Roundup

Erasing Black Leadership from Reconstruction History Still Distorts Our Understanding

by Robert Greene II and Tyler D. Parry

The actions of southern Black leaders during Reconstruction shed light not just on their efforts to secure political power but the kind of multiracial democracy and society they hoped to achieve.

Only Putin Knows What's Next

by Tom Nichols

Vladimir Putin's intentions – be they territorial, symbolic, or psychological – remain a wild card for any U.S.-led response to the Ukraine situation. 

School Vandalism Is a Test We Need to Pass

by Campbell F. Scribner

Student vandalism in schools is nothing new. Effective responses must reject surveillance and punishment and put student growth above the simple protection of property.

The Senate is a Long-Term Threat to Democracy

by Thomas Zimmer

The idea that the Senate is "the world's greatest deliberative body" is American exceptionalism that hides the undemocratic nature of the institution.

Legislators: Come See How I Use 1619 Project in My Classroom Before You Ban It

by Woody Holton

South Carolina's H. 4343 bill would impoverish the history education legislators claim to value. Could an invitation to observe how the demonized 1619 Project is used as a teaching tool change any minds? 

The Roundup Top Ten for January 21, 2022

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

You Can't Teach What You Don't Know

by Jonathan Zimmerman

Lost in the controveries about what history teachers should teach is the deeper issue of how well-prepared they are to teach history classes effectively. Too many history teachers study too little history in their training. 

Americans Misunderstand the Radical Vision of even the Young MLK

by Victoria W. Wolcott

Long before the escalation of the war in Vietnam, urban unrest and national battles for fair housing that animated King's late work, he expressed a vision of justice that demanded systemic transformation of American society. His wife Coretta was a profound influence. 

The Dark Side of NASA Under James Webb

by Ken Lawrence

Evidence suggests that NASA cut corners on safety to beat the Soviets in the space race; the phrase "the lowest bidder" resonated throughout the space community in the early 1960s.

The Elusive Guantanamo Endgame

by Karen J. Greenberg

"In the legal quagmire the U.S. has created, there is, in fact, no easy solution to closing Guantanamo."

The End of Democracy won't Look Like You Think It Will

by Tom Nichols

The authoritarian right isn't motivated or organized enough to create the kind of dystopia some fear. But federalism means that significant chunks of the Formerly-United States will turn the clock back to the late 1950s. 

Only Fools Replay Doomsday

by William Astore

The author worked at NORAD's headquarters under Cheyenne Mountain at the height of the Cold War and wonders why, having emerged the nominal victors of one round of military escalation toward armageddon, American policymakers seem willing to enter another. 

Bronx Fire Shows the Perils and Politics of Home Heating

by Rebecca Wright

Landlords and tenants have long fought over the benefits and costs of heat, with municipal codes serving as the referee. This month's deadly fire shows the consequences of regulatory neglect.

Native on TV in 2021

by Liza Black

"Where 20th- and early 21st-century shows used Native characters in superficial ways, perhaps to create an appearance of diversity, Reservation Dogs and Rutherford Falls center Indigenous characters, themes, and content, decolonizing conventional television narratives about Native people."

The Filibuster Protects the Powerful, Not Vulnerable Minorities

by Ben Railton

The regular use of the filibuster in the 20th century paralleled its use as a tool to frustrate the political goals of labor and civil rights activists.

Is the Right Wing Fringe Moving Beyond Trump?

by Thomas Lecaque

"The most difficult part of riding a tiger, as the saying goes, is dismounting—and Donald Trump is riding a tiger of conspiracy-theorizing, apocalypse-chasing, murderous wackos."

Now or Never to Stop US Descent to Authoritarian Rule

by Thomas Zimmer

The Republican Party has operated on the core propositions that the Democratic opposition and its core constituencies are fundamentally illegitimate long before Donald Trump. Biden's victory shouldn't obscure how close they are to establishing permanent minority rule. 

Orban and Putin Don't do Debates Either

by Ruth Ben-Ghiat

The news that the Republican National Committee will boycott the Commission on Presidential Debates echoes the actions of authoritarians who reject the principle of political toleration and the very legitimacy of the opposition. 

MLK was CRT Before there was a Name For It (Ask One of the Scholars Who Founded the Field)

by Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw

A founder of the Critical Race Theory movement argues the movement, like Dr. King, insists that "the promise of liberation extends beyond the elimination of formal segregation and individual-level prejudice."

Covidtests.gov is the Right Move, but More Needs to be Done

by David M. Perry

So far, the idea of directly distributing tests from the government to the public through the post office seems like a winner. But it remains to be seen if there is sufficient political will and resources to actually commit to cutting out middlemen and giving Americans tools to protect their health.