Current Events that Relate to History
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NewsThe Supreme Court Could Take Another Shot at Voting Rights
If the justices take up a case on Virginia’s felon disenfranchisement law, they’ll be burrowing back to Reconstruction-era jurisprudence.The New Republic -
Book ExcerptHow the Rattlesnake Almost Became an Emblem of a Nascent America
On the centuries-long historical evolution of a serpentine symbol.Literary Hub -
ExhibitA Gold Rush of Witnesses
Letters, diaries, and remembrances shared on JSTOR by University of the Pacific reveal the hardships of day-to-day life during the California Gold Rush.JSTOR Daily -
Book ReviewResistance Reexamined
The complex, sometimes romanticized, but ultimately prophetic Catholic peace movement has critical lessons for today's America amid a genocidal war in Gaza.Commonweal -
Book ReviewWhat America Means to Latin Americans
In a new book, the Pulitzer Prize winner Greg Grandin tells the history of the hemisphere from south of the border.The New Yorker -
VignetteSecret Recordings Show President Roosevelt Debating Military Desegregation with Civil Rights Leaders
More than a year before Pearl Harbor, President FDR heard arguments from the civil rights leaders of the era for the desegregation of the military.Millitary.com -
exhibitAmerican Environmentalisms
Tracing the many forms that environmentalism has taken in the U.S., from transcendentalism and conservationism to the 20th century push for regulation to today's climate justice movement.
From the HNN Archive
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What Is the Role of the Historian?
Rethinking the job of history — and the American Historical Association — after the veto of the Gaza “scholasticide” resolution. -
“A Party for the White Man”
The scene at the 1964 Republican National Convention, when Barry Goldwater was nominated and black Republicans’ worst fears about their party were confirmed. -
Indifferent to the Fate of Freedom Elsewhere
Jimmy Carter is known for his defense of human rights worldwide. But in 1979, he threatened to deport thousands of Iranian student protesters. -
Ohio’s Little-Known Fascist Member of Congress
How a local prosecutor protected white supremacists and went on to a career in Washington, DC. -
Whose Side Are College Administrators On?
There’s a long history of politicians targeting student protesters — and of campus leaders abetting those efforts. -
The Constitution Does Not Speak for Itself
In 1841, John Tyler said he was the president. The Constitution said he wasn’t. What happened next? -
“At Any Future Time”
In 1880, the daughter of a Welsh politician turned to fiction to expose perspectives missing from the official record, upending histories for generations to come. -
Letting the World Scream
In 1984, the U.S. rejected the International Court of Justice’s jurisdiction, revealing its tendency to ignore international rules it sees as unfavorable — even when it helped write them.