The Politics of the Pilgrims and Puritans
November 19, 2019
Peter C. Mancall— We live in a moment when politics are rough, and not only in the United States. In the United Kingdom, where I am spending the academic year… READ MORE
Category: American History
Harvey Milk: His Lives and Death
November 7, 2019
Lillian Faderman— Harvey Milk—charismatic, eloquent, a wit and a smart aleck—was one of the first openly gay men to be elected to any political office anywhere. On November 18, 1977,… READ MORE
Racial Passing in America
November 4, 2019
Adele Logan Alexander— Over the years, the practice of “passing” for white has variously been considered wicked, cowardly, deceptive, essential, all or none of the above by much of the… READ MORE
Why Jewish Writers Avoid the “Jewish Writer” Label
October 14, 2019
Adam Kirsch— Several years ago, I moderated a discussion between two novelists at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Manhattan. The setting seemed appropriate, since these were Jewish writers who… READ MORE
America’s Long Jewish History
October 10, 2019
Jonathan D. Sarna— New Amsterdam, part of the remote Dutch colony of New Netherland in present-day New York State, was among the New World’s most diverse and pluralistic towns. A… READ MORE
It’s Not About Religion
September 13, 2019
Kathleen M. Sands— Recently, the Supreme Court decided about the forty foot “Peace Cross” that’s stood for nearly a century in Bladensburg, Maryland. For the American Legion, the Cross… READ MORE
From House Telegraphs to Mobile Phones
September 10, 2019
Lee Jackson— In December 1858, Punch, the satirical magazine, imagined the next stage in the nineteenth century information revolution: the “house telegraph.” With such a device, one could be both… READ MORE
Understanding Literacy
September 9, 2019
Beth Barton Schweiger— The power of literacy’s hold on the modern imagination cannot easily be measured. One way to begin to comprehend it is to pose a question: who is… READ MORE
A Century of Moscow’s Meddling in US Politics
August 23, 2019
David Brandenberger— Allegations of Russian dirty tricks in the 2016 US presidential campaign often treat the issue of interference as if it were a historic, unprecedented transgression. But although the… READ MORE
Democratic Socialist Ideas and Social Democratic Realities
August 15, 2019
Gary Dorrien— Democratic socialism, an idea with a rich history in European politics and a slight history in U.S. American politics, is surging today in the U.S. partly because America… READ MORE
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