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The Roundup Top Ten for July 22, 2022

What the Antebellum Period Tells Us about the Coming Battles Over Abortion

by Kate Masur

"The history of the 19th century reminds us that arguments for states’ rights, or for federal power, have no intrinsic political or moral valence."

Why Biden Failed

by Adam Tooze

If Biden’s plan was to stabilize US democracy with progressive politics – an updated New Deal for the 21st century – the conclusion now must be that his presidency has failed.

Stuck on the Rufo Road

by Jennifer Berkshire

As conservative activists mount a multi-front campaign to discredit and defund public schools, too many leading Democrats seem unaware that the popularity of public education means they have a winning issue right in front of their faces, says an education historian and policy analyst. 

Letting States Legislate Morality Will End Badly (Again)

by Nancy C. Unger

The shameful history of Mann Act prosecutions shows what happens when panics over sexual morality are hastily written into criminal laws. 

Can We Have International Cooperation Without Domination?

by Jamie Martin

There is no golden age of international relations free of the coercive power of capital. A different version of internationalism is needed. 

The Right-Wing Court Has a New Target: Native American Rights

by Nick Estes

The Court recently overturned precedent to allow state governments criminal jurisdiction over tribal lands, which has historically been a tactic of oppression and elimination. 

Archival Structures and the Preservers and Retrievers of Stories

by Fernando Amador II

"Historians rarely understand the terminology, organizational strategies, or labor required for establishing and maintaining an archive, and I was no exception."

Think You Know the Biblical Position on Abortion? You May Be Surprised

by Melanie A. Howard

Although the Bible was written at a time when abortion was practiced, it never directly addresses the issue.

Twitter is Just Fine

by John Warner

Twitter "can be a terrible place, but it is also a place that – at least for me – has been far more welcoming and supportive of my academic pursuits than academia itself ever managed."

The Dangerous Misunderstanding of America's History of Mob Action

by Stefan Lund

Contrary to the protestations of January 6th apologists, mob action in America has usually worked to suppress, rather than defend, democracy.