Note: Three new essays have been added to the United States Foreign Policy History and Resource Guide website, co-sponsored by H-PAD and the Peace History Society. Brief descriptions of the new essays can be found here, and the website itself is linked here.
Links to Recent Articles of Interest
By William H. Pruden III, History News Network, posted July 18
On the Supreme Court decision that, following in the path of Plessy v. Ferguson,definitively narrowed the meaning of the Thirteenth Amendment's prohibition of “involuntary servitude.” The author teaches history at the Ravenscroft School in Raleigh, North Carolina.
By Elizabeth Schmidt and William Minter, Responsible Statecraft, posted July 14
Critiques the bipartisan “Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership Program Act of 2021,” passed by the House of Representatives, as a continuation of current militarized policies. Elizabeth Schmidt is a professor emeritus of history at Loyola University Maryland and William Minter is the editor of AfricaFocus Bulletin.
By Stephen Wertheim, Prospect, posted July 14
A capsule history of US global ambitions in recent decades, looking forward to the upcoming twentieth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The author is a historian and a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. His book Tomorrow, the World: The Birth of US Global Supremacy was published by Harvard University Press in 2020.
By Lawrence Wittner, History News Network, posted July 11
A brief article that lays out areas of potential cooperation amid signs that these areas are being neglected in favor of military risk-taking. The author is a professor of history emeritus at SUNY Albany and has written widely about nuclear arms.
By Joseph Gerson, CommonDreams.org, posted July 9
“Taiwan has become the most dangerous flashpoint of the emerging new Cold War between the U.S. and China. Neither side wants war, but accidents and miscalculations—like those that triggered the First World War—can happen.” An in-depth article with historical background. The author is a longtime peace activist who is president of the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security.
By Aviva Chomsky, Washington Post, posted July 8
“The Biden administration “reasserts a long-standing bipartisan approach to the region: bringing 'progress' to unruly people of color through foreign investment backed up by military force. The author teaches history at Salem State University in Massachusetts and has written Central America's Forgotten History: Revolution, Violence, and the Roots of Migration (Beacon Press, 2021).
By Alfred McCoy, TomDispatch.com, posted July 6
A long, detailed account of the drug war, featuring a “succession of political deals made during three presidencies — that of Nixon, who started it; of Ronald Reagan, whose administration enacted draconian punishments for drug possession; and of the Democrat Bill Clinton, who expanded the police and prisons to enforce those very drug laws.” The author teaches history at the University of Wisconsin.
By Woody Holton, Washington Post, posted July 2
“African Americans played a crucial, if often overlooked, role in their White owners’ and neighbors’ decision to declare independence from Britain.” The author teaches history at the University of South Carolina, and his book Liberty Is Sweet: The Hidden History of the American Revolution is due out in October from Simon & Schuster.
“The War on History Is a War on Democracy”
By Timothy Snyder, New York Times Magazine, posted June 29
A roundabout critique of the “memory laws” proposed in many state legislatures to outlaw certain teachings of US history. The article draws on examples from the Soviet Union and present-day Russia. The author teaches history at Yale University. His books include On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century (Crown, 2017).
“Liberty, Freedom, and Whiteness: Reviewing Tyler Stovall's 'White Freedom'”
By Alan Singer, History News Network, posted June 20
Extended review of White Freedom: The Racial History of an Idea by Fordham University historian Tyler Stovall (Princeton U. Press, 2021). The reviewer is a historian who is Director of Social Studies Education in the Department of Teaching, Literacy, and Leadership at Hofstra University.
Thanks to Rusti Eisenberg, Roger Peace, and an anonymous reader for suggesting articles included in the above list. Suggestions can be sent to jimobrien48@gmail.com.