Roundup

Why Netflix’s The Two Popes Is Important

by Walter G. Moss

At the core of the film are the differences between Benedict and Francis, especially before Benedict retired and Francis took his place.

Why demagogues were the Founding Fathers’ greatest fear

by Eli Merritt

Washington’s greatest fear that summer of decision in Philadelphia was that unwise, self-seeking politicians — even if fairly elected to public office — would tear down the central government and its constitutional laws for the sake of their own advancement and glorification.

The Forgotten Story of Christmas 1918

by Mary Elisabeth Cox

We remember the 1914 Christmas Truce as a moment of humanity amid war. Four years later, a darker tale unfolded.

The case for historians being more engaged in public affairs, not less

by Adam Laats

Americans need to not just study history, but to better understand why our knowledge of the past is ever-evolving.

The Fight Over the 1619 Project Is Not About the Facts

by Adam Serwer

A dispute between a small group of scholars and the authors of The New York Times Magazine’s issue on slavery represents a fundamental disagreement over the trajectory of American society.

How America went from Barack Obama to Donald Trump in one head-spinning political decade

by Kevin M. Kruse and Julian Zelizer

Obama’s America and Trump’s America feel like separate nations, but they are bound by Newton's law: For every action, an equal and opposite reaction.

The Ongoing Crashes of the 21st Century

by Tom Engelhardt

Depending on what tipping points are reached and what happens after that on our rapidly warming planet, so much could come down around humanity’s ears.

Historians Should Stay Out of Politics

by Andrew Ferguson

The lasting question the petition raises is: “So what?” Put another way: “Should we care what these historians think about Trump’s impeachment?” 

‘We Are More’ (Freedom Of Speech Vs Freedoms Of Immigrants In Canada)

by Neil Karpenko

In the democratic country, which our veterans fought for, nobody has the right to decide for others how to express feelings, what and on what occasion to wear. 

Roundup Top 10!

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

The Power of Chilean Women Denouncing Gendered and Sexual Violence Through Song

by Margaret Power

For the last two years and a half women students and faculty have exposed and denounced the rampant sexual abuse and sexist education that take place in Chilean schools and universities. 

Confederate Christmas ornaments are smaller than statues – but they send the same racist message

by Nicole Maurantonio

Take a good look at those old Christmas ornaments before hanging them on the tree – you may find it's time to retire some family keepsakes.

How War Targets the Young

by Andrea Mazzarino

War on Terror, War on Education

Sacred Objects: Medieval History and Star Wars

by Stephenie McGucken

For European believers, relics allowed worshipers to encounter some aspect of an object of devotion—a holy person or place—when the object itself was physically unavailable or geographically inaccessible.

What Bill Barr doesn’t understand about the office of attorney general

by Cornell W. Clayton

The U.S. attorney general’s office started in the judicial branch, not the executive — and has never been entirely under presidential control.

Omens of the Trumpian Nightmare in Literature, Film, and Song

by Walter G. Moss

Like Soloviev’s anti-Christ, Sinclair Lewis’s President Buzz Windrip in It Can’t Happen Here (1935) is different than Trump in some ways—”Windrip was almost a dwarf”—but possesses significant characteristics that remind us of Trump. 

The geometry of impeachment in the nation’s capital

by Amir Alexander

How L’Enfant’s layout of Washington, D.C., reflects the stability of the Constitution and our branches of government.

The purpose of history in the Age of Trump

by Daniel W. Drezner

The president’s “strongest and most powerful protest” has a familiar ring to it.

Why we all have the knowledge to decide whether Donald Trump should be impeached

by Karin Wulf

The crucial importance of keeping historical records public and easily accessible.

The apocalyptic worldview hidden in Trump’s letter to Pelosi

by Thomas Lecaque

Throughout history, the letter has been one of the literary genres most closely associated with apocalyptic texts.