From the AHA
Architectural History and Modernity at the Venice Biennale
Has modernism invaded the world? Has traditional architecture disappeared because of modernism?” David Mitchell, creative director of the New Zealand…
Teaching Undergraduates
On May 20, 130 historians, administrators, and public historians gathered at St. Francis College in Brooklyn for a one-day conference:…
Historical Narratives in American Counterterrorism Operations
Your grasp of facts and history is shaky #thinkagainturnaway,” reads a tweet from the State Department. “Al-Qaeda only knows death”…
The Academic Job Market’s Jagged Line: Number of Ads Placed Drops for Second Year
The number of positions advertised with the American Historical Association during academic year 2013–14 was 7 percent lower than it…
Inspiring an Interest in History: National History Day 2014
When I recall the cultivation of my own interest in history, I remember fondly the Roman history class I took…
The Digital Public Library of America and the NEH, a Partnership for the People
In 1822, James Madison wrote in a letter to the Kentucky politician W. T. Barry that “[a] popular government without…
Dividing up the World
Insofar as I’ve gotten involved with taxonomy—the task of dividing a field into its component parts and classifying and…
The AHA Responds to the Relocation of the National Archives for Black Women History
On June 17, 2014, AHA President Jan Goldstein and Executive Director Jim Grossman sent a letter to Jonathan Jarvis, the…
Advocacy Roundup
Since my last column in May, the National Coalition for History (NCH) has been involved in numerous public policy issues…
Black Holes in the Predecisional Universe
The National Security Archive was disappointed, but not surprised, that in a two-to-one decision the DC Circuit Court of Appeals,…
Teenage
“We were teenagers, but we didn’t always exist . . . we were a wartime invention” is one of the…
Embracing the Challenge of the New AP US History Exam
Over the 10 years I’ve spent teaching and coaching teachers of advanced-placement US history, the number one critique I’ve heard…
Member News, September 2014
AHA members are encouraged to submit news about their careers, including prizes, promotions, honors, tenure, and new jobs. If you…
Letters to the Editor, September 2014
To the Editor: Having read Jan Goldstein’s article on young professionals having to take unusual positions to start their careers…
David Mark Griffiths (1938–2014)
Courtesy of Historian of Catherine the Great and 18th-Century Russia David Griffiths was born and raised in New Jersey. He…
Richard Wilson Reichard (1924–2013)
Historian of Europe The death of Richard Wilson Reichard at age 89 has gone largely unreported. He died on May…
Philip R. Schmidt (1941–2014)
Photo courtesy of Stephen M. Woodburn US Historian and Cultural Anthropologist Philip R. “Phil” Schmidt joined the faculty at Southwestern…
Elbert B. Smith (1921–2013)
Courtesy of the History Department at the University of Maryland Historian of American History and International Relations Elbert B. Smith,…
Solomon Wank (1930–2014)
Photo credit: Tyko Kihlstedt Historian of East Central and Southeastern Europe Solomon Wank, the Lewis F. Audenreid Professor Emeritus of…
Pedaling Through Memory: A Library of Congress Exhibit and a Reminder to Slow Down
This issue of Perspectives includes several articles describing terrain familiar to the historian—struggles over memory. Shatha Almutawa reports on a…
Former AHA President Awarded Wilderness Society’s Top Honors
On September 18, the Wilderness Society presented environmental historian and University of Wisconsin-Madison professor William Cronon with its highest citizen’s honor,…
Flashback Friday: Baby Face
Each week we scour the web for interesting and historic documents that catch our eye. Sitter: Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865Photographer: Brady, Mathew…
The New Approach to AP US History, a Teacher’s View
“It’s our history, don’t make it mystery!” According to the Denver Post, this was one of the chants used by…
AHA Member Spotlight: Tara Thompson Strauch
AHA members are involved in all fields of history, with wide-ranging specializations, interests, and areas of employment. To recognize our…
Registration Now Open for the 129th Annual Meeting
Join us in New York on January 2-5, 2015, for four days of the latest scholarship, professional development, and unparalleled…
Recording Indian and Burmese History with the Help of Egg Whites and Salt
Linnaeus Tripe, who served as a captain in the British Army and later served as a government photographer for the…
Flashback Friday
Each week we scour the web for interesting and historic documents that catch our eye. Title: Portrait of the female pirate Summary: Fanny…
MacArthur Foundation Awards Fellowships to Two AHA Members
On September 17, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation named its 2014 class of MacArthur Fellows, recognizing talented…
AHA Member Spotlight: Peter Kizilos-Clift
AHA members are involved in all fields of history, with wide-ranging specializations, interests, and areas of employment. To recognize our…
The NHC’s Latest Congressional Briefing
At the National History Center’s latest Congressional Briefing, held last Friday, September 12, scholars offered a fresh perspective on one…
Flashback Friday: Parisian Lightning Rod
Each week we scour the web for interesting and historic documents that catch our eye. Title: Lightning Striking the Eiffel Tower,…
Hard Hats On
The National Museum of American History hosted a hard-hat tour on Wednesday to showcase its west wing renovation, which will open…
AHA Member Spotlight: E. Taylor Atkins
AHA members are involved in all fields of history, with wide-ranging specializations, interests, and areas of employment. To recognize our…
The 2012–13 Survey of Humanities Departments
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences has released the 2012–13 Survey of Humanities Departments, the first such survey since…
Flashback Friday: Singing the News in 1874 Beijing
Each week we scour the web for interesting and historic documents that catch our eye. Title: Beggar Who Informed Passers-by of News, Current…
National History Center Announces Washington History Seminar Lineup
The Washington History Seminar, a joint venture of the National History Center of the American Historical Association and the Woodrow…
September Perspectives on History: Now in the Mail and Online
The print edition of Perspectives on History, after its usual three-month hiatus, is now on its way to members’ mailboxes.…
AHA Member Spotlight: Blaine A. Brownell
AHA members are involved in all fields of history, with wide-ranging specializations, interests, and areas of employment. To recognize our…
Letter of Concern to University of Illinois Chancellor Regarding Salaita Case
Over the past few weeks the Chancellor and Trustees of the University of Illinois have received a rising tide of…