Historians in the News

Recovering the Core Radicalism of the Civil Rights Movement: An Interview with Glenda Gilmore

by Robert Greene II

Cold war histories of civil rights have obscured the key role of communists and other radicals in establishing the economic demands of the movement and the practice of interracial mobilization. 

The New Wave of Court Activism Revives Interest in Felix Frankfurter, a Hands-Off Justice

by John Fabian Witt

Historian and legal scholar Brad Snyder's new biography shows Justice Frankfurter's concern for courts moving too far away from the decisions of elected legislators echoed in today's battles over abortion, guns and religion—by both sides. 

Nicole Hemmer: Trump Didn't Kill off Reaganism—Reagan's Contemporaries Did

Why, as Republicans touted the legacy of Ronald Reagan, have they moved further from his sunny rhetoric and international engagement toward a harder-edged nationalism? 

Containing the Far Right Means Explaining Why a Democratic, Nonviolent Society is Better

Nicole Hemmer and Post columnist Greg Sargent discuss the echoes of the 1990s and Oklahoma City in the rise in violent rhetoric on the right and what can be done to check it. 

National Library of Medicine Announces New Events on Data, Health and Digital Humanities

Historians Katy Kole de Peralta and Kim Gallon will feature prominently in the public presentations at the heart of the NLM's new series on humanities scholarship using new sources of health data. 

80 Years Ago, the Soviet Defense of Stalingrad Began

Jochen Hellbeck explains that both Hitler and Stalin identified the city as a critical battle, committing both armies to the carnage that turned the course of the Eastern Front. 

Keisha Blain's New Project Looks to Black Women Activists as Architects of Modern Human Rights Campaigns

"As someone who is very committed to unearthing the histories of Black working-class and working-poor women, I have had to move beyond the traditional archive."

Review: Does Gary Gerstle Get to the Meaning of Neoliberalism?

by Steven Hahn

Reviewer Steven Hahn says that Gerstle's new book effectively bridges the economic transformation of global capitalism with studies of the fracturing of the Democratic New Deal political coalition. 

Newspaper Ads Freedmen Filed for Family Reunification Aid African American Genealogy Today

Historian Blair Kelley and NYT writer Rachel Swarns discuss the archival ads placed by the newly emancipated to locate family members, and how those fill in the gaps for descendants seeking to assemble family histories. 

A Public Debate on Presentism is Joined by Far-Right Trolls: A Big Week for the AHA

by Colleen Flaherty

IHE Reporter Colleen Flaherty gives a rundown of the recent debate over AHA President James Sweet's essay on past and present in the profession, and its growth into a genuine online event – in case you missed it.

First Advanced Placement Courses in African American History to Debut

by Olivia B. Waxman

Sixty schools are participating in a pilot of the first new AP course since 2014, which arrives at a time when teaching critical perspectives on American racism is under attack. 

Sociologist Brittany Friedman on the Rise and Endurance of Political Organizing by Black Prisoners

Although it is often linked to the rise of Black Power movements in the late 1960s, evidence shows that state authorities were working to eliminate civil rights organizing among Black prisoners as early as the 1950s. 

Republicans Expected to Grill Biden's National Archivist Nominee in Retaliation for Mar-A-Lago Warrant

Despite the fact that she currently leads the White House Historical Association and has no connection to the National Archives, Colleen Shogan can expect a tough nomination fight as Senate Republicans pick up Donald Trump's grudge over the enforcement of presidential records law. 

When Did Racism Begin? The Fractious Historical Debate Explained

by Vanita Seth

Historians of the medieval and modern periods disagree about whether documented prejudices in earlier eras are "racism" or whether the term necessarily implies modernity. 

After Mar-a-Lago: Historians Among Experts on the Meaning of the Search and the Danger Ahead

Historian of fascism Federico Finchelstein says that the Trump World response to the search warrant exposes their core belief that Trump's leadership supersedes the rule of law and justifies any response to maintain it. 

Southern Republicans Want to Narrow the Census Definition of Black Identity – Why?

In a case that involves both the history of voting rights and exclusion and changes in the Census's recognition of complex ethnic identities since 1980, the Supreme Court may reverse a longstanding assumption about which voters are properly understood to be Black. 

Leading Expert on Housing Discrimination Suing Appraisers for Discrimination

“We were clearly aware of appraisal discrimination,” said Dr. Nathan Connolly, 44. “But to be told in so many words that our presence and the life we’ve built in our home brings the property value down? It’s an absolute gut punch.”

Sarah Churchwell on the Lies of "Gone With the Wind"

by Adam Hochshild

Does a 500 page book on the historical distortions of the novel and film seem like beating a dead horse? What if the horse is still alive and threatening to trample people? 

Lichtman: Polarization Makes Dynastic Politics Less Prominent

NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks to Allan Lichtman, a professor of history at American University, about Liz Cheney's political career after her Wyoming primary loss, and the political dynasties.

Historians on the Biden-Carter Comparison

by Olivia B. Waxman

Meg Jacobs, Gregory Brew and Kai Bird discuss the similar economic and international contexts of the two presidencies, and suggest that Biden may, like Carter, ultimately be more effective than he is given credit for.