Historians in the News

'History wars' erupt in India

India is witnessing a renewed battle to win the hearts and minds of the next generation of students.

Historians Urge President to Change Policy on Israel-Palestine

“We deplore the ongoing attacks against civilians in Gaza and in Israel. We also recognize the disproportionate harm that the Israeli military, which the United States has armed and supported for decades, is inflicting on the population of Gaza.”

AP History Exam Released in Response to Critics

David Coleman, College Board president, said he hoped the unprecedented move of releasing an exam to non-certified A.P. teachers would quell concerns that framework neglected or misrepresented important parts of American history.

What Simon Schama tweeted during the Gaza conflict

by HNN Staff

"It needs to be understood -- again -- that Israel [is] not the cause of antisemitism; Israel was caused BY antisemitism." 

Harvey Kaye says in an interview that his hero has always been Thomas Paine

"I would love to be identified with his words, words such as 'The sun never shined on a cause of greater worth.' ”

Conviction stands for former Idaho professor in hantavirus hoax

A federal judge sentenced Hale to spend 27 months in prison last June for the crimes.

South African Resigns From Parliament After Degree Is Questioned

Mr. Jordan — a 72-year-old historian who used the title “Dr.” but lacked the Ph.D. from the London School of Economics that he had claimed on his résumé — issued an apology to the governing African National Congress and to the country.

NYT Public Editor says Rick Perlstein was unfairly treated by ... the NYT

by Margaret Sullivan

"So I’m with the critics. The Times article amplified a damaging accusation of plagiarism without establishing its validity and doing so in a way that is transparent to the reader. The standard has to be higher."

This fall, two top professors kick off the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History’s new online M.A. program

These online courses, covering topics ranging from the colonial era to the present day, provide teachers and history enthusiasts with graduate-level, in-depth explorations of defining topics in American history.

Lynn Hunt says history's in crisis -- and not just because of tight budgets

by Lynn Hunt

What good is history?  The answer is not self-evident. 

Republican National Committee Condemns New AP History Framework

It "deliberately distorts and/or edits out important historical events."

Former Chief historian of the CIA explains why he nixed a secret history of the Bay of Pigs

by Ken McDonald

The former chief historian says that the internal history of the Bay of Pigs crisis was flawed and tendentious. 

Historian ranks presidents by how mean and indifferent they are

Interview with Al Carroll, author of President's Body Counts: The Twelve Worst and Four Best American Presidents Based on How Many Lived or Died Because of Their Actions, US presidents are reviewed on a wholly new basis.

John Dean says he convinced Arthur Schlesinger that Warren Harding's gotten a bum rap

by Scott Porch

"There’s a lot of garbage out there. It’s one of those things where he has been tarred and feathered with Teapot Dome. From everything I can find, he’s not involved."--John Dean

Kent State reprimands historian who blasted academics who support Israel

by HNN Staff

" At Kent State, we value collegiality and mutual respect. Assailing the public with broad statements of culpability violates these principles."

Douglas Brinkley says he has a new-found respect for Nixon after listening to his tapes

What historian Douglas Brinkley heard from the 37th President may surprise you.

Stanford art historian explores the shocking yet affirmative power of gay imagery

Stanford's Richard Meyer co-authors the first major historical survey to consider the ways in which homosexual codes and cultures yield creative resources for visual artists.

Douglas Brinkley says that Nixon may well have been a good president, but was a bad man

Nixon thought his legacy would be built on the tapes recording his every presidential move. Instead, they were his undoing.

Sam Tanenhaus says Rick Perlstein's lost his way

by Sam Tanenhaus

"A mission that began with every promise of reconstructing the origins of conservative “movement” politics has degenerated into a manic chronicle of what Philip Roth, in a different context, once called “Pure American Dada.”"

It's Not Rick Perlstein's Scholarship that Seems to Be in Question. It's His Politics.

by Peter Charles Hoffer

"I think that Perlstein's reputation will survive the attack. it is precisely because it is seen as politically motivated, rather than driven by a real concern for scholarly standards, that it can be refuted as partisan malice."