Historians in the News

America’s First Black Regiment Earned Their Freedom by Fighting Against the British

Philip Morgan says the decision to enlist both free and enslaved Black troops resulted both from Rhode Island's difficulty mustering a sufficient all-white force and George Washington's fear that Lord Dunmore's offer of freedom to enslaved men who joined the British army would undermine the slavery-based economy of Virginia and the southern colonies. 

The History of American Isolationism with Charles Kupchan: Thurs. Feb. 11

Join the John W. Kluge Center for a discussion of the evolution of U.S. statecraft with Charles Kupchan, author of a new book, Isolationism: A History of America’s Effort to Shield Itself from the World.`

A 'Community History' of Black America: The Brian Lehrer Show

Keisha N. Blain and Ibram X. Kendi's book "400 Souls" brings together 80 writers and 10 poets to collaboratively narrate the story of Black America. They discuss the work on the Brian Lehrer Show. 

Jakobi Williams, “​The Black Panthers, Here and Abroad”

Historian Jakobi Williams discusses the community-based organizing of the Black Panther Party and its national and global influence. 

African Americans At St. Elizabeth’s — A Review Of Madness In The City Of Magnificent Expectations

Martin Summers' book on Washington's Saint Elizabeth's Hospital shows how early mental health institutions differentiated the Black and White psyches in diagnosis and care, exposing the role of psychiatry in maintaining and institutionalizing racial inequality, writes reviewer Debra Kram-Fernandez.

He Wants to Save Classics From Whiteness. Can the Field Survive?

Dan-el Padilla Peralta argues that the field of Classical Studies has been tied to the historical rise of white supremacy by emphasizing the Greek and Roman roots of European society, and leads a movement of revisionists. 

Why Biden’s Forceful Endorsement Of Labor Is The Strongest From A POTUS In Decades

Labor historians Karen Sawislak and Erik Loomis discuss how Joe Biden's endorsement of freedom of workers to form a union (without mentioning Amazon in particular) goes against decades-long trends in the political power and cultural esteem of labor unions. 

Penn State Professor Studying Stories of Spanish Flu Survivors

An accidental archival discovery led John Eicher to examine testimonials of European survivors of the 1918 influenza pandemic; the subsequent COVID pandemic made his developing research suddenly relevant to the news. 

The Forgotten History of Wyoming’s Black Miners

African Americans were an important, but largely forgotten, presence in the mining industry of the far west, a story that connects race, national expansion, and labor politics in the Gilded Age. 

January 6: Not Who We Are?

Verena Erlenbusch-Anderson discusses the Capitol riots, arguing that violence has long been a part of the battle for political legitimacy and authority in America. 

How to Tell 400 Years of Black History in One Book

Early Americanist Karin Wulf interviews Keisha N. Blain about the unique "community history" approach of Blain and Ibram X. Kendi's new co-edited book "Four Hundred Souls." 

The Plan to Build a Capital for Black Capitalism

Thomas Healy's book "Soul City" looks at a short-lived experiment to create a capital city for Black capitalism in America, part of a long series of political debates about whether the pursuit of economic power by Black Americans would overcome racism. 

Historically Speaking: 400 Souls—A Conversation with Ibram Kendi and Keisha N. Blain – Tuesday, 2/2

Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain will join the NMAAHC for a discussion of their new book "400 Souls." 

After Trump, the Crisis: David Roediger on White America at the Historical Crossroads

Salon's Chauncey DeVega interviews a founding figure of the study of American whiteness, who thinks White America is at a crossroads between an inclusive social-democratic politics or a turn toward the hard right. 

All the Lies They Told Us About the Filibuster

Columnist Jonathan Chait considers the politics of the Senate filibuster and Adam Jentleson's new book "Kill Switch," concluding that much of the mythology of the filibuster as a check on knee-jerk legislation is bogus. 

The Real Meaning of Hillbilly

The work of historian Chuck Keeney is critical to recovering the radicalism of Appalachian miners and a "redneck" identity that is based in struggles for equality and shared dignity instead of reactionary individualism, says writer Abby Lee Hood. 

Trump Taught Teachers Conspiracy Theories. Now They’re Teaching Them To Students

“More than anything else, teachers have to distinguish between what’s a real controversy and what’s a pseudo controversy,” said Jonathan Zimmerman, a University of Pennsylvania professor and education historian. “And a real controversy happens when the best-informed people disagree — a pseudo controversy is when they don’t.”

Scholars Talk Writing: Louis P. Masur

The Rutgers professor discusses the process of writing and the need for historical training to include multiple modes of writing and narrative. 

The Conservative Case Against the Boomers

by Ben Wallace-Wells

Reviewed: Helen Andrews' "Boomers," which indicts the affluent and influential members of that generation from a conservative Catholic perspective for delivering freedom only for their advantaged cohort while establishing a debased and decadent set of cultural norms. 

Did Trump and His Supporters Commit Treason?

Carlton F.W. Larson has studied the legal history of treason. Until January 6, he argued that critics of Donald Trump were off base in leveling that charge.