Roundup

The Colonization of Puerto Rico and the Limits of Impeachment

by DJ Polite

It is misleading to call impeachment "justice" when it reflects the priorities of empire.

The Global War of Error

by Tom Engelhardt

Failure is the new success and that applies as well to the “industrial” part of the military-industrial complex. 

Before the ‘Final Solution’ There Was a ‘Test Killing’

by Kenny Fries

Too few know the history of the Nazi methodical mass murder of disabled people. That is why I write.

Obama was Right, Trump is Wrong on Iran

by Andrew Meyer

The legacy of the hostage crisis has predictably engendered a "hard line" wing of the foreign policy establishment in Washington with respect to US-Iranian relations, represented by figures such as Paul Wolfowitz, Daniel Perle, John Bolton and Mike Pompeo.

Yes, Bernie Sanders Could Be the Nominee—and It Would Be an Epic Nightmare for Democrats

by Ronald Radosh

Sanders is where he is today in part because no one has really attacked him. But just wait until Republicans spend a billion dollars painting him as an extremist.

‘We Are More’ (Freedom Of Speech Vs Freedoms Of Immigrants In Canada)

by Neil Karpenko

In the democratic country, which our veterans fought for, nobody has the right to decide for others how to express feelings, what and on what occasion to wear. 

Video of the Week: Congressional Oversight of Presidential Misconduct

Featuring historians Jeremi Suri, Kathryn Brownell, James Banner, and Dane Kennedy. Hosted by the National History Center. 

Roundup Top 10!

This week's broad sampling of opinion pieces found on the Internet, as selected by the editor of HNN.

Can remembering past atrocities prevent future ones?

by Jennifer Evans and Paula-Irene Villa Braslavsky

How a recent art installation in Berlin sparked controversy.

The Forgotten Story of Christmas 1918

by Mary Elisabeth Cox

We remember the 1914 Christmas Truce as a moment of humanity amid war. Four years later, a darker tale unfolded.

Why on Earth Did Boston Sell Babe Ruth to the Yankees?

by Jane Leavy

The sale, at the end of 1919, changed baseball — and New York City — forever.

Why We Need Walt Whitman in 2020

by Ed Simon

With our democracy in crisis, the poet and prophet of the American ideal should be our guide.

Making Room for Miscarriage

by Lara Freidenfelds

In my new book The Myth of the Perfect Pregnancy: A History of Miscarriage in America, I set out to write the history of our modern culture of childbearing in the US, and how it has produced our expectation of perfect pregnancies.

Why Netflix’s The Two Popes Is Important

by Walter G. Moss

At the core of the film are the differences between Benedict and Francis, especially before Benedict retired and Francis took his place.

The Power of Chilean Women Denouncing Gendered and Sexual Violence Through Song

by Margaret Power

For the last two years and a half women students and faculty have exposed and denounced the rampant sexual abuse and sexist education that take place in Chilean schools and universities. 

Why demagogues were the Founding Fathers’ greatest fear

by Eli Merritt

Washington’s greatest fear that summer of decision in Philadelphia was that unwise, self-seeking politicians — even if fairly elected to public office — would tear down the central government and its constitutional laws for the sake of their own advancement and glorification.

How America went from Barack Obama to Donald Trump in one head-spinning political decade

by Kevin M. Kruse and Julian Zelizer

Obama’s America and Trump’s America feel like separate nations, but they are bound by Newton's law: For every action, an equal and opposite reaction.

The Fight Over the 1619 Project Is Not About the Facts

by Adam Serwer

A dispute between a small group of scholars and the authors of The New York Times Magazine’s issue on slavery represents a fundamental disagreement over the trajectory of American society.

The case for historians being more engaged in public affairs, not less

by Adam Laats

Americans need to not just study history, but to better understand why our knowledge of the past is ever-evolving.

The Ongoing Crashes of the 21st Century

by Tom Engelhardt

Depending on what tipping points are reached and what happens after that on our rapidly warming planet, so much could come down around humanity’s ears.