Supporting Historical Thinking in Public Life
Everything Has a History
In his December 2015 column in Perspectives on History, AHA executive director James Grossman introduced the hashtag #EverythingHasaHistory. History can inform our understanding of everything and historians' voices are essential in conversations about current events.
Congressional Briefings
The AHA’s Congressional Briefings series seeks to provide Congressional staff members, journalists, and other members of the policy community with the historical context essential to understanding contemporary issues. The sessions are strictly nonpartisan and avoid advancing particular policy prescriptions or legislative agendas.
History Behind the Headlines
History Behind the Headlines is a webinar series featuring prominent historians discussing the history behind current events. Webinars in this series are generously sponsored by AHA member Jared Brubaker.
Resources on Current Events
The Role of Historical Thinking in Public Culture
In a recorded conversation in 2017, AHA executive director Jim Grossman and 2017 AHA president Tyler Stovall discussed the role of historical thinking in public culture.
The History of Racism and Racist Violence in the United States
In response to ongoing racist violence in the United States, we have compiled a list of AHA resources on the history of racism and racist violence.
The Assault on the Capitol in Historical Perspective
We know teaching the events of January 6, 2021—which are not a “moment,” but the product of a long history—presents a familiar, yet unusually urgent, challenge: how can students use historical knowledge and thinking to understand current crises?
Ukraine, Russia, and the Cold War and its Legacies
In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in March 2022 we compiled a list of AHA resources on the history of Ukraine, Russia, and the Cold War and its legacies.
Everything Has a History Video Library
This YouTube playlist features videos of historians providing historical context on current events, including the 2016 presidential election.
Vetted Bibliographies
A Bibliography of Historians' Responses to COVID-19
In 2020-21, the AHA compiled a professionally vetted bibliography of historians’ responses to COVID-19 as a resource for the public, teachers, and scholars seeking historical perspectives on the current crisis and its local and global impacts.
Historians on the Confederate Monument Debate
In the wake of the Charlottesville tragedy in 2017, historians across the country provided important historical context and insight to the public. The AHA compiled statements that our members, fellow historical societies, Council members, and staff made in op-eds, interviews, and other media conversations about the importance of historical thinking and knowledge within the current debate.
What Does It Mean to Think Historically?
This 2007 Perspectives on History article by Thomas Andrews and Flannery Burke introduced the “five C's of historical thinking”: the concepts of change over time, causality, context, complexity, and contingency.