History

Photo of a historical inscription in the Remterkeller of Halberstadt Cathedral.

Their Atrocities—and Ours: Thinking About the Wrong Side of History Their Atrocities—and Ours: Thinking About the Wrong Side of History

Can a cause still be just, even if atrocities have been committed on its behalf?

Aug 12, 2024 / Bruce Robbins

Helen Stephens winning the Women's 100m at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

The Trans Panic in Sports Is Nearly a Century Old The Trans Panic in Sports Is Nearly a Century Old

Michael Waters’s eye-opening history of gender and athletics in the lead-up to the 1936 Olympics reveals just how old this reactionary movement in athletics is.

Aug 8, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Ben Kesslen

Gender Diversity at the Olympics

Gender Diversity at the Olympics Gender Diversity at the Olympics

There are at least 155 out LGBTQ athletes from 25 countries competing in this year’s Olympic games in Paris.

Aug 6, 2024 / OppArt / Andrea Arroyo

US Vice President Kamala Harris

How Harris Can Make America Democratic Again How Harris Can Make America Democratic Again

Biden wisely passed the torch to someone who can counter the MAGA call.

Jul 30, 2024 / D.D. Guttenplan

Ross Perot prior to an address to the Economic Club of Detroit.

Did the Early 1990s Break American Politics? Did the Early 1990s Break American Politics?

In When The Clock Broke, John Ganz offers a whirlwind tour of the cranks, conservatives, and con artists who helped remake the American right at the turn of the 21st century.

Jul 29, 2024 / Books & the Arts / David Klion

Reflected on a mirror, then–Vice President Joe Biden speaks during an event to unveil a report with analysis related to Recovery Act investments in innovation, science, and technology on August 24, 2010, at the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, DC.

The Democrats Have a Two-Biden Problem The Democrats Have a Two-Biden Problem

And so does the president. As he decides his future, Joe Biden has to come to terms with the war within himself.

Jul 19, 2024 / Jeet Heer

Frederick Douglass

“What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” by Frederick Douglass “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” by Frederick Douglass

This is the perfect time to read the entirety of Frederick Douglass’s famous speech, and not merely because of the date on the calendar.

Jul 4, 2024 / Dave Zirin

Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte celebrate during their inauguration ceremony on June 30, 2022, in Manila.

The Political Divorce Rocking the Philippines The Political Divorce Rocking the Philippines

The feud between the Dutertes and the Marcoses could have dire consequences for the cold war between China and the United States.

Jul 3, 2024 / Feature / Walden Bello

Harriet Tubman in 1868 or 1869.

The Many Lives of Harriet Tubman The Many Lives of Harriet Tubman

Tiya Miles’s Night Flyer is a landmark biography of one of 19th-century America’s most important figures. 

Jul 2, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Kellie Carter Jackson

A certificate for a volunteer serving in the Union army.

Can the Constitution Save Us? Can the Constitution Save Us?

The Constitution is often invoked as a safeguard for American democracy, but does it more often get in democracy’s way?

Jul 2, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Jedediah Britton-Purdy

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