Roundup

Why Jesus “Chuy” Garcia Should Look to Anton Cermak’s Chicago Mayoral Campaign for Inspiration

by Peter Cole

The parallels between Cermak and Garcia—and Chicago’s political moment in the 1930s and now—are striking.

Antebellum Data Journalism: Or, How Big Data Busted Abe Lincoln

by Scott Klein

The real history of data journalism pre-dates newspapers, and traces the history of news itself.

“Too small a change”: How St. Patrick’s Day became a political lightning rod

by Jonathan Zimmerman

Organizers of St. Patrick's Day parade say it's about celebrating "Irish heritage and culture." Here's the problem.

America's New Military Mystique

by Nan Levinson

We embrace the idea of an all-powerful military because at a time when the world seems such a fragile and hostile place, if even our military won’t keep us safe, who will?

Clones on the Court

by Akhil Reed Amar

A Supreme Court that once included former senators and governors is populated today by judges with identical résumés. Here's why that's a mistake.

Spoof: Great Women of History (And Their Husbands)

Host Peter Carlisle presents key women in history (and the husbands that made them who they are) in this collection of the popular Saturday Morning Special from 1987, the year of the first ever Women's History Month.

The Real Scandal Behind Hillary Clinton’s Email

by Fred Kaplan

We are losing a generation of historical records because the National Archives has failed to do its job.

Japan’s Abe Shinzo’s Plan to Dominate Okinawa

by Gavan McCormack

A grand, and massively unequal, struggle over the future of Japan is underway. It’s Okinawa’s protesters against the weight of Abe’s government.

Richer and Poorer

by Jill Lepore

Accounting for inequality.

History holds Asia hostage

As the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II approaches, some Asian nations are resurrecting the ghosts of history.

Birth of a Freedom Anthem

by Ethan J. Kytle and Blain Roberts

The long, biracial history of “We Shall Overcome.”

A Christian Nation? Since When?

by Kevin M. Kruse

America may be a nation of believers, but when it comes to this country’s identity as a “Christian nation,” our beliefs are all over the map.

Mosul is an Endangered Historic City!

by Ihsan Fethi

"There are many lessons to be learnt by the world from this new type of conflict where it involves the high jacking of a historic city by terrorists with fierce disregard for history."

How humans became human

by Avi Tuschman

In an international bestseller Youval Harari lays out a grand new history of our species focusing on 3 major revolutions: Cognitive Revolution, Agricultural Revolution, Scientific Revolution.

Gov. Aycock and the tug-of-war over NC history

by Tim Tyson

Neither those who wish to rename buildings nor those who wish to leave these monuments present an ideal solution. What would be best is to erect plaques explaining Aycock’s legacy. 

We Have a President for a Reason

by Kathleen DuVal

A History Lesson for the Republicans Who Wrote to Iran

Roundup Top 10!

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

Fight for black voting rights precedes the Constitution

by Van Gosse

In Boston and New York, leaders like John Hancock and Aaron Burr actively recruited “electors of color” after the American Revolution.

The Anthropocene began with species exchange between Old and New Worlds

by Simon Lewis and Mark Maslin

Human activity has clearly altered the land surface, oceans and atmosphere, and re-ordered life on Earth.

I liked the movie, but “Selma” missed a few teaching moments

by Julian E. Zelizer

There has been a lot written about what is wrong or right with the film Selma. Here are a few unexplored points.