Roundup

Trump’s xenophobia is an American tradition — but it doesn’t have to be

by Erika Lee

Some have always pushed to keep out immigrants, but people have always fought back, too.

The apocalyptic myth that helps explain evangelical support for Trump

by Thomas Lecaque

Implicit is a vision of the president as a triumphantly apocalyptic figure, one who evokes the medieval legend of the Last World Emperor.

Two Things to Do Between Now and Next November (All the Rest Is Gravy)

by Andrew Meyer

Between the impeachment hearings, the Democratic primaries, and the accelerating chaos that has marked our domestic and foreign policy since January of 2017, the task of civic engagement can seem hopelessly complex. 

Après Moi, le Déluge...

by Tom Engelhardt

The Age of Trump, the End of What? 

We Cannot Forget About Acid Rain

by Sam Mastrianni

Acid rain was a major problem in the late twentieth century. Through years of regulation and reform, the threat from this acid was neutralized. If we don’t learn from history though, we could face the same terrible threat yet again.

Contrary to conservative claims, the ERA would help families — but it’s not enough

by Alison Lefkovitz

Decades after its introduction, the Equal Rights Amendment is still urgently needed, and passing it may soon be possible

Thanksgiving is a good time to lose our illusions about U.S. history

by Nick Alexandrov

We misread the past each November, when we consider our country’s earliest phase. We like to think tolerance, a love of liberty and a democratic impulse motivated English colonists. But history tells a different story.

Queer Like Pete

by Jim Downs

Buttigieg is getting slammed for being a type of gay man America doesn’t understand.

It’s Easy to Dismiss Debutante Balls, But Their History Can Help Us Understand Women’s Lives

by Kristen Richardson

The debutante ritual flourished roughly from 1780 to 1914—beginning with the first debutante ball in London and ending with the outbreak of World War I. 

Roundup Top 10!

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

Don’t despair if your teen wants to major in history instead of science

by Ian Milligan

Choosing to become a history major is a future-friendly investment. A history degree teaches skills that are in short supply today: the ability to interpret context, and — crucially — where we’ve been, so as to better understand the world around us today and tomorrow.

The War on Words in Donald Trump’s White House

by Karen J. Greenberg

How to Fudge, Obfuscate, and Lie Our Way into a New Universe

Why family separation is so central to Trump’s immigration vision

by Maddalena Marinari

Strengthening family ties has been key to overcoming nativism — and in 2020, it can do so again.  

The Last Time America Turned Away From the World

by John Milton Cooper

The unknown story behind Henry Cabot Lodge’s campaign against the League of Nations.

Ten rules for succeeding in academia through upward toxicity

by Irina Dumitrescu

Universities preach meritocracy but, in reality, bend over backwards to protect toxic personalities. 

Between the Lines of the Xinjiang Papers

by James A. Millward

The Chinese Communist Party is devouring its own and cutting itself off from reality.

The GOP Appointees Who Defied the President

by Michael Koncewicz

Before Watergate became a story that dominated the national media in the spring of 1973, there were individuals within the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the IRS that took dramatic steps to block Nixon’s attempts to politicize their work.  

American Slavery and ‘the Relentless Unforeseen’

by Sean Wilentz

The neglect of historical understanding of the antislavery impulse, especially in its early decades, alters how we view not just our nation’s history but the nation itself.

Why abruptly abandoning the drug war is a bad idea for Mexico

by Aileen Teague

Long-term economic initiatives are good, but a power vacuum will make things more violent in the short term.

Video of the Week: How Allan Lichtman Predicted Both Trump's Election and Impeachment

Allan Lichtman has correctly predicted every presidential election since Ronald Reagan in 1984. But in his same 2016 prediction that Donald Trump would win, Lichtman also predicted he’d be just the third president ever to be impeached.