Historians in the News

The Conspiracy Theories That Fueled the Civil War

The most powerful people and institutions in the South spread paranoia and fear to protect slavery, leading the country to war, as historians Matthew J. Clavin and Manisha Sinha explain. 

George Floyd’s Death and the Long History of Racism in Minneapolis

“Structural racism is really baked into the geography of this city and as a result it really permeates every institution in this city," says historian Kirsten Delegard.

Botch on the Rhine (Review)

A new book blames British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery's thirst for glory for Operation Market Garden, an ill-fated effort to drop airborne troops behind the Rhine River to accelerate the Allied invasion of Germany.

How White Women Use Themselves as Instruments of Terror

Throughout history, white women have used the violence of white men and the institutions these men control as their own muscle.

What We Learn From FDR's New Deal

"A president alone can't do everything," says historian Lizabeth Cohen, "that president needs a supportive Congress."

Continuing to Reshape Women’s History: The Ongoing Story of Nontraditional Women Historians

by Julie Gallagher and Barbara Winslow

The editors of a collection of essays by non-traditional women historians celebrate the impact of the Catherine Prelinger Award (of the Coordinating Council for Women in History), which aided the scholarship published in their book and is supporting a new generation of women historians expanding the scope of the field to address race, disability, indigeneity, and mass incarceration (among other issues).

‘This Invokes a History of Terror’: Central Park Incident Between White Woman and Black Man is Part of a Fraught Legacy

by Errin Haines

Scholars including Ibram X. Kendi, Robin DiAngelo, and Stephanie Jones-Rogers describe the historical phenomenon that real or imagined threats to white women's safety has justified repression against black men. 

How History Informs Our Current Crisis (Audio)

Historian Julian Zelizer contextualizes the mask debate, the U.S. death toll, social distancing, and the U.S.'s international standing.

Wisconsin’s Long History As Swing State

Wisconsin's status as a swing state in presidential elections is nothing new. It reflects the state's part in major trends in American history including immigration, urbanization, and the rural-urban divide.

Demanding End to 'Failed Billionaire-Backed' Policies, 200+ Teachers and Activists Urge Biden to Go Bold on Public Education

Their demands push Biden toward a progressive education platform, breaking from the status quo in Washington.

Old Saybrook Historical Society Wins Prestigious History Award, Publishes New Book

The winner of a 2020 Award of Excellence from the American Association for State and Local History's new book focuses on the Battles of Saybrook Fort during the Pequot War.

America’s Response to Coronavirus Pandemic is ‘Incomprehensibly Incoherent,’ Says Historian Who Studied the 1918 Flu

According to historian John M. Barry, Americans have not learned their lesson since 1918.

Lessons From Operation 'Denver,' the KGB’s Massive AIDS Disinformation Campaign

Historian Douglas Selvage sheds light on a conspiracy theory that reverberates to this day.

Obituary: Dr Ian Macdougall, Historian who Recorded the Voices and Experiences of Working People

MacDougall, who has died at the age of 86, was a historian with a deep affection for, curiosity in and understanding of the working men and women who are frequently overlooked when a country’s story is narrated.

Australia Heading Into New 'Fire Age', Warns Global Fire Historian

Thirty years ago, Stephen J. Pyne wrote the definitive history of fire in Australia and has just released an updated version of his book, Still Burning Bush.

Ken Burns: Coronavirus Pandemic Is Crisis "On The Level" Of Civil War And Great Depression (Podcast)

On this podcast, the filmmaker and historian Geoffrey Ward discuss American leadership during moments of crisis.

Book Interview: Heather Cox Richardson on “How the South Won the Civil War”

"The biggest argument, though, and the one into which I poured my best intellectual energy, was the argument at the center of the book: that politics is driven by language, and America’s peculiar history has given oligarchs the language to undercut democracy."

Duke University Professor of Economic History Dirk Philipsen: Re-Consider how We Measure Economic Success (Audio)

An economic historian contends that GDP is not the best indicator of economic success. 

How Will We Remember the Pandemic? Museums Are Already Beginning to Decide

Historians including David Kennedy, Martha S. Jones, and Brenda Stevenson, along with curators at national and local museums, discuss the assembly of artifacts to document the COVID crisis for posterity. 

Reopening too Soon: Lessons from the Deadly Second Wave of the 1918 Flu Pandemic

J. Alexander Navarro of the University of Michigan Center for the History of Medicine has compiled archival records of the 1918 Influenza pandemic in 43 U.S. cities. The findings suggest staying closed helps prevent a deadly second wave of infections.