Current Events that Relate to History
-
ArgumentNever Again, Once Again
Invoking the memory of Jewish persecution to denounce the assault on immigrants today is not an offense but a moral imperative.New York Review of Books -
CommentHistorical Parallels
Discussing effective historical analogies for the second Trump administration.Unpopular Front -
Media CriticismBad Bunny’s Stunning Redefinition of “America”
His joyous, internationalist, worker-centered vision was a declaration of war against Trumpism.The Nation -
Book ReviewLincoln As You’ve Never Known Him
Matthew Pinsker reveals how the 16th president carefully built a partisan base essential to his rise.Washington Post -
ArgumentIn Response to the ICE Killings, Another Bad Use of Our Founding History
An examination of Alex Pretti’s killing by ICE to challenge the idea that the Second Amendment safeguards liberty and deters government tyranny.Hogeland's Bad History -
Book ReviewDeadlier Than Gettysburg
How the cruelty of the Confederacy’s prison camps gave rise to the rules of war.The Atlantic -
exhibitFederal Bureaucracy
The federal government is the nation’s biggest employer. To many, its size is a problem in itself. This exhibit asks: how big is too big, and what do we miss when we focus on size alone?
From the HNN Archive
-
How to Succeed in Government Without Really Trying
The long history of promising an “efficient” federal government. -
If the Slipper Doesn’t Fit
A scorched shoe is a crucial part of Zelda Fitzgerald’s modern mythology. But there’s no proof it existed. -
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. -
Elevating the Few
What JD Vance excludes from the history of the Civil War and immigration. -
Whose Side Are College Administrators On?
There’s a long history of politicians targeting student protesters — and of campus leaders abetting those efforts. -
Solve for AI
What the history of the pocket calculator reveals about the future of AI in classrooms. -
“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. -
Slamming America’s Door Behind Him
How a son of European immigrants fought to keep Indian immigrants out of America. -
Governing by Police
The Metropolitan Police Department in DC has been an essential component of Washington politics since its founding. -
When Good Housekeeping Meant Getting Vaccinated Against Polio
The pages of 1950s lifestyle magazines offer a glimpse of a time when childhood vaccines were anything but controversial.