Historians in the News

'Slavery and the City' Tour Sheds Light on London's Dark Past

An organization advocating for the teaching of Black history in British schools has organized walking tours demonstrating the degree to which the city's financial and political institutions were tied to slavery. 

Why Is America the World’s Police? (Review)

by Sam Lebovic

A review of Stephen Wertheim's "Tomorrow, The World" concludes the new book shows how American military supremacy moved in a generation from a novel idea to embedded common sense, and demands rethinking the resources spent to maintain it. 

John Brown And Abraham Lincoln: Divergent Paths In The Fight To End Slavery (audio)

H.W. Brands discusses his new book "The Zealot and the Emancipator: John Brown, Abraham Lincoln, and the Struggle for American Freedom" with NPR's Fresh Air. 

American Historical Association Announces 2020 Prize Winners

This year’s finalists were selected from a field of over 1,400 entries by nearly 150 dedicated prize committee members.

How Saidiya Hartman Retells the History of Black Life

The literary scholar Saidiya Hartman's studies of the aftermath of slavery and the African diaspora point to the limits of archival records for understanding historical Black experience. Some historians question whether her methods fill archival gaps too creatively.

Educating the Powerful

by Matt Reed

In the wake of a political movement consciously designed to denigrate any expertise outside of making money, calming anxious trustees an uphill battle. But it’s necessary. Anyone with a grasp of history knows that there’s no appeasing a purity movement; one kill simply whets its appetite for the next one.

Barrio America: How Latino Immigrants Saved the American City (Virtual Lecture, 11/12/2020)

Urban historian A. K. Sandoval-Strausz discusses the impact of Latino immigrants on revived urban centers in the late 20th century, sponsored by the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library. 

"White Supremacy" Once Meant David Duke and the Klan. Now it Refers to Much More

The term "white supremacy" has recently expanded to cover social phenomena beyond overt racial bigotry and discrimination. Historians and other scholars debate this usage. 

Samuel L. Jackson's Enslaved and the Lost History of Canadian Slavery

Canadian historian Charmaine Nelson says that many Canadians are overly accepting of the narrative of their nation as the endpoint of the Underground Railroad and unaware of the history of slavery in Canada. A new documentary by the famed actor highlights the need to push past comfortable understandings.

Face the State: Professor Leah Wright RigeurDiscusses Voter Suppression (Video)

Leah Wright Rigeur, Harry Truman Associate Professor of American History at Brandeis University discusses the state of voting rights in Connecticut and nationally. 

Where Are We On The Roller Coaster Of History?

Historian Jeremi Suri suggests that the Trump administration has roused social movements that can revive American democracy. 

Vaughn Davis Bornet, 1917-2020

by Bornet Family

Vaughn Davis Bornet, a frequent contributor to HNN, was writing history into his 103rd year. 

A Look At The Long History Of Latino Republicans

Historian Geraldo Cadava discusses why many Latinos have voted for Republicans and why many will again. 

On Recent Criticism of The 1619 Project

by Jake Silverstein

Critics of the 1619 Project have identified changes and edits to the text of Nikole Hannah-Jones's article, which they claim were made surreptitiously to conceal errors. Editor Jake Silverstein addresses those criticisms. 

In this Pennsylvania Town, Racism "was Quiet." Then Trump Stoked Fears of Violence

“Historically, most acts of racial terror have been enacted in rural communities, small towns or medium-sized cities,” said Khalil Muhammad, a history professor at Harvard University.

Throughline: The Electoral College (radio program)

NPR's Throughline launches its (mis)Representative Democracy series on the institutions of American elections with a focus on the Electoral College, featuring Alexander Keyssar, Carol Anderson and Akhil Reed Amar.

Medieval Europeans Didn’t Understand how the Plague Spread. Their Response Wasn’t so Different from Ours Now

"As we spoke with historians and searched for the plague’s lasting marks, what stood out most were the similarities, 672 years apart."

Beyond the Myth of Malcolm X (review essay)

A new biography of Malcolm X sets his political thought in the context of the midcentury Black communities where he lived and how his Black contemporaries saw him. 

UHA Announces Award Winners

The Urban History Association announces its annual awards for best book, best journal article, and best dissertation.

What's At Stake for Higher Ed in the Election?

Nathan D.B. Connolly and Harvey Kaye are among scholars asked to explain the stakes of the election for higher education.