Excerpts

Curated stories from around the web.
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Atlas of the Transatlantic Slave Trade

Nine maps of the transatlantic slave trade between 1500 and 1900.

The Hispanic Challenge

The persistent inflow of Hispanic immigrants threatens to divide the US into two peoples, two cultures, and two languages.

The Rise of the Image: Every NY Times Front Page Since 1852 in Under a Minute

Every single New York Times front page since 1852 in under a minute. Hint: Pay attention to the images!

The Greatest Presidents

Historians agree on the top three. Below that, there are fascinating trends in opinion.
Ad for children's medicine.

How Advertising Shaped the First Opioid Epidemic

What the first opioid epidemic can teach us about the second.

Gun Studies Syllabus

Imagine a class on gun control activism. Here's what its syllabus might look like.
White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' clash with counter-protesters at the Unite the Right rally August 12, 2017 in Charlottesville, VA.

The Vietnam War and White Power

A conversation with the author of "Bring the War Home: The White Power Movement and Paramilitary America."

The GOP's Evolution On Immigration

Republicans used to take a softer line on immigration. What happened?

NYC Will Move—But Not Remove—Statue of Gynecologist Who Experimented on Slaves

Some say the decision to move the statue of Dr. J. Marion Sims from Central Park to a Brooklyn cemetery is a "slap in the face."
Entry in Theodore Roosevelt's diary with an "X" from the day his wife died.

Theodore Roosevelt & Valentine’s Day

How Theodore's Roosevelt's personal tragedies inspired him to reform America's cities.

History and Its Limits Under Trump

A warning about the ways we compare Donald Trump to atrocities in history.

Fifty Years On, the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act Continues to Reshape the United States

An analysis of the significance, unintended consequences, and implications ofthe 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act fifty years later.

Origins and Destinations of the World’s Migrants, from 1990-2015

Explore origin and destination totals of migrants from 233 countries between 1990 and 2015.

“Sacred Ties Existing Between Parent and Child”: Citizenship, Family, and Immigrant Parents

Inclusion and humanitarianism used to be part of the immigration policy of the United States.

I Asked 5 Fascism Experts Whether Donald Trump Is a Fascist.

The verdict was unanimous.

The Slow Death of the Political Bumper Sticker

Why the campaign staple has been falling out of favor.

A History of Transgender Health Care

As the stigma of being transgender begins to ease, medicine is starting to catch up

How the Fair Housing Act Failed Black Homeowners

In many cities, maps of mortgage approvals and home values in black neighborhoods look as they did before the law was passed.

Housing Segregation In Everything

In 1968, the Fair Housing Act made it illegal to discriminate in housing. So why are neighborhoods still so segregated?

The NYT Says We’re Forgetting About the Holocaust

History suggests otherwise.

Real Museums of Memphis

How the National Civil Rights Museum has obscured the ongoing dispossession of African-Americans taking place in its shadow.

The Tools of Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley’s sixty-year love affair with the word “tool.”

The Dot-Coms Were Better Than Facebook

Twenty years ago, another high-profile tech executive testified before Congress. It was a more innocent time.
Striking miners

A Culture of Resistance

The 2018 West Virginia teachers’ strike in historical perspective.

King's Death Gave Birth to Hip-Hop

The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. led directly to hip-hop, an era that is often contrasted with his legacy.

Retiring Chief Wahoo

Detailing the history and the controversy behind an iconic baseball mascot.

The Hidden History of Anna Murray Douglass

Although she’s often overshadowed by her husband, Anna made his work possible.

Hillary Clinton Just Said It, But ‘The Future Is Female’ Began as a 1970s Lesbian Separatist Slogan

'The Future Is Female' was popularized in 2015, but the slogan was created 40 years earlier.

America’s Lost History of Border Violence

Texas Rangers and vigilantes killed thousands of Mexican-Americans in a campaign of terror. Will Texas acknowledge the bloodshed?

What the Fugitive Slave Act Teaches Us About How States Can Resist Oppressive Federal Power

The actions of attorneys general in California and other states have their antecedents in the fight against that draconian law.
Screenshot of Wikipedia homepage.

40% of Wikipedia Is Under Threat from Deletionists

"Deletionists" are rapidly removing content from Wikiedpia; often, the lost material is created by those who struggle to be heard.

Are the Parties Dying?

A conversation on party politics and the durability of our current political system.

Trump Syllabus 2.0

An introduction to the currents of American culture that led to "Trumpism.'
Paul Bremmer at a desk, signing his name on a letter.

Paul Bremer, Ski Instructor

Learning to shred with the Bush Administration’s Iraq War fall guy.

What Trump Could Learn from America's Long History of Sex Scandals

Too bad Trump isn't a student of history.

Presidents and Mass Shootings

How Consoler-in-Chiefs respond to senseless gun violence.

Abortion in Pre-Roe South Carolina

Uncovering Charleston's "backstreet" abortion networks.
Italian Americans looking up, one with a hand over heart, another saluting, in front of a building decorated with American flag bunting.

During World War II, the U.S. Saw Italian-Americans as a Threat to Homeland Security

The executive order that forced Japanese-Americans from their homes also put immigrants from Italy under surveillance.

The Best Intentions

The Manhattan Project scientists tried to advocate for nuclear de-escalation-instead, they unwittingly abetted the Vietnam War.

The Melania Controversy is Nothing New: Eleanor Roosevelt Pitched Hot Dog Buns

Concerns are raised when the first lady treats her office like a brand.

Ellis Island's Forgotten Final Act as a Cold War Detention Center

The idealistic interpretation of Ellis Island should be revisited.

Andrew Jackson Adopted an Indian Son

Was bringing home an Indian boy-after slaughtering his family-an act of compassion or of political expedience?

200 Years of Immigration Data Put Trump's Ban into Context

In light of President Trump's temporary ban on immigration from seven Muslim-majority nations, we take a look at larger immigration trends.

The Pinkertons Still Never Sleep

The notorious union-busting agency has resurfaced in a telecommunications labor dispute, showing how it's adapted to the 21st century.

Factory Made

A history of modernity as a history of factories struggles to see beyond their walls.

Company Men

The 200-year legal struggle that led to Citizens United and gave corporations the rights of people.

The Missed Opportunity of the Kerner Report

A new history recovers the forgotten legacy and radical implications of the Kerner Commission.

The Party of Hubert Humphrey

The Democratic leader believed that the ordinary American was open to a message of collective responsibility and common purpose.
Still of Molly Ringwald and Emilio Estevez from The Breakfast Club.

What About “The Breakfast Club”?

Revisiting the movies of my youth in the age of #MeToo.

How Restaurants Helped American Women Get the Vote

The history of suffragist dining spaces in the U.S.
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