Roundup

America's 'democratic experiment' is inextricably tied to the history of slavery

by Peniel E Joseph

The year 1619 laid out rough boundaries of citizenship, freedom, and democracy that are still being policed.

Lessons from the UN peacekeeping mission in Rwanda, 25 years after the genocide it failed to stop

by Samantha Lakin

Despite the broader mission’s many well-documented failings, peacekeepers took risks to save lives, going beyond official orders to protect innocent Rwandans.

Not having kids is nothing new. What centuries of history tell us about childlessness today.

by Rachel Chrastil

The long history of childlessness can help us to debunk myths, tell our stories and expand the range of our possibilities. 

Labor Organizing in Higher Ed: Lessons from the 1984-85 Yale Strike

by Jacob Remes

What might the labor movement still learn from the successes of the 1984-85 Yale strike of mostly-women clerical and technical workers?

Donald Trump’s Republican Party is not the party of Lincoln

by Sidney Blumenthal

Republicans have embraced all that Lincoln loathed.

The Original Evil Corporation

by William Dalrymple

The East India Company, a trading firm with its own army, was masterful at manipulating governments for its own profit. It’s the prototype for today’s multinationals.

When Henrietta Wood Won Reparations in 1878

by W. Caleb McDaniel

She sued the man who had kidnapped her into slavery for damages and lost wages, offering lessons for today’s debate.

World War II Launched a New Age of Global Power. 80 Years After the War Began, That Era Is Ending

by David Kaiser

The world order created after World War II has begun to collapse. 

How the advanced placement program is failing students

by Annie Abrams

A new cookie-cutter website designed by the College Board represents a perversion of the program’s original mission of fostering creative and critical thinking.

Police and punitive policies make schools less safe, especially for minority students

by Kathryn Schumaker

The increase in school security is directly linked to the rise of student activism that started to transform schools 50 years ago.

As Hurricane Dorian Threatens Florida, Gov. DeSantis & Trump—Who Haven't Curbed CO2 Emissions—Should Resign

by Juan Cole

If you don’t recognize the cause of a problem, you can’t fix the problem.

Globally, many evangelicals lean left: What that means for America’s future

by David C. Kirkpatrick

Conservatism isn’t the only option for religious voters.

To rescue democracy, we must revive the reforms of the Progressive Era

by Ganesh Sitaraman

The playbook for taming industrial capitalism already exists. It’s the essential starting point for reform today.

Roundup Top 10!

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

Could footnotes be the key to winning the disinformation wars?

by Karin Wulf

More than ever, we need what this tool provides: accountability and transparency. 

Why anti-immigration politics hurt white workers

by Inés Valdez

No, immigrants aren’t taking your job — but vilifying immigrants helps undermine worker protection.

World War II Didn’t Begin in 1939. It Began in 1936 — In Spain.

by Paul Richard Huard

Revisiting world history might be one way to break Spain’s national silence about its civil war.

Bret Stephens launches a foolish Twitter war

by David M. Perry

Being called a bedbug just isn't a big deal. Writing to a provost about the actions of an academic on Twitter, which Stephens said he did because "managers should be aware" how "their people...interact in the world," is the big deal. 

Seventy years after the Cold War began, the world faces an escalating nuclear threat

by William Lambers

The first Soviet atomic bomb test, on Aug. 29, 1949, spread political and psychological fallout that has been with us ever since.

The Price of Self-Delusion

by Ronald Radosh

Paul Robeson, the towering figure of American arts, athletics, and civil rights activism, was also an unapologetic Stalinist. Failing to acknowledge this checkered legacy ultimately does a disservice to the goals he fought for.