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Pulitzer Histories 

Each year, Pulitzers are awarded to authors of exceptional books about American history, and to American authors of nonfiction and biography books. This collection compiles articles by and interviews with recent winners, as well as excerpts and reviews of their books.
created by Bunk Editor on May 18, 2022
A late 17th-century comb, depicting two animated figures - likely a Native American and a European - facing one another.

A 1722 Murder Spurred Native Americans' Pleas for Justice in Early America

In a new book, historian Nicole Eustace reveals Indigenous calls for meaningful restitution and reconciliation rather than retribution.
by Karin Wulf, Nicole Eustace via Smithsonian on April 28, 2021
 
Interview with Nicole Eustace, winner of 2022 Pulitzer in History for "Covered with Night: A Story of Murder and Indigenous Justice in Early America."
Collage of a photograph of a boy over a photo of Castro and his entourage.

My Brother’s Keeper

Early in the Cuban Revolution, my mother made a consequential decision.
by Ada Ferrer via The New Yorker on February 18, 2021
 
Personal narrative by Ada Ferrer, winner of 2022 Pulitzer in History for for "Cuba: An American History."
Painted photo of Northwest Territory

A Confusion of Language

On the legal foundations that spurred centuries of civil rights movements.
by Kate Masur via Lapham’s Quarterly on March 24, 2021
 
Excerpt of "Until Justice Be Done: America's First Civil Rights Movement, from the Revolution to Reconstruction" by Kate Masur, finalist for 2022 Pulitzer in History.
Woman holding a poster that says "ABORTION". AP Images

The Roe Baby

After decades of keeping her identity a secret, Jane Roe’s child has chosen to talk about her life.
by Joshua Prager via The Atlantic on September 9, 2021
 
Excerpt of "The Family Roe: An American Story" by Joshua Prager, finalist for 2022 Pulitzer in General Nonfiction.
A hand holding a stethoscope and knife.

The Blackwell Sisters and the Harrowing History of Modern Medicine

A new biography of the pioneering doctors shows why “first” can be a tricky designation.
by Casey N. Cep via The New Yorker on January 25, 2021
 
Review of "The Doctors Blackwell: How Two Pioneering Sisters Brought Medicine to Women and Women to Medicine" by Janice P. Nimura, finalist for 2022 Pulitzer in Biography.
Four African-Americans in front of a McDonalds restaurant

The Intertwined History of McDonald’s and Black America

In good ways and bad, the Golden Arches have always loomed large in the African American experience.
by Marcia Chatelain via Gen on January 6, 2020
 
Excerpt of "Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America" by Marcia Chatelain, winner of 2021 Pulitzer in History.

Americans Need to Know the Hard Truth About Union Monuments in the West

During the Civil War, Union soldiers in the West weren’t fighting to end slavery, but to annihilate and remove Native Americans.
by Megan Kate Nelson via The Atlantic on July 10, 2020
 
Article by Megan Kate Nelson, finalist for 2021 Pulitzer in History for "The Three-Cornered War: The Union, the Confederacy, and Native Peoples in the Fight for the West."

By Bullet or Ballot: One of the Only Successful Coups in American History

David Zucchino on the white supremacist plot to take over Wilmington, North Carolina.
by David Zucchino via Literary Hub on January 9, 2020
 
Excerpt of "Wilmington’s Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy" by David Zucchino, winner of 2021 Pulitzer in General Nonfiction.
Malcolm X

The Day Malcolm X Was Killed

At the height of his powers, the Black Nationalist leader was assassinated, and the government botched the investigation of his murder.
by Les Payne via The New Yorker on August 27, 2020
 
Article by Les Payne, winner of 2021 Pulitzer in Biography for "The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X."

In 1870, Henrietta Wood Sued for Reparations—and Won

The $2,500 verdict, the largest ever of its kind, offers evidence of the generational impact such awards can have
by W. Caleb McDaniel via Smithsonian on September 2, 2019
 
Article by Caleb McDaniel, winner of 2020 Pulitzer in History for "Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America."
Painting of cavalry with swords drawn heading into U.S.-Mexico War battle.

American Extremism Has Always Flowed from the Border

Donald Trump says there is “a crisis of the soul” at the border. He is right, though not in the way he thinks.
by Greg Grandin via Boston Review on January 9, 2019
 
Article by Greg Grandin, winner of 2020 Pulitzer in General Nonfiction for "The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America."
Photo of Richard Holsbrook on an abstract paint background.

Our Man: Richard Holbrooke and the End of the American Century

After serving in Vietnam, Richard Holbrooke became a proponent of soft power. He would then contribute greatly to American foreign policy.
by Samuel Moyn via London Review of Books on January 27, 2020
 
Review of "Our Man: Richard Holbrooke and the End of the American Century" by George Packer, finalist for 2020 Pulitzer in Biography.

American Torture

For 400 years, Americans have argued that their violence is justified while the violence of others constitutes barbarism.
by W. Fitzhugh Brundage via Aeon on February 20, 2020
 
Article by W. Fitzhugh Brundage, finalist for 2019 Pulitzer in History for "Civilizing Torture: An American Tradition."
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