Thursday Notes
"Age of Exploration," History Now, June, features articles by Ted Widmer, Alfred Crosby, Daniel Richter, James Horn, Laurence Bergreen, and Simon Middleton.
Mark Grimsley's"Military History 101," Blog Them Out of the Stone Age, 27 June, is the first of a series,"Letters to Rebecca," about incorporating military history in general U. S. history courses.
This morning, the Supreme Court handed down its decisions in Parents Involved in Community Schools v Seattle School District #1, et al. and Crystal D. Meredith, Custodial Parent ... v Jefferson County Board of Education, et al.I was among 60 historians who filed an amicus brief urging the Court to recognize the constitutional right of local school boards to consider students' racial identity for the purpose of maintaining a desegregated public school system. Seven other historians filed a companion brief to the same effect. This morning, the Court announced its decision in the two cases. By a 5 to 4 vote, it largely rejects our appeal. Chief Justice Roberts wrote the opinion for the majority. It was joined, in part, and rejected, in part, by Justice Kennedy, who has been in the majority in every one of the Court's 5 to 4 votes this session. You can read the opinions of Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Thomas, Kennedy, Breyer, and Stevens here.