Roundup

A Legend of Innocence

by Daniel Solomon

Both the French left and right are impeding the teaching of how 75,000 French Jews were turned over to the Nazis. 

The Roundup Top Ten for June 17, 2022

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

The Secret of Successful Royal Marriage? History Says it's a Mistress

by Kate Lister

The transactional nature of royal marriages meant that bonds of affection or attraction between parties was an afterthought, making royal paramours (for kings, at least) commonplace. 

Ukraine's Struggle for Independence is a Century Old, Despite Putin's Claims

by Joshua D. Zimmerman

Ukrainian nationalists have worked for independence since the upheaval of the first world war. 

Where Witches Were Men: Magic in Early Modern Russia

by Valerie Kivelson

In Orthodox Russia, unlike Catholic and Protestant western Europe, the nature of hierarchy and power meant that the majority of people accused of witchcraft were men, and the popular image of a witch was male. 

Biden Needs to Frame Ukraine Goal as Securing Sovereignty, not Democracy

by Stephen Wertheim

An American pledge to the defend principle of sovereignty will attract more allies into a coalition than a promise to defend democracy, especially since, prior to the Russian invasion, Ukraine's standing as a democratic state was tenuous. 

The Unity that Follows Tragedy Shouldn't Obscure Buffalo's History of Racism

by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor

The invented image of a "City of Good Neighbors" has been a rhetorical one-way street in Buffalo, with calls for unity gaining more traction than calls for justice or equality. 

Can Law be an Instrument of Black Liberation?

by Paul Gowder

As activists debate whether the law and courts are a dead end for the pursuit of justice, it's useful to recall Frederick Douglass's conception of the law as a basis for collective demands. 

MLK and Today's Global Struggle for Democracy

by Randal Maurice Jelks

"Thinking about King’s Holt Street speech brings me full circle to contemporary times as I try to understand this most anti-democratic era, one not seen since the 1930s as the clouds of World War II loomed on the horizon."

Is the Right Now Post-Religious? If Only!

by Jacques Berlinerblau

A high-profile op-ed by Nate Hochman obfuscates the continued significance of strains of Christian nationalism to the rising far right and falsely claims this movement is a secular one. 

America Runs on Xenophobia

by Erika Lee

Xenophobia's resilience and revival in America is happening because it helps manage the faults and contradictions of major social institutions including capitalism, democracy, and global leadership. 

The Right Celebrated Bernhard Goetz as the Kyle Rittenhouse of the 80s

by Pia Beumer

In the context of economic turmoil, urban crisis, and racial division, a broad swath of the American public made Goetz a heroic symbol of restored white masculinity after he shot four Black teens who asked him for money on the New York subway.

The Secessionist Roots of January 6

by Elizabeth R. Varon

"The story of Southern secession provides illuminating evidence that the Jan. 6 insurgency was, indeed, precedented, rooted in long-standing efforts to preempt, delegitimize and suppress Black voting."

Matthew McConaughey Goes Home

by John Fea

As a movie fan, the author has never been moved by the Uvalde, Texas native. But as a Christian, he found the actor's public solidarity with the victims and their families compelling and honest. 

The Dark Underside of the "Family-Like" Business

by Erik Baker

The history of businesses cloaking their labor practices in paternalism is long; the most recent chapter dates back to the spiritual explorations of the 1960s counterculture and the surveillance practices of Henry Ford. 

When Cities Put Up Monuments to Traffic Deaths

by Peter Norton

Rising pedestrian and cyclist deaths in American communities are a call to question the primacy of the automobile and stop accepting roadway carnage. 

The Best Classroom is the Struggle: Teaching Imperialism

by Joshua Sooter

Even students who are able to overcome the cognitive dissonance provoked by learning about American imperialism struggle to imagine how knowledge can support work for a more just and democratic world order. 

What Reparations Can Look Like

by Martha S. Jones

Are directed cash grant programs undertaken by churches, cities, or other civic organizations a viable way to deliver reparations as part of those institutions' efforts to acknowlege the harm of their past actions? 

The Roundup Top Ten for June 10, 2022

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

History Suggests Gun Control Will be an Uphill Fight

by Joanna Paxton Federico

The National Rifle Association has succeeded in blocking popular gun control legislation since it overcame strong public support in the 1930s for national handgun registration in FDR's "New Deal for Crime."