Recently Published

Black Women Have Been Important Party and Electoral Organizers for a Century

by Alison M. Parker

Black women's political organizing was a key to Joe Biden's victory and the Democratic Senate victories in Georgia; these episodes are part of a long historical tradition of activists using partisan politics to press for racial and gender equality. 

Jefferson's Other Legacy: Religious Liberty

by Cameron Addis

Thomas Jefferson's critics have pointed out his ownership of slaves as reason to question his continued relevance as a symbol of freedom. But his commitment to religious liberty helped to prevent violent sectarian conflict and should be honored. 

Will the Republicans Take the Fascist Option?

by Kevin Matthews

Before this past week, too many in the GOP seemed too willing to choose the fascist option.  Now they have seen what it looks like and where it leads.  The question Republicans must answer is simple: Will they choose fascism anyway? 

Trump is no Hitler: His Enablers are the Greater Problem

by David Marks

The degree of Trump's success has been achieved only because of the leverage he has on political cronies.

A Historian Reflects on the Return of Fascism

by Lawrence Wittner

In the last decade or so, enormous headway has been made by movements and parties following the old fascist playbook, with rightwing demagogues trumpeting its key elements of virulent nationalism, racial and religious intolerance, and militarism. 

A History of Climate Change Science and Denialism

by David Carlin

Climate science is not a new discipline and the scientific consensus on climate change is far older than many people think.

A Personal History of Vietnam War Refugee Policies

by Ron Steinman

The story of how a Vietnamese family came to America after the Vientam War and started a new life. 

Capitalism Versus Socialism: Did Capitalism Really Win?

by Walter G. Moss

The main task of voters in 2020 and thereafter will not be to choose whether we want capitalism or democratic socialism. Rather, it will be to decide the best pragmatic mix of the two (and best presidential candidate) to further the common good. 

A Civil War Heirloom, Ancestry.com, and the Importance of Tracing Our Family's Historical Roots

by James Ottavio Castagnera

 Retracing of the tap root of what made each of us an American can be a profound reminder of why we must put our democratic republic ahead of transient sectarian differences and deal with tomorrow’s existential challenges as, collectively, the American constitutional democracy.

Reexamining the Mayflower 400 Years Later

by Stephen Tomkins

The colonists seemed to have difficulty articulating exactly what compelled them to leave the Netherlands for America.

Important Links for AHA 2020

Quick links to help you navigate the Amerian Historical Assocation's annual meeting. 

Why Holocaust Education Is So Important Today

by Claudia Moscovici

The Never Again Education Act is an effort by a bipartisan group of US legislators in both the House and the Senate to promote Holocaust education.

What a Line Deleted from the Declaration of Independence Teaches Us About Thomas Jefferson

by M. Andrew Holowchak

Congress deleted the line to avoid tackling issue of slavery. 

Confederate Monuments in National Perspective

by Thomas J. Brown

Northern monuments established a foundation for the argument that Confederate military service deserves recognition although rendered in a deplorable cause.

"There is a historian in each one of us:" Historian Anna Müller on the Experiences that Have Shaped Her Scholarship

by Erik Moshe

“History was pulling me in with incredible force. All I wanted was to understand the changing reality, and history seemed to hold the keys to understanding.”

Barbarous Hun: The Sinking of the Lusitania and the Rise of Propaganda

by Albinko Hasic

British and U.S. war advocates quickly turned the tragedy into pro-war propaganda and created everything from postcards, to medals, to posters.

Divisions Mark 30th Anniversary of the Opening of the Brandenburg Gate—Symbol of German Reunification

by Jennifer Redmann

Through its historic association with the surrounding region of Brandenburg, Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate serves as a reminder that in 2019, the German population remains politically and economically divided, even as Germany celebrates three decades as a united entity. 

Does truth matter less than it did in 1974?

by Roy E. Finkenbine

At the moment of the impeachment and pending trial of another president, there are still lessons to be learned from Watergate.  One of these is the sad story of Earl Landgrebe.

Impeachment Wounded the Republic

by Christopher Binetti

This scenario is exactly opposite to Gracchus in Rome, but the result will be the same. 

Americans Are Ready for a Different Approach to Nuclear Weapons

by Lawrence Wittner

Although today’s public protests against nuclear weapons can’t compare to the major antinuclear upheavals of past decades, there are clear indications that most Americans reject the Trump administration’s nuclear weapons policies.