On Thursday, Constitution Day, Donald Trump announced something called the “1776 Commission.” Here is a taste of his speech: Today, I am also pleased to announce that I will soon sign an Executive Order establishing a national commission to promote […]
history and civic engagement
Steven Mintz: “History is back with a vengeance”
Steven Mintz, one of our leading authorities on the history of the American family, makes the case for history at Inside Higher Ed: History is back with a vengeance. After a decade-long holiday from history, when joblessness fell to record lows and […]
Can History Help Us Understand the Present?
Of course it can. But even if it doesn’t have an immediate or direct relevance to a particular contemporary issue or event, the practice of doing history cultivates virtues that are essential to a democratic society. In other words, I […]
It's Time to Reclaim Some Territory for History!
Fred Johnson, a history professor at Hope College in Holland, Michigan, insists that we “claim some territory” for history at our colleges and universities. I appreciate Fred’s spirited call. Here is a taste: After years of sniping and hurling poisonous […]
The "Benedict Option" Versus "Confident Pluralism"
In his March 2017 Christianity Today cover story, conservative writer Rod Dreher introduces evangelicals to “The Benedict Option.” I like Dreher’s published works. I read his book Crunchy Cons at a time in my intellectual journey when I was also […]
The Glenn Beck and David Barton History Roadshow is Coming to a Public School Near You
Watch: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUrgOB6Y9OE&w=640&h=360] It’s happening folks. Beck and Barton have raised a million dollars to teach kids how to use primary documents “against the progressives.” In other words, they are going to try to teach students that America was founded […]
More on History Harvests
Over at The Junto, Sara Georgini interviews William Thomas and Patrick Jones of the University Nebraska’s History Department. They are the public history geniuses who have created “History Harvest,” a community-based approach to building a people’s history of America online. […]