Roundup

More ‘Progressive’ Than Thou

by Beverly Gage

When Washington reformers became ‘liberals,’ ‘progressives’ in turn became more radical.

Are students pampered louts?

by Jim Sleeper and Rosemary Bechler

Jim Sleeper puts the student protests in historical perspective.

Story of the Week: The obscure history of the ‘virgin’s disease’ that could be cured with sex

by Helen King

When virginity was a disease, sex (preferably marital) was the only lasting solution.

A history of dope, in black and white

by Jonathan Zimmerman

Drug laws have been based less on the damage drugs do than on who is using them

A Hydrogen Bomb by Any Other Name

by Alex Wellerstein

Did North Korea detonate a hydrogen bomb? The answer may depend on how we define the term, in all its political messiness.

Desert Storm Anniversary Reminds Us that Even Victorious Wars Are Problematic

by Ivan Eland

As the 25th anniversary of Desert Storm rolls around, historians are finally beginning to question whether this short-term victory was really a long-term triumph.

Who Should Control the West?

by Patricia Nelson Limerick

Democracy’s Challenge to the Needs of Conservation

Karl Rove is a bad historian: Race, the South and the real story he doesn’t tell about William McKinley and 1896

by Daniel Schlozman

We've all seen Megyn Kelly bring reality to Rove's election projections. Time to bring some to his history book.

Removing Racist Symbols Isn’t a Denial of History

by Christopher Phelps

Across the world, campus symbols from the epoch of avowed white supremacy have come under sharp criticism from students and their allies.

What Donald Trump Owes George Wallace

by Dan T. Carter

The real estate mogul won’t be the president, just as the former Alabama governor wasn’t. But losers as well as winners shape the future.

Roundup Top 10!

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

Haj Amin al-Husseini, the Nazis and the Holocaust

by Jeffrey Herf

Setting the record straight about his views and influence.

The Genocidal Unconscious of American Sports’ Naming Practices

by Greg Grandin

The Texas Rangers bear the moniker of America’s most celebrated death squad.

Why the Islamic State Is the Minor Leagues of Terror

by Tom Engelhardt

Putting Threats into Perspective for 2016

Two Weaknesses Could Undo the Islamist Movement

by Daniel Pipes

Weaknesses within, especially squabbling and disapproval, could undo the Islamist movement.

Roots and genes

by Alondra Nelson

‘Roots’ sparked an African-American quest for identity through family history. Does DNA finally provide firm grounds?

Stranger than Strangelove: how the US planned for nuclear war in the 1950s

by Paul Lashmar

It has long been known that many targets would have been subjected to multiple nuclear attacks – and this led to the expression “Overkill”. But the study suggests the actual overkill would have been greater than previously believed.

The Great Renaming Craze of 2015

by David Greenberg

How a worthy examination of our country’s troubled past become a wholesale condemnation of our troubled forebears. And why we should be worried about it.

Nixon’s “environmental bandwagon”: Richard Nixon signed the landmark Clean Air Act of 1970 — but not because he had any great concern about the environment

by Richard L. Revesz and Jack Lienke

Nixon was not one to be outdone by his political rival "Mr. Clean" Ed Muskie -- and so we have the Clean Air Act

Protecting Anne Frank's Voice — Even 7 Decades Later

by Roberta Rosenthal Kwall

If Otto is now seen as a co-author, how does this impact the authenticity of Anne’s original voice and the legitimacy of the diary?