Historians in the News

Teaching: Making Sense of the Election

Anne Berg, historian of European nationalism, discusses how she conducted her class meetings on November 4 as the presidential election remained undecided. 

Historian On What Might Come Next In 2020 Election

Julian Zelizer joins "Here and Now" to discuss the yet-unfinished election and what may come next.

Republicans Will Learn Nothing from a Trump Defeat

"In the increasingly likely event of a Joe Biden victory, please let us not tell each other now that we are on our way to 'healing'.”

You’re Tearing Me Apart: On William L. Barney’s “Rebels in the Making: The Secession Crisis and the Birth of the Confederacy”

A new book on secession examines the politics of all 15 slave states and power of a reactionary slaveholding elite to force secession. 

How Do You Know When Society Is About to Fall Apart?

"Contemporary society has built-in vulnerabilities that could allow things to go very badly indeed — probably not right now, maybe not for a few decades still, but possibly sooner."

2020 Awards, Prizes, And Honors Announced

As of Wednesday, some important winners have been announced--the AHA's annual prizes for scholarship, teaching, and contributions to the historical profession.

The Night the Supreme Court Settled a Presidential Election, Declaring George W. Bush the Winner

On the day the Supreme Court's Bush v. Gore ruling was released, it was not immediately clear that it made George W. Bush the president-elect. 

Do Daniel Patrick Moynihan's Issues with his Father Help Explain Mass Incarceration?

by Ben Tumin

Ben Tumin's "Skipped History" video series tackles the legacy of the Moynihan Report through the work of historians Elizabeth Hinton and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor. 

There Have Been Relatively Few Post-Election Riots in American History. So Far.

Bruce Shulman of Boston University identified riots after William McKinley defeated William Jennings Bryan in 1896 as one of the few instances of rioting directly inspired by an election. 

When Black Voters Went Blue

Leah Wright Rigeur discusses the process by which Black voters shifted from loyal Republicans to Democrats. 

Why Swing States Are a Thing

by Olivia B. Waxman

Historians and election scholars explain the changes in the political media and the ideological composition of the parties that have made a small number of states politically decisive in presidential elections. 

Trump Signs Executive Order To Establish A 1776 Commission To Instill ‘Patriotic Education’

President Trump on Monday signed an executive order to establish a 1776 Commission to advise the president on how America’s founding story should be taught in schools.

Searching for Refuge After the Second World War

New books by David Nasaw and Paul Betts examine the uncertain fate of Jewish Holocaust survivors in postwar Europe, the problem of massive human displacement, and the tension between interpreting Europe's refugee problem in universal terms or focusing on the specific consequences of anti-Jewish policies and prejudice. 

The History of 'Court Packing'

Historian Julian Zelizer discusses the history and fallout of FDR's 1937 plan to "pack" the court, and similarities and differences that might come into play in 2021. 

Warfare State (Review Essay)

by Thomas Meaney

Two new books articulate a critique from a conservative perspective of American military intervention abroad. 

Scholars Warn of Collapse of Democracy

More than 80 signatories, including professors and other scholars at universities in the US, Canada, and Europe, do not agree on whether to label Donald Trump a “fascist."

How to Keep the Lights On in Democracies: An Open Letter of Concern by Scholars of Authoritarianism

"We need to turn away from the rule by entrenched elites and return to the rule of law. We must replace the politics of “internal enemies” with a politics of adversaries in a healthy, democratic marketplace of ideas."

In Memoriam: Jenny Tone-Pah-Hote (1980–2020)

by Malinda Maynor Lowery

"Her contributions to historical scholarship, undergraduate teaching, and graduate mentorship will be remembered, and deeply missed, by all who knew her."

Exposing the ‘Disguise’: UChicago Historian Kathleen Belew Spotlights the Rising White Power Movement

“I think if people really understood and grappled with the fact that (Oklahoma City) was the work of a widespread terrorist movement that was deeply organized, had people in every region of the country,” she says in the interview, “I think that people would treat it very, very differently."

Presidential Historian Jeffrey Engel Reviews Film Portrayals from "Lincoln" to "Nixon"

Being the POTUS is hard. Playing one on screen isn't easy either. Jeffrey Engle of SMU rates some presidential portrayals.