Recently Published

Let’s Place Edward Snowden in the Context of History

by Paul E. Ceruzzi

Historians have been remiss in placing the Snowden story in historical context in part because of the curious way that the history of computing as a discipline evolved.

Truth in a Lie: Forty Years After the 18½ Minute Gap

by James D. Robenalt

An axiom among lawyers is that people who are lying radiate strong clues, if one is trained to spot them.

University Presidents Are Laughing All the Way to the Bank While the People Who Work for Them Are on Food Stamps

by Lawrence S. Wittner

The lucrative nature of these positions appears to have had little to do with the intellectual distinction of the universities.

Why the Revival of Nationalist Myths in Ukraine Should Alarm Us

by Tarik Cyril Amar and Per Anders Rudling

It is crucial to understand that propaganda campaigns are not simply about spreading lies.

What I'm Reading Now: James McPherson (Interview)

by Tiffany April Griffin

Why he became a historian, his favorite books, what he's reading now. 

James Madison’s the Founding Father We Quote on the Constitution, but Which Madison Should We Cite?

by Ray Raphael

Was Madison the (chief) architect of the Constitution?

What We Can Learn from the Progressives Is What Not to Do

by David Huyssen

Progressive reforms made material differences in the lives of U.S. workers, but they failed in their larger goal of slowing or reversing inequality.

Why It's Time to Stop Blaming William Westmoreland for Our Failure in Vietnam

by Gregory A. Daddis

“History does not repeat itself,” Mark Twain once quipped, “but it does rhyme.”

The Cartoon that Made People Scared to Go to War in 1914

by Charles F. Howlett

It remains one of the most famous antiwar cartoons of all time.

No Israeli-Palestinian Peace Deal? What Went Wrong.

by Dr. Alon Ben-Meir

The failure of the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians and the causes behind it were absolutely predictable.

Why We're Only Now Paying Attention to Boko Haram Is a Disgrace

by Timothy R. Furnish

Nigeria’s position on the fault-line between Christian and Muslim civilization appears not just increasingly precarious, but dangerously unsustainable.

Whose Advice Should You Trust on Ukraine?

by Walter Moss

Beware of the unwise know-it-alls.

Obamacare Was a Mess at the Start. Here's Why that's Not Shocking.

by Jonathan Coopersmith

Obamacare: Failure is normal.

Why Racists Always Make This Claim

by Roy E. Finkenbine

For students of antebellum American slavery, the recent racist musings of Cliven Bundy have a familiar ring.

What You Need to Tell People When They Say We Should Use the Military

by Lawrence S. Wittner

Is overwhelming national military power a reliable source of influence in world affairs?

Five Things Historians and Teachers Need to Do to Make History Fun

by Tim Grove

As a public historian who has worked for over twenty years in some of America’s most popular history museums, here are my suggestions for what we need to do to make history fun.

Whatever You Think of Stokely Carmichael, You're Probably Wrong

by Peniel E. Joseph

Stokely Carmichael remains a troubling icon of America’s civil rights era.

This State Pays a Company $2.3 Million to Rank Teachers by an Algorithmic Formula?

by David Patten

What exactly is the mathematical formula that will determine the fate of our teachers and our educational systems? 

How a Nebraska Farm Boy Came to Write a Novel About Scottish Earls and Kings and Someone Named Macbeth

by Andrew Schultz

"Who was this King, I asked, and what was his story?"

The Most Bizarre Presidential Assassination Plots

by Mel Ayton

Two of the most bizarre threats any president has ever faced occurred during the presidencies of George W. Bush and Barack Obama.