About the Historians Who Write History Columns

Historical columnists bridge the gap between academic history and journalism. By writing columns professionals in each of those fields aim to influence the course of world events by putting current events in historical perspective while educating lay-people about the past. The individuals who write these columns are driven and very committed to both their scholarship and the mission of historical columns. “I have always seen journalism and history as kindred fields – a lot of the best history books are written by journalists, after all,” said David Greenberg, assistant professor of Journalism and Media Studies at Rutgers University and a historical columnist and contributor to numerous media outlets.

Many historical columns are either published or re-published right here on the History News Network, so we are offering this group portrait of historical columnists currently writing in the United States. Because we were not able to contact every columnist in the country, we focused on four of the most prominent: Patricia Limerick, Kevin Baker, David Greenberg and Eric Alterman, each of whom was interviewed via email.

The current political landscape in this country and the world has created a highly-charged environment. That environment has led to the proliferation of many types of columns and online blogs, each one adding grist to the mill of political and social critiques of the current state of world affairs. Historical columns are one way in which scholars and writers contribute to this conversation.

Historical columnists see it as their place to keep the past in our cultural memory so that we can build our own experience on the memories of the past. Kevin Baker, a columnist for American Heritage Magazine, said that “… without history, we might as well have been born yesterday. Societies must learn from experience just as people do. In that sense, I hope I provide some small part of the national memory.”

Like two of the other columnists interviewed here, Baker lives and writes in New York City, and in fact, most columnists tend to be from high-density urban areas, perhaps a reflection of where both major institutions of higher learning and publications tend be located. Baker is the author of numerous novels and non-fiction articles and essays, and is a graduate of Columbia University. In addition to American Heritage, he contributes to Harper’s, the New York Times, American Greats and numerous other publications. Baker – like most historical columnists – is a prolific writer.

Greenberg also feels that part of his role is to inform the current generation about the past: “… I do think that having a knowledge of history enriches our political debates and can help us think about them in a new and sometimes fruitful ways. So, indirectly, we can learn from the past.” Like Baker, Greenburg is also the product of an Ivy League education, having received a PhD in American History from Columbia University and an undergraduate degree in history from Yale University.

After a stint in Washington D.C., during which time he worked for the New Republic and then the Washington Post – where he was Bob Woodward’s assistant on The Agenda – Greenberg decided to go back to school for his doctorate.

Historical columnists straddle the fields of journalism and history, and most are accomplished in both fields. Greenberg, who writes Slate’s History Lessons column, said that he drew on his pre-graduate school experience as a journalist and his interest in history, as well as inspiration from friends of his with legal backgrounds who write columns on legal issues, when he conceived the idea of writing a history column. He was “struck by both the popular interest in the history behind current events and the general lack of history provided in news stories.” With those feelings for inspiration, Greenberg approached his editor at Slate Magazine with the idea, and it was accepted.

Eric Alterman, also a scholar-cum-columnist and blogger with an ivy-league education from Manhattan stated simply that columns such as his – which focuses on US history, foreign policy, media history and Jewish history – is worthwhile because “history matters…” Alterman was educated at Cornell (BA), Yale (MA), and Stanford (PhD). He is currently a professor of postwar American Liberalism at Brooklyn College (CUNY).

Out West there is Patricia Limerick, a professor of history at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Limerick achieved national prominence as an occasional contributor to Op-Ed pages years ago. In 2005 she was asked to write a historical column by New York Times Op-Ed Editor Gail Collins as a substitute for Maureen Dowd, who was on leave. An active professional historian who publishes primarily in academic journals, Limerick is a member of the Board of Editors of the American Historical Review, and was once the President of the America Studies Association. She, like most historical columnists, also has vast publishing experience, having written for numerous periodicals including the Denver Post, USA Today, the LA Times, and others. Although clearly a very busy scholar with only fleeting moments for interviews, she said that she would definitely write another historical column if given the chance.

One of the joys of writing a column—and also one of the downsides at times—is hearing back from readers, say the columnists. Kevin Baker explained that his columns have been generally well received, “although I suspect that in general my views are more liberal then those of most [of my] readers.” Limerick said that she received eight or nine hundred messages during her stint at the Times, and that she was able to include a reference to a only a few of them in her column.

Greenberg, who feels that his columns are generally well-received, noted that writing his column for Slate has given him other writing opportunities at places like the New York Times Book Review and the New Yorker.

Historical columnists appear to find the experience of writing a column to be very rewarding, which may explain why so many of them find time in their busy schedules of teaching, research and writing for additional work on columns or similar pieces for periodicals. Greenberg noted an occasion on which his column had a big impact on one of his readers in a small town. The woman had read a column he wrote about the Pledge of Allegiance. She wrote him afterwards that he had inspired her to write a column in her town’s local paper in which she argued that religion should not be mentioned in official state documents. She “caught a lot of flak for it,” said Greenberg. When she told him her story he was elated: “[H]er note made my day.”