Links to Recent Articles of Interest
By Manisha Sinha, New York Review of Books, April 20 issue
An extensive review essay on African American political activism and thought before the Civil War. The author teaches US history at the University of Connecticut and has published several books on slavery and Abolitionism.
By Megan Threlkeld, Perspectives on History (American Historical Association), posted April 18
A personal account of eight years of teaching a class for first-year undergraduates that is focused on showing how historical interpretations in textbooks have changed over time and remain subjects of controversy. The author teaches history at Denison University.
By Beth English, Washington Post, posted April 18
Provides historical context for child labor protections and present-day efforts to roll them back. The author is an affiliate member of the history department at Indiana University and executive director of the
By Gwendolyn Midlo-Hall and Keri Leigh Merritt, Jacobin, posted April 13
Posted on the 150th anniversary of the white-supremacist slaughter of 150 black Louisianians. The late Gwendolyn Midlo-Hall (1929-2022) was a professor emerita of history at Rutgers University specializing in the history of slavery, and Keri Leigh Merritt is a historian and author of Masterless Men: Poor Whites and Slavery in the Antebellum South (Cambridge U. Press, 2017).
By Kevin A. Young, Jacobin, posted April 12
A historically informed article on challenges facing the progressive mayor-elect of Chicago. The author teaches history at the University of Massachusetts and is on the H-PAD Steering Committee. He is coauthor of Levers of Power: How the 1% Rules and What the 99% Can Do About It (Verso, 2020).
By Andrew Bacevich, Tribune News Service, posted April 10
” In the 1950s, not an especially peaceful decade, Eisenhower had professed to believe that peace defined the ultimate aim of U.S. policy. He also contended that peace formed a prerequisite if American democracy was to flourish. In our own time, these qualify as radical propositions.”
The author is a retired US Army lieutenant colonel and a professor emeritus of history and international relations at Boston University.
The author is a retired US Army lieutenant colonel and a professor emeritus of history and international relations at Boston University.
By Sarah Cords, The Progressive, posted April 8
An exposition of the just-published book Fire and Rain: Nixon, Kissinger, and the Wars in Southeast Asia (Oxford University Press). “She concludes the book Fire and Rain with an opinion about Nixon-era policy makers that is still relevant to today’s leaders: rarely did they acknowledge 'the ways in which the unrestrained use of American firepower had multiplied enemies and discredited friends.'”
By Eden McLean, Scientific American, posted April 7
“ As a historian of fascism and Italian fascist education, I find the moves to exert more power over education disturbingly familiar.”
The author teaches modern European history at Auburn University and is the author of Mussolini's Children: Race and Elementary Education in Fascist Italy (U. of Nebraska Press, 2020).
The author teaches modern European history at Auburn University and is the author of Mussolini's Children: Race and Elementary Education in Fascist Italy (U. of Nebraska Press, 2020).
By Jeremy Kuzmarov, CovertAction Magazine, posted April 5
A profusely illustrated survey of domestic repression during World War I, drawing from Adam Hochschild's book American Midnight: The Great War, a Violent Peace, and Democracy’s Forgotten Crisis (New York: Mariner Books, 2022).The author has taught history at several universities and is managing editor of CovertAction Magazine.
By Bret C. Devereaux, New York Times, posted April 2
“We should not dismantle the educational assets that built America’s 20th-century success.”
The author teaches ancient history at North Carolina State University.
The author teaches ancient history at North Carolina State University.
By Elizabeth D. Samet, New York Times, posted March 1
On the environmental damage caused by the Vietnam War, based on the new book by George Black, The Long Reckoning: A Story of War, Peace, and Redemption in Vietnam (Alfred A. Knopf).
By Carol Anderson, Washington Post, posted March 30
“By denying the existence of systemic injustice, DeSantis is placing himself in a long, sordid Florida history that has targeted the civil rights of African Americans in the Sunshine State.”
The author teaches African American studies at Emory University. Among her books is One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy (2018).
The author teaches African American studies at Emory University. Among her books is One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy (2018).
By Paul Buhle, Portside, posted March 30
A review essay, interlaced with personal memories, on the new book My Country Is the World: Staughton Lynd's Writing Speeches and Statements Against the Vietnam War (Haymarket Books, 2023). The author is a retired senior lecturer at Brown University and has written widely on the history of US radicalism.
Thanks to Jeri Fogel, Marc Becker, and an anonymous reader for flagging articles included in the above list, and to Roger Peace for valuable consultation. Suggestions can be sent to jimobrien48@gmail.com.