Smithsonian "Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III has co-curated 'American Aspirations' as the Smithsonian faces federal pressure. 'Nobody has told us what to do,' he said, 'and to be honest, I won’t let anybody tell us what to do.'” www.washingtonpost.com/style/2026/0...

With Smithsonian under scrutiny, its leader curates a complex history show

Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III has co-curated “American Aspirations” as the Smithsonian faces federal pressure. “Nobody has told us what to do,” he said, “and to be honest, I won’t let anybody tell us ...

washingtonpost.com

Justice Alito today: 14th Amendment's words on citizenship can' be read literally because "What we are dealing with is something that was unknown at the time — illegal immigration." So original text of Constitution must be read w/i context of current conditions? Interesting twist on originalism.

Hello. Jim Grossman and I just published this essay today in the New Republic on the one year anniversary of Trump's infamous executive order, "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History." Still insane after all these years. newrepublic.com/article/2082...

Unhappy Anniversary: One Year Since Trump’s Brutish Assault on History

It’s a year to the day since Trump’s executive order on American history. It’s just as idiotic and offensive now as it was then.

newrepublic.com

David Blight's interview with Kevin Roberts (Heritage Foundation) is worth a listen. www.davidwblight.com/public-histo...

David Blight and Kevin Roberts of Heritage Foundation Discuss the Practice and Politics of History | Podcast — David W. Blight

David Blight in conversation with Kevin Roberts, President of the Heritage Foundation. As president of the Organization of American Historians last year, I promised I would reach out to the Heritage...

davidwblight.com

Kelly Schrum explains why higher ed administrators should learn the history of higher ed, and how we can engage them effectively. Equally important: graduate students in history (or any discipline) should be required to learn the history of higher education. www.historians.org/perspectives...

Why Should I Know History? – AHA

Higher education and student affairs programs can benefit from learning the history of higher education.

historians.org

Lee Hamilton died yesterday. I had the tremendous privilege of a 12 minute conversation with him fifteen years ago. Before we started he asked how long we wanted this to be. I responded, "12 minutes." This video is 12 minutes long and has not been edited. www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3dj...

Jim Grossman Interview with Lee H. Hamilton

YouTube video by American Historical Association

youtube.com

Leaders in higher education & related institutions should read this.Our current situation is not normal. Choose carefully when to speak; not everything is relevant for everyone. But Brian Rosenberg has it right on how to think about it.And to learn from our mistakes www.chronicle.com/article/wher...

Opinion | Where’s the Outrage? Universities Need to Speak Up.

The lack of response to the killing of Renee Nicole Good is shameful.

chronicle.com

Historian David Herzberg explains why it's so important that "The fentanyl story is based on an argument about history." #EverythinghasaHistory www.nytimes.com/2025/11/15/o...

Opinion | I Am a Drug Historian. Trump Is Wrong About Fentanyl in Almost Every Way.

nytimes.com

I wonder whether Trump's memorandum to pay military personnel is valid. There is no "Department of War." Nor is there a "Secretary of War." There are no "Department of War funds." A person who doesn't exist is being ordered to spend funds that don't exist. www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

National Security Presidential Memorandum/NSPM-8

MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF WAR               THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET SUBJECT:       Use of

whitehouse.gov

Today is Yom Kippur. Fasting this year seems especially important because we atone not only for our individual sins, but as a community ask forgiveness for the sins of the community.

The issue is less whether we should teach a "patriotic history" than what it means to be patriotic, and what "patriotic history" is. Patriotic history education provides students with the resources to be constructive, informed citizens. See www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...

ED Wants Grants to Advance “Patriotic Education”

Professional historians say the department’s plan is part of the Trump administration’s broader attempt to create an Orwellian “truth ministry” and omit the more troubling aspects of the nation’s past...

insidehighered.com

Every Democratic leader who deals with Trump should watch this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QQq...

PBS: Interview with Charlie Rose and Donald Trump - November 6, 1992

YouTube video by Roll Call Factbase Videos

youtube.com

David Blight reminds us about what it really means to have a war, civil or otherwise: newrepublic.com/article/2005...

So You Want a Civil War? Let’s Pause to Remember What One Looks Like.

Today marks the 163rd anniversary of Antietam. Those who say they’re ready for civil war should stop and think about what happened there.

newrepublic.com

Someone should organize a #FreeDC campaign. Patronize only businesses that show some kind of #FreeDC indicator (city flag, etc).

Amna is very kind; they are all worth reading and we're all grateful to David Blight and Michael Tomasky. And to each other.

Amna Khalid@amnauncensored.bsky.social · 12mo ago

11 historians on doing history under Trump 2.0 features in TNR's Sept issue. 7 articles, including this fabulous one by @jgrossman.bsky.social, are now online; others coming soon. Be sure to check them out! newrepublic.com/series/67/tr...

The September issue of The New Republic features articles by 11 historians on doing history in the current environment. Thus far seven have been posted online, including mine. Thanks to David Blight for organizing and MIchael Tomasky as the editor at TNR. newrepublic.com/series/67/tr...

