Roundup

The Virginia History that Conservatives are Suppressing

by Kevin M. Levin

Conservatives appointed by Glenn Youngkin to the state Board of Education are ignoring the important history of the Readjusters—a biracial party that governed in the tumultuous era between the end of Reconstruction and the consolidation of Jim Crow. Students need to know about them. 

How a Deadly Explosion Catalyzed Civil Rights Activism Among Black WWII Soldiers

by Matthew Delmont

Segregated Navy men had been assigned dangerous duty loading munitions onto ships without adequate training or appropriate limits on the pace of their work. The inevitable disastrous explosion at Port Chicago created a surge of racial justice and labor activism in the military. 

Two Cheers for Presentism

by David A. Bell

Now that the dust has settled over the AHA President's controversial essay, it's time to consider more carefully how the present informs the work of historians, and how to do "presentism" right. 

Acceptance of Natural Hairstyles a Continuing Front in Civil Rights Struggle

by Jasmine Nichole Cobb

Recently signed legislation in Massachusetts prohibits workplaces and schools from banning many hairstyles associated with African Americans, showing that racism can work through sartorial standards to make opportunity and acceptance contingent on conformity to white norms. 

Whatever Else, Applaud Liz Cheney's Defense of the Constitution

by James M. Banner Jr.

James M. Banner writes "as difficult as it may be for Democrats, like me, who reject most of Cheney’s positions on specific issues to do, we owe her a salute for her elemental moral and civic clarity."

Our Civics Education Can't Fight These Threats to Democracy

by Eric Mlyn

Educational institutions are already "politicized" by organized attacks by an authoritarian movement. They need to set aside the fear of controversy and assert themselves as defenders of democracy. 

India in a Different Voice

by Maya Jasanoff

Learning Hindi during a sabattical presented a researcher with the chance to engage with Indian history outside of the frame of English, and to grasp the power struggles pushing the country toward authoritarian nationalism today. 

White Christian Nationalism is Out in the Open Now

by Annika Brockschmidt and Thomas Lecaque

The boundaries of acceptable discussions of the relationship of religion and civil authority and citizenship have shifted on the right as political candidates now treat the label "Christian nationalist" with defiance instead of denial, and deploy a mythical version of the past to justify their views.

The New Army Tactical Brassiere Latest Episode of Military Connections with Fashion

by Einav Rabinovitch-Fox

The move to create new undergarments reflects the military's recent efforts to incorporate a more diverse population of servicemembers, as well as a longstanding concern with managing the appearance of women in service. 

The Roundup Top Ten for August 19, 2022

The top opinion writing by historians and about history from around the web this week.   

Faculty Need Labor Organizing, Not Shared Governance

by Eva Cherniavsky

"Beyond the walls of the academy, where the default vision of the college professor is (still) that of an over-educated, privileged elite reveling in the outrageous luxury of career-long job security, no one at all is much concerned with the erosion of faculty power. Yet they should be."

Assessing Cornell's Response to Revelations it was Funded by Taking Indigenous Land

by Jon Parmenter

The university must account for its role in the historical connection between settler colonialism and the development of American higher education. 

Trump is Attacking the Most Conservative Agency of the Government

by Garrett M. Graff

The embedded conservatism of the FBI is so severe that Democratic presidents have never felt politically entitled to name a fellow Democrat to lead the Bureau. Trump's attacks on the FBI as part of a liberal "deep state" are ludicrous.

On Beer, or, Why Chicks Rock

by Eleanor Janega

The history of brewing in medieval Europe reflects on the present in interesting ways from the inside of the pub. 

The Modern City was Shaped by Policing Black Women's Sexuality

by Simon Balto

In tribute to the work of Anne Gray Fischer, a historian of policing reflect on how central the goal of controlling sexuality was to the growth of police forces and the geography of urban America. 

The Context of the New History Wars is Our Missing Sense of a Shared Past

by Jonathan Zimmerman

Grievances over secular issues like teaching racism have replaced Christian concerns over evolution and prayer in the battles over curriculum. Have advocates of progressive curricula opened the door to this attack by undermining a shared national historical narrative? 

What Justice Kavanaugh Gets Wrong About the Court and Politics

by William E. Nelson

At the founding, the idea that the law was distinct from politics had not yet emerged. Since then, courts have often intervened in political matters, and doing so often prevented worse outcomes. 

The Missouri Social Worker Who Founded the Global Internet Name Registry

by Ayden Férdeline

Marilyn Cade played a major role in establishing the global governance structure of the internet. 

Asking Gay Men to be Cautious Over Monkeypox Isn't Homophobia

by Jim Downs

"Protecting gay men from discrimination and stigmatization today does not require public-health officials to tiptoe around how monkeypox is currently being transmitted."

An Honest Conversation about Jews for Racial and Economic Justice

by Jacob Remes

The president of the Antidefamation League recently said the progressive Jewish group was out of line with "mainstream Jewish values." A member and historian begs to differ.