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• The Whistleblower Should Remain Anonymous

  by Greg Bailey

  The administration is trying to expose the identity of the whistleblower, an act as unnecessary as it is illegal. It would destroy the whistleblower’s life as intentionally as Frank Wills’ life was destroyed carelessly.

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• 11/12/19
  

  Why Televised Hearings Mattered During Watergate But May Not Today

  by James Robenalt

  The whistleblower today has been backed up by others who had direct knowledge, making his or her account now superfluous. John Dean had no such back-up from others; he had to wait a year for his testimony to be fully corroborated by the tapes themselves.

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• 11/14/19
  

  The Impeachment Primer: 40+ Articles About Impeachment by Historians

  A detailed list of articles authored by historians that contextualize major themes in the ongiong impeachment inquiry. 

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• 11/10/19
  

  Veterans Day Reflections on Pseudo Patriotism and Half-Baked History

  by Walter G. Moss

  Valuing critical dissent and realizing more work needs doing are essential to true patriots. Pseudo patriots, however, wish only to emphasize a country’s heroes and heroics, and minimize or ignore its villains and villainy.

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• 11/10/19
  

  The World War I Battle That Didn't End with Armistice Day: Hunger

  by William Lambers

  Even after the Armistice of November 11, 1918 ending World War One, American soldiers were carrying out heroic missions. Lieutenant Orville C. Bell and officers in the American Relief Administration saved civilians in Montenegro from starvation. 

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• 11/10/19
  

  It’s Been 32 Years since the Conclusion of the INF Treaty Yet Arms Control Is Still Vital

  by Stephan Kieninger

  It is imperative to avoid a situation where we might have no arms control and no mutual verification at all. Against the backdrop of the Trump Administration’s loathing of arms control, it will be up to the European NATO allies to conceptualize a new arms-control framework for the post-INF world.

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• 11/10/19
  

  Who Will Be America's Brutus?

  by Michael A. Genovese

  Have we a Caesar in our midst, imperial and imperious? Who will figuratively kill the beast that is doing such violence to the American system? 

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• 11/10/19
  

  Slavery and Your Upcoming Christmas Tour

  by Robert E. May

  Despite their public claims that slaves were content with their situations, white southerners knew better. So should those going to southern historic mansions and plantations for Christmas.

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• 11/10/19
  

  The Electoral College: How the Founders Cheated You of Your Vote

  by Harlow Giles Unger

  Weeks of debate by America’s Founders failed to set any rules at the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia—a failure that led to “cheating” at the Electoral College ever since.

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• 11/5/19
  

  The Internet at 50: The future and “dissolving containers”

  by Harlan Lebo

  The internet has long been on a path of constant reinvention, with flux being the sole constant. The biggest question of all is: where will digital technology go next? 

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• 11/5/19
  

  The Ghosts of Founders Past

  by Jason Pack

  Halloween held a ghoulish surprise for American President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. As a result of their hubris, they were both forced to watch their longstanding dreams of unbridled executive authority die in the ditch of rule of law.

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• 11/3/19
  

  Citibank: Exploiting the Past, Condemning the Future

  by Alan Singer

  To celebrate its 200th anniversary in 2011, Citibank published a book celebrating its history. Despite the book's heft, glossy photographs, and celebratory tone, Citibank and its forbearers definitely did not strive to make the world a better place.

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• 11/3/19
  

  Refugees in an Age of Immigration Restrictionism

  by Erik Christiansen

  Each new stage in the Trump administration’s handling of refugees and immigrants invites comparisons to past policies. Usually that means talking about the Obama years, or maybe the 1986 immigration reforms.  But it’s worth looking back further to the restrictionist era of the 1920s and 30s.  

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• 11/3/19
  

  Whistleblower or Spy? What the History of Cold War Espionage Can Teach US

  by Marc Favreau

  The modern history of espionage, to the extent that it can be known, provides something of a guide in assessing Trump’s accusation, as well as his proposed punishment.

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• 11/3/19
  

  As The Trump Administration Demonstrates, We Have Undervalued Virtues And Values

  by Walter G. Moss

  What is so bad about Trump is that he has no values other than inflating and aggrandizing his own ego. Democrats shoudl place values at “the heart” of their politics.

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• 11/3/19
  

  Elbridge Gerry’s Monster Salamander that Swallows Votes

  by Harlow Giles Unger

  As Americans prepare to vote in local and state elections on Election Day, tens of thousands--even millions--will find their votes chewed, swallowed, and discarded by a monstrous “salamander”—the two-hundred-year-old creation of Founding Father Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts.

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• 11/3/19
  

  This Election Day, Remember That Local Politics Matter

  by Jonah Hassenfeld

  In 1831, Alexis de Toqueville concluded local government  was “the life and mainspring of American liberty.” 

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• 11/7/19
  

  The History Briefing on the Assassination of ISIS Founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: How Historians Have Discussed Recent News

  by Lila Someshwar

  Historians give much-needed context to a complex issue. 

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• 11/7/19
  

  The History Briefing on Presidential Booing: How Historians Contextualized the News

  by Chelsea Connolly

  Historians Lawrence Glickman, Kevin Kruse, Heather Cox Richardson, and others weigh in on President Trump's not-so-warm welcome at Game 5 of the World Series.

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• 10/27/19
  

  What Can Historians Do? An Update from Historians for Peace and Democracy

  by Margaret Power and Kevin Young

  We welcome everyone who agrees with our mission, whether professional historians, K-12 teachers, or non-historians with an interest in putting history at the service of movements for peace, democracy, and justice.