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History News Network

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Week of January 21, 2013


Up Front

Five Myths about Roe v. Wade
Marc Stein

Roe wasn't a feminist decision.
Tags: abortion, feminism, legal history, Supreme Court
Missouri GOP Rep.: Japan Didn't Invade U.S. in World War II Because of Armed Populace
Jonathan Dresner
Michelle Bachmann Award for Distinguished Lack of Historical Knowledge
Tags: Jonathan Dresner, gun control, guns, Japan, World War II

Inauguration Day

Obama's Second Inaugural Loaded with History
Ian Reifowitz
The speech showcased Obama's keen sense of history.
Tags: Barack Obama, inaugural address, inauguration, presidents
Inauguration Shows President as Prime Minister and King
Ira Chernus's MythicAmerica
Examining the ritual behind Obama's second inaugural.
Tags: inauguration, presidents, theater state, Barack Obama
The History of Inauguration Day
Bradley Craig
There have been 44 presidents and 66 inaugurations. Here's the highlights.
Tags: inauguration, Thomas Jefferson, presidents, George Washington

A Brief History of Presidential Inaugurations
Rick Shenkman
Presidential inaugurations from Washington to Obama.
Tags: inaugurations, Hot Topics, presidents, Barack Obama

Understanding the Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Roblin Lindley
Interview with Clayborne Carson on the life and the legacy of King and the civil rights movement
Tags: Martin Luther King, MLK, MLK Day, interviews, Clayborne Carson

HNN Hot Topics: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
This year, MLK Day and Inauguration Day are one in the same.
Tags: Martin Luther King, MLK, MLK Day


Blogs

Should We Worry About the National Debt?
Steve Hochstadt
It's a concern, but hardly the apocalyptic trigger that some claim.
Tags: debt, debt ceiling, deficits, housing collapse
Mitch Daniels: Friend or Foe to Academic Freedom?
Jim Loewen
The former Indiana governor played politics with historical research to placate Honda.
Tags: Mitch Daniels, Jim Loewen, Indiana, Honda, sundown towns

News at Home

Reclaiming Compassionate Conservatism
Gertrude Himmelfarb
Moral lessons from Adam Smith and the Salvation Army.
Tags: conservatism, compassionate conservatism, Republican Party, right wing

Secularization of America: Is the Latest Pew Poll a Big Deal?
Brent Nongbri
Religion and secularism were born together in a particular (and recent) historical moment
Tags: religion, secularization, Christianity, atheism

Will Presidential Term Limits Ever Be Abolished?
Michael J. Korzi
The case for and against ending term limits
Tags: Barack Obama, FDR, presidents, term limits

Historians & History

In Memoriam: Gerda Lerner
Jennifer Scanlon
Remembering the pioneering women's historian.
Tags: Gerda Lerner, women's history, gender, obituaries

We All Politicize History
Robert Jensen
The flaws of the National Association of Scholars' "Recasting History" report.
Tags: National Association of Scholars, teaching, pedagogy, curriculum

Demystifying the American Story with Jill Lepore
Robin Lindley
Interview with the Harvard historian and New Yorker staff writer.
Tags: Jill Lepore, interviews, essays, talking about history

How Did the Gates of Hell Open in Vietnam?
Jonathan Schell
Nick Turse's Kill Anything that Moves confronts the ugly reality of the war in Vietnam
Tags: Vietnam, war crimes, atrocities, books


Culture Watch

Phantom of the Opera Showcases Rich Parisian History
Bruce Chadwick
After twenty-five years, Phantom is still a winner.
Tags: Broadway, Paris, Phantom of the Opera, theater review


Books

Review of Andrew Piper's Book Was There: Reading in Electronic Times
Jim Cullen
Recognizing that the book has always been one of many ways to read.
Tags: books, digital humanities, computers, Internet

Review of Robert O. Self's All in the Family
Ron Briley
A fascinating study of how breadwinner liberalism became family values conservatism.
Tags: Robert O. Self, working class, families, masculinity