Watch Princeton historian Julian Zelizer convene a meeting with Trump and other presidential historians to discuss his legacy. (HT to Rick Perlstein for bringing this to my attention). We covered this story here. Trump comes at the 14:00 minute mark....
Julian Zelizer
Trump is worried about what historians will say about him
Here is Princeton historian Julian Zelizer at The Atlantic: As an academic historian, I never expected to find myself in a videoconference with Donald Trump. But one afternoon last summer—a day after C-SPAN released a poll of historians who ranked him just...
Is Biden’s presidency doomed? Some historical perspective.
Princeton’s Julian Zelizer offers some historical context at CNN: Those who are worried should find some solace in the fact that contemporary presidents have been able to come back from difficult moments like these. Challenging first terms don’t inevitably put...
Historians assess the Trump presidency
Historian Julian Zelizer gathered an esteemed group of American historians at Princeton to assess the Trump presidency. Here is a taste of Jennifer Schuessler’s piece at The New York Times: From the day he took office, Donald J. Trump had...
History Summit 2020
Historian Lindsey Chervinsky has put together an impressive group of short talks from authors of new history books. This should keep any history buff busy during quarantine! Authors include Chervinsky, Julian Zelizer, Serena Zabin, Megan Kate Nelson, Ann Tucker, James...
“I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore”
Kevin Kruse and Julian Zelizer, co-authors of Fault Lines: A History of the United States Since 1974, argue that the outrage displayed by television anchor Howard Beale in the 1976 film Network (and revived on stage starring Bryan Cranston) should not surprise present-day...
The Role of Historians in “Unfaking the News” (#AHA19)
Matt Lakemacher of Woodland Middle School in Gurnee, IL reports on a very relevant panel held at the annual meeting of the American Historical Association. You can read all his posts here. Enjoy! –JF This afternoon’s AHA19 panel, “Unfaking the News:...
Polarization and Partisanship in Contemporary America (#AHA19)
Matt Lakemacher of Woodland Middle School in Gurnee, IL is back with another post from the annual meeting of the American Historical Association going on this weekend in Chicago. You can read all his posts here. –JF Could there be...
Are Anti-Trumpers Paranoid?
I have argued that fear helps explain the evangelical embrace of Donald Trump in 2016. When I speak, blog, and tweet about Believe Me: The Evangelical Road to Donald Trump, I am often asked about the role fear might play in the...
Is Anything “Unprecedented” About Donald Trump?
I teach my students that historians often think in terms of change and continuity. In the age of Trump I have been hammering this lesson home more than usual. Is Trump just another manifestation of nativism, populism, xenophobia, narcissism, etc.? ...
How Will Trump Shape Generation Z’s View of the Presidency?
Historian Julian Zelizer explores this question at CNN.com. Here is a taste: If Richard Nixon taught the baby boomers that they could never fully trust a president, Trump is erasing any expectation whatsoever that the president should aim to heal...
Historians Discuss American History in the Age of Trump
Tom Ashbrook interviews historians Judith Giesberg and Julian Zelizer on his WBUR-Boston show “On Point” Listen here. Themes discussed and things learned: Julian Zelizer is writing a book about Newt Gingrich Zelizer says that we should be careful not to place...
Zelizer and Keller Respond to Moshik Temkin
Earlier today we posted on Moshik Temkin’s New York Times piece “Historians Shouldn’t Be Pundits.” Over at The Atlantic, historians Julian Zelizer and Morton Keller have also responded to Temkin’s piece. Here is a taste of Zelizer’s response: As he suggests toward...
Some Historical Perspective on the Watergate-Comey Comparison
Princeton University historian Julian Zelizer and Brandeis University historian Martin Keller wonder if current comparisons between Watergate and the firing of James Comey are just another way for liberals, progressives, and Democrats to score political points. Here is a taste...
Have We Been Here Before?
In the second part of their conversation about the United States in the age of Trump, Princeton University historian Julian Zelizer and Brandeis University historian Morton Keller wonder if our current challenges are novel. Here is a taste: Morton Keller: Julian, here...
Political Historians Discuss Trump's First 100 Days
I love the way Yoni Appelbaum, the Washington Bureau Chief at The Atlantic, is bringing good American history to the magazine. Today Princeton historian Julian Zelizer and Brandeis historian Morton Keller put Trump’s first 100 days into some historical context....
Zelizer: Political History is Doing Just Fine, Thank You
Earlier this week I responded to Frederik Logevall and Kenneth Osgood’s New York Times piece on political history with the post, “Has Political History Fallen Out of Favor?” Logevall and Osgood lamented that few colleges and universities are still teaching political history....
Being A Public Intellectual: Historians and the Public
Julian Zelizer, Princeton University On Saturday afternoon I attended a session at AHA 2015 entitled “Being a Public Intellectual: Historians and the Public.” There were some high-powered historians on this panel, including Peniel Joseph, Claire Potter, Julian Zelizer, Eric Foner,...