Roundup

‘Our casualties not heavy’: how British press covered the Battle of the Somme

by John Jewell

Even if reporters had wished to “tell the truth” and their copy had made it past the censors, then the editors and proprietors back home would have ensured that their writing did not see the light of day.

The collection of data in presidential politics began in 1896 with the Bryan campaign

by Jody Avirgan

A short history of data collection from Bryan to Obama

How Bad Can a President Be?

by Thomas Mallon

A new biography exposes the mysterious confidence behind George W. Bush’s greatest failures.

Slavery as free trade

by Blake Smith

The 18th-century thinkers behind laissez-faire economics saw slavery as a great example of global free trade.

Roundup Top 10!

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

Crazy, Fascinating & Horrifying:  Latest Edition

Jack Daniels secret, the Nazi Amelia Earhart, Hitler's daughter, and more. 

Social Media News: What Historians Are Talking About

This week ... Annette Gordon-Reed, Rick Perlstein, Kevin Kruse, Ron Radosh and more. 

Pop Culture Roundup: This Week

This week ... A new American Experience show on the Berlin Olympics of 1936,  "Free State of Jones," "Angels in America," and lots more!

A Hater for All Seasons

by Garry Wills

There was something almost mystical about the past year of Donald Trump. How can one man can be such a shape shifter?

How to Steal an Election

by Jill Lepore

The crazy history of nominating Conventions.

The Age of Disintegration

by Patrick Cockburn

Neoliberalism, Interventionism, the Resource Curse, and a Fragmenting World

Infographic of the Week: The Psychology of Campaign Signs

How politicians manipulate voters: A historical perspective.

Where Conservative Ideas Come From

by Timothy Shenk

A generation ago, explaining the power of the American right seemed an essential task for anyone seeking to understand the headlines. Recent events suggest that scholars should adopt a more skeptical attitude toward the image presented by the self-appointed gatekeepers of True Conservatism.

All the president’s friends: A history of close presidential allies, from Lincoln to Nixon to Trump

by Charles B. Strozier

What can we learn about our presidents from the people they were closest to?

Muhammad Ali’s real legacy: From fanaticism to tolerance

by Jonathan Zimmerman

Ali transformed from a bigot in his younger days to a messenger of peace.

American colonialism persists in Puerto Rico

by Margaret Power

In a letter to the editor, historian Margaret Power complains that the Chicago Tribune missed a chance to explain Puerto Rico’s status.

Opening the Door to a Conservative Court

by Jeff Shesol

A new book by Michael J. Graetz and Linda Greenhouse argues that the Burger Court advanced the conservative agenda by eroding the rights the Warren Court had established.

The Racist Origins of the SAT

by Gil Troy

While it unintentionally aided the disadvantaged in its earlier forms, the SAT was the fruit of a very poisonous tree.

How an Archive of the Internet Could Change History

by Jenna Wortham

Preserving online media is a growing logistical and ethical question. But doing so may completely transform the way we remember the past.

Populism wasn’t about making the system efficient

by Barry C. Lynn and Phillip Longman

What populists cared about was making democracy work.