Historians in the News

UCLA students and faculty protest return of historian Gabriel Piterberg

The professor was accused of sexual assault and harassment following quarter of leave.

Historians at Ole Miss say a Confederate monument plaque has to be frank about slavery

33 historians say in a signed statement that the plaque must acknowledge that the South fought for slavery.

Historian: William Henry Harrison likely died of scarlet fever, not pneumonia

by Philip A. Mackowiak

Philip A. Mackowiak, emeritus Professor of Medicine, says the president’s symptoms match scarlet fever.

Revered Indian Leader Joe Medicine Crow, Last Crow War Chief, Dies at 102

The respected historian of Montana's Crow Tribe and the last surviving Plains Indian war chief, died Sunday.

Associated Press Denies Historian’s Claim It Worked With Hitler

This statement from AP came after Harriet Scharnberg, a historian from the Martin Luther University, published a study claiming that AP cooperated with the Nazis.

Australia’s ‘history wars’ reignite

Debate over 'discovery' of Australia is alive and well – in the mind of one Sydney newspaper editor.

A Villanova University history professor has been charged with 415 child pornography-related counts

Christopher Haas was arrested on 415 child-porn-related counts.

Former Phillips Exeter Academy professor admits sexual misconduct, sanctioned a second time

Decades old incidents of sexual misconduct by a distinguished Phillips Exeter Academy professor were made public this week when a letter was sent from Principal Lisa MacFarlane to academy alumni.

Historian Says Newly Released Letters Show Reagan Left Liberalism When Communists Infiltrated

by Ronald Radosh

Ron Radosh reports that a recently released exchange of letters between Reagan and a Soviet émigré sheds new light on when and why Reagan shifted from being a supporter of the Popular Front to becoming a strong anti-Communist liberal.

New York State’s former chief historian warns the bureaucracy is putting history at risk

by Robert Weible

Robert Weible says decades of neglect have put the state’s vital history at risk.

James C. Cobb warns that cleansing American culture of ties to slavery will be harder than you think

by James C. Cobb

Few historic American institutions are free of the touch of slavery's history.

Harvard President Drew Faust Will Dedicate Plaque to Honor Harvard Slaves

She will undertake several initiatives to unearth and reflect on Harvard’s history of slavery.

Augsburg historian has students spend a week living the life of a monk: No texting, no social media, no nothing

Phillip Adamo says students are horrified at first, but then get it.

A historian wonders in print how revealing that he was raped as a teenager will affect his life and teaching

R.M. Douglas, a professor of history at Colgate University, says in a new book, "On Being Raped,” that he was molested as a child by a Catholic priest.

Donald Trump is more like Jefferson Davis than Benito Mussolin, says USC historian Steve Ross

“What we’re seeing [with Trump’s rise] is what I would call the second Civil War.” -- Steve Ross, history professor at the University of Southern California

Historian: Trump employs some of Hitler’s techniques

James Cook, professor emeritus of history at Georgia Highlands College, says the parallels are alarming, even if imperfect.

Julian Zelizer says Ted Cruz is hardly the reasonable alternative to Trump

by Julian Zelizer

"The greatest political sleight of hand in the 2016 campaign has been Sen. Ted Cruz's remaking himself into the reasonable, establishment candidate in the GOP race."

An English professor, saddled with student loans, decided to write a history of student loans

Jenny Adams, an Associate Professor of English at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, discovered the story begins in the Middle Ages.

NYT hails Douglas Brinkley’s new book on FDR as the great conservationist

The Times says it’s even more engrossing than his similar book about TR.

Daniel Pipes says he backs Ted Cruz

by Daniel Pipes

In an interview he says that we need to be sure to distinguish between radical and moderate Islam, but not ignore the religious component of Islamist terrorism.