Roundup

The Rebirth of Family Capitalism or How the Koch Brothers, Sheldon Adelson, Sam Walton, Bill Gates, and Other Billionaires Are Undermining America

by Steve Fraser

"Charles and David Koch are perfect specimens of the new breed of family capitalists on steroids."

Publishers Gave Away 122,951,031 Books During World War II

by Yoni Appelbaum

And, in the process, they created a nation of readers.

‘The Economist’ Has a Slavery Problem

by Greg Grandin

Multiple commentaries from the journal show a pattern of making sure white people aren’t taken for total villains when discussing slavery.

3 Years War? Obama to Bomb Syria in fight against ISIL

by Juan Cole

"Everyone should just understand that the social science literature finds that external interventions typically extend, not shorten, civil wars."

A History: Israel's violation of human rights

by Alice Lynd with the assistance of Staughton Lynd

"Historians Against the War believes the study of the past is essential to the resolution of our differences in the present."

The Time JFK Called the Air Force to Complain About a 'Silly Bastard'

by Chris Heller

The fascinating story of an angry president and the man who never knew he was the object of scorn.

Obama’s Lincoln problem: Which Lincoln is he, the great orator or the great obfuscator?

by Todd Brewster

Obama hoped to emulate Lincoln's sense of justice and compassion. He may follow him in less flattering ways.

We still lie about slavery: Here’s the truth about how the American economy and power were built on forced migration and torture

by Edward E. Baptist

All these decades later, our history books are filled with myths and mistruths. It is time for a true reckoning.

Watergate’s most lasting sin: Gerald Ford, Richard Nixon, and the pardon that made us all cynics

by Rick Perlstein

Ford let Nixon off 40 years ago today. That launched Iran-Contra, "too big to fail" -- and proved power trumps law.

Does the Constitution protect corruption?

by Jill Lepore

What’s corruption in government exactly? Does it need to be quid pro quo?

The overestimation of the John Birch Society

by Steven F. Hayward

"Liberals loved the John Birch Society—almost as much as Moscow must have loved it. Liberals secretly enjoy being terrified of right-wing-extremist threats."

Seize the Jacksonian Day

by Thomas Donnelly

“Obama has always had trouble with Jacksonians, who tend to live outside cities and be older white, and less educated than Obama’s political base.”

The Hidden History of Prosperity

by Robert Kuttner

In the crisis of World War II, the nation made the political choices that created the robust egalitarian economy of the next 30 years. Can we respond to the climate crisis with similar policies to rebuild the middle class?

The Source of New York’s Greatness

by Russell Shorto

Dutch tolerance was transplanted to Manhattan: They were so welcoming that a reported 18 languages were spoken in New Amsterdam at a time when its population was only about 500.

Liberalism’s Beleaguered Victory

by Abram N. Shulsky

Could it be that liberalism spawns counter-ideologies because of its very own nature?

Sloppy Munich and Hitler anologies aren't helpful in understanding world affairs -- or Germans

by Peter Gumbel

"Saddam Hussein, Bashir al-Assad and Vladimir Putin are not Hitler, any more than they are Genghis Khan, Attila the Hun, or Ivan the Terrible."

Will Textualism kill Obamacare?

by Jeffrey Toobin

This approach, which was pioneered and advocated by, most prominently, Justice Antonin Scalia, holds that courts should interpret laws based solely on their own terms, and not on the basis of the intent of the legislators who create the statute.

Roosevelts to the Rescue

by Timothy Egan

As president, you get only a few real moments of testing, but the right judgment can make a difference in history.

Roundup Top 10!

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

The Original Tea Partier Was an Atheist

by Matthew Stewart

Remembering America's forgotten founding father.