Roundup

The little Lutheran lady who battled the Nazis on Kristallnacht

by Robert Scott Kellner

That autumn of 1938, the prelude to the Holocaust began. Beginning in the evening of Nov. 9, local bands of Nazi Storm Troopers throughout Germany led a willing populace against their Jewish neighbors.

The dark history of land-grant universities

by Margaret A. Nash

Many celebrated colleges and universities were created at the expense of Indigenous communities.  

Roundup Top 10!

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

One Big Thing the Dems Get Wrong About Warren

by John F. Harris

The political establishment loves the center. But it’s the radicals who end up writing history.

Why Popeyes markets its chicken sandwich to African Americans

by Marcia Chatelain

Popeyes has long cultivated a black customer base — which has positive and negative ramifications.

The Taproot Remains: On the Life and Legacy of Ernest J. Gaines

by Matthew Teutsch

"Gaines...wrote about the people he knew. The land he knew. Their struggles. Their joys. Their lives."

Watching My West Point Students Turn Into Soldiers of Empire

by Danny Sjursen

A New Generation of West Pointers Joins America’s Hopeless Wars

Why a 1972 Northern Ireland murder matters so much to historians

by Donald M. Beaudette and Laura Weinstein

A recent trial is an example of when historical truth and legal accountability diverge.

Plutarch and the Parallel Lives of Donald Trump

by Lance Morrow

If Plutarch studied American presidents, to which would he compare and contrast the 45th?

How Einstein Became the First Science Superstar

by Ron Cowen

A century ago, astronomers proved the general theory of relativity — and made him a global household name.

Remembering The Ad Hoc Committee for Handicapped Access (AHCHA): Against Erasure of Disability History At the University Of Chicago

by Steph Ban

"The irony of placing a reminder of disability history in a stairwell does not escape me nor does it surprise me."

The History Behind the Guy Fawkes Masks and Protest

by Sara Barrett

All around the world, protesters wear Guy Fawkes masks to conceal their identity in service of a cause.

As racism row rumbles on, is it time to retire the term ‘Anglo-Saxon’?

by Michael Wood

The history world has been afire with a debate about Anglo-Saxon studies. 

The Wagner Act and Why It's A Liberal President Is Not Sufficient To Create Democratic Change

by Jamelle Bouie

And without reform, neither is a Democratic Senate.

The Problem With How We Teach History

by Rachel Burstein

Students are still often building up to what they have been told is true, rather than finding truth on their own.

How the PLO served U.S. interests during the Iranian hostage crisis

by Jørgen Jensehaugen

Open communication and negotiation can produce concrete benefits.

Down the Rabbit Hole With Donald Trump

by Tom Engelhardt

Who not in Blunderland could ever have imagined that a bankrupted casino magnate and reality TV host might essentially -- like his lawyer recently -- butt-dial us all into a new form of (un)reality?

Presidential Candidates Crave the Spotlight. 200 Years Ago That Was Taboo.

by David Botti

For a century, presidential candidates were discouraged from openly campaigning - lest they appear power hungry like the British king America revolted against. Here's why that all changed. 

How Richard Nixon captured white rage — and laid the groundwork for Donald Trump

by Scott Laderman

Fifty years ago, Nixon gave us the “silent majority.” Today, Trump proudly declares himself its standard-bearer.

There Are Only Two Ways that this Ends

by Andrew Meyer

If the electorate deems the president fit to serve despite all of his abuses of power, then we will enter a new phase of our history as a nation.