Historians in the News

What I Learned Researching the Deadliest School Disaster in American History

A novelist reports on her experience researching the history of a disaster.

Study: American Kids Are Learning Islamophobia From Their Textbooks

by Melissa Levinson

"My research on world history textbooks used across the country finds that sections about Islam and the Middle East advance a “rise and fall” narrative."

Historians call on Congress to monitor record keeping related to immigration

by Lee White

"The inappropriate loss or destruction of public records reverberates through time."

Conservatives complain about "Duke Historian Nancy Maclean's Wacky Conspiracy Theory"

by David E. Bernstein

They don't like her recent book and dismiss her comments about the recent split between the Koch brothers and Donald Trump.

Doris Kearns Goodwin's new book?

It's "Leadership: In Turbulent Times" (Simon & Schuster). It will be published in mid-September.

Ilan Pappe on Israel, Palestine and antisemitism

"Fear works if you cave in.”

VIPS to Trump: Intel on Iran Could be CATASTROPHIC.

by William R. Polk

William Polk to VIPS: Revamp your appeal.

An economic historian says the cost of neglecting history is huge

by Richard Vedder

The Ohio University professor, now in his 54th year of teaching, notes “In 1970, there were 100 history/social science graduates for every one majoring in parks and recreation; now there are fewer than four."

Jim Loewen says history classes helped create a "Post-Truth” America

The author of "Lies My Teacher Told Me" discusses how schools’ flawed approach to teaching the country’s past affects its civic health.

Historians Just Don’t Get Archivists. Here’s Why.

by Michael Brenes

The misunderstanding goes both ways.

A Historian Explains How Mainstream Conservatives Made Trump

Willamette’s Seth Cotlar argued in a tweet storm that the "embryo of Trumpism [was] lurking within ’90s conservatism” and the Internet took notice.

Why the Historian Behind the "I Have a Black Friend" Essay Wants to Reach People Beyond His Classroom

An interview with Tyler Parry.

Jim Loewen: The biggest lie we still teach in American history classes

by Sean Illing

“The idea that we’re always getting better keeps us from seeing those times when we’re getting worse.”

The Siege of Chicago at 50: Todd Gitlin Remembers

“There was an apocalyptic, confrontational spirit.”

The next president of the American Historical Association will be ...

The University of Miami's Mary Lindemann.

Two history professors explain why they quit the Miller Center

by William I. Hitchcock and Melvyn P. Leffler

"Hiring Marc Short, the former White House legislative director, to help scholars understand the Trump presidency is like welcoming H.R. Haldeman into your university at the height of Watergate.”

In Memoriam: Richard Clark Sterne, Historian of "The Nation"

by Richard Kreitner

An avid Nation reader since boyhood, Sterne, who died at 91, wrote an early account of the magazine.

PBS Announces RECONSTRUCTION: AMERICA AFTER THE CIVIL WAR, a New Documentary from Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

It will air in the Spring of 2019 on PBS.

2 Historians Quit UVa Center Over Appointment of Former Trump Administration Official

The historians  – Melvyn P. Leffler and William I. Hitchcock – object to the appointment of Trump's legislative director, Marc Short.

Manisha Sinha got death threats after writing an article comparing Donald Trump to Andrew Johnson

by Rick Shenkman

The University of Connecticut professor is fine.  The suspect has been identified.