Trump Against History

How is Trump changing our sense of who we are? We asked eminent Yale historian David W. Blight to round up some colleagues to consider the question. Here’s what they had to say.

newrepublic.com

Arne Duncan has it right: "The only hope 4 higher education is total & unrelenting resistance 2 Trump.Every college in America & every stakeholder must join together & pursue every possible strategy — legal or otherwise — to stop him."https://www.chronicle.com/article/an-open-letter-from-arne-duncan

In another era I would have thought this to be brilliant satire. Now it is more in the realm of terrifying. Everyone should watch it and ask what we need to focus on politically in the coming months. It should be clear what our priorities have to be. This has to end. www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmMQ...

Inside Interior | July 4, 2025

YouTube video by US Department of the Interior

youtube.com

Argument for civics education informed by historical literacy and historical thinking (and, considering ideas about pluralism and its relationshp to democracy): thehill.com/opinion/educ...

Many #NationalArchives researchers have expressed alarm about a NARA website post regarding restricted access to Archives II in College Park. NARA has clarified that research rooms will remain open to the public. For details see www.historians.org/news/update-...

Update on National Archives at College Park - AHA

Many AHA members have expressed alarm about a post on the National Archives website regarding restricted access to Archives II in College Park, Maryland. In a message on X (formerly Twitter), which we...

historians.org

According to Wikipedia, Irving Berlin's "1943 production This Is The Army featured the first integrated division army unit in the United States." Looks like the composer of "God Bless America" was a "supporter of DEI" according to standards and wording articulated by certain Federal officials.

Why is the Secretary of Defense demanding that Harvey Milk's name be removed from the USNS Harvey Milk? He says it's "DEI." No. The ship is quite reasonably named after a major American political figure who was assassinated. So the naming is totally legitimate in the tradition of ship naming.

An excellent example of the importance of historical knowledge and of expertise www.politico.com/news/magazin...

Opinion | What Pete Hegseth Gets Wrong About 'Warfighting'

Combat? That's actually not what we want our armed forces to do.

politico.com

AHA executive director @jgrossman.bsky.social appeared on CNN on Friday, May 24, where he spoke about the recent cancelation of NEH grants and funding. The cuts, he emphasized, were made by DOGE, not NEH staff: “Nobody was involved who actually knew what they were talking about.” 🗃️

Trump’s cultural overhaul throttles local arts, humanities programs nationwide | CNN Politics

For 60 years, Boston’s Museum of African American History has transported people to the past, letting visitors to a 200-year-old meeting house see where abolitionists like Frederick Douglass spoke and...

cnn.com

AHA exec. director @jgrossman.bsky.social participated in a panel discussion as part of the Max Weber Foundation’s Historians on Democracy conversation series. Grossman participated in part one of the series, “What was, what is, and what can be done?” on April 9, 2025. Watch the discussion online 🗃️:

Regarding the Administration's campaign against anti-semitism in Higher Ed. Read the law: "Title VI is a real law, and it has real demands, and here’s what they are, and they’re markedly different than anything the administration is claiming" www.chronicle.com/article/why-...

Why Anti-Jewish Discrimination on Campuses Might Not Violate Title VI

Trump’s campaign against higher ed relies on the idea that antisemitism and anti-Zionist discrimination violates federal civil-rights law. That’s not always true, two professors say.

chronicle.com

It's after the 2 minute mark

American Historical Association@historians.org · last yr.

AHA executive director @jgrossman.bsky.social appeared on CNN on Friday, May 24, where he spoke about the recent cancelation of NEH grants and funding. The cuts, he emphasized, were made by DOGE, not NEH staff: “Nobody was involved who actually knew what they were talking about.” 🗃️

Drew Faust (Former VP @historians.org) reminds us of our "reciprocal obligation" to the past. US Army soldiers in Civil War fought to preserve democracy. Their victory was institutionalized in 13-15th Amendments.Our obligation is to preserve the word & the spirit of those amendments lnkd.in/e28mEgAU

Opinion | We Are Not Being Asked to Run Into Cannon Fire. We Just Need to Speak Up.

nytimes.com

AHA executive director @jgrossman.bsky.social will appear on CNN on Friday, May 23 at 7:45 p.m. ET as part of a segment on humanities funding, including the cancelation of National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grants and cuts to the NEH. 🗃️

AHA Executive Director to Appear on CNN to Discuss NEH Cuts and Humanities Funding

AHA executive director James Grossman will appear on CNN on Friday, May 23 at 7:45 p.m. ET as part of a segment on the NEH and humanities funding.

historians.org

The AHA, along with the ACLS and the MLA, have filed a lawsuit to restore the programming and institutional integrity that have been stripped away from the NEH. Announcement and PDF of filing in district court are here: www.historians.org/news/america...

American Council of Learned Societies, American Historical Association, and Modern Language Association File Lawsuit Alleging Illegal Dismantling of National Endowment for the Humanities - AHA

Lawsuit aims to reinstate NEH grant programs, divisions, and staff. For Immediate Release / May 1, 2025 (New York, NY) — The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), the American Historical Assoc...

historians.org