 will lead us — the fight is far from over — but the nonfiction literature of plague reveals that pandemics, while ending individual human lives, can mark the beginnings of new ways of being and of thinking," writes historian Jon Meacham.

Video Chat Is Helping Us Stay Connected in Lockdown. But the Tech Was Once a ‘Spectacular Flop’

by Francine Uenuma

The first video-call technology was demonstrated in 1927, but the idea was largely a failure in the years that followed. Here's why.