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...

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...

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

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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

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

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.

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...

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...

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-...

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...

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.” 🗃️

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-...

It's after the 2 minute mark

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

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. 🗃️

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...

My last column for Perspectives on History: www.historians.org/perspectives...

AHA executive director @jgrossman.bsky.social was interviewed on KNX News as part of their coverage of the 2025 presidential inauguration to discuss President Trump’s declaration that he would rename the Gulf of Mexico and Mount Denali.

AHA exec director @jgrossman.bsky.social, @oah.org president @dblight.bsky.social, & OAH exec director Beth English co-authored an article, "Trump May Wish to Abolish the Past. We Historians Will Not" for @newrepublic.com on the executive order, “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K–12 Schooling.” 🗃️

The incoming administration has apparently considered reinstating the infamous 1776 Commission whose work four years ago was widely discredited. Here is why this matters: www.historians.org/perspectives...

@jgrossman.bsky.social was featured in an ABC News article about NARA. The head of NARA, the archivist of the United States, is “the steward of those billions of records, which belong to the American people,” said Grossman. 🗃️

My conversation with @jgrossman.bsky.social, pres of AHA @historians.org and Beth English, pres of @oah.org. about their joint statement, effects of historical censorship, data shredding, meaningful public education – and how to fight back. #History #PoliSky newbooksnetwork.com/postscript-n...

@jgrossman.bsky.social on @npr.org about the EO targeting the Smithsonian: "It misrepresents the work of the Smithsonian, which is one of the great research institutions in the world, arguing that the Smithsonian somehow misleads people, somehow is unpatriotic...That is simply not true." 🗃️

AHA exec director @jgrossman.bsky.social & OAH exec Beth English joined the New Books Network podcast Postscript: Conversations on Politics and Political Science to discuss “the effects of historical censorship, data shredding, meaningful public education–and what everyone can do to fight back.”🗃️

On March 28, AHA executive director @jgrossman.bsky.social was a panel member for “’The Past is Never Dead’: U.S. Perspectives on History, Memory, and Current Challenges,” along with Desirée Cormier Smith, Margaret Huang, and Kama B. Pierce. The discussion is available to view on YouTube 🗃️:

The other 2 are American Historical Association and American Council of Learned Societies. We hope to learn soon what the landscape looks like, what kind of lawsuit would be feasible, & how it might most effectively and efficiently be structured. You can contribute through any of the 3 organizations

In #AHAPerspectives, executive director @jgrossman.bsky.social revisits his March 2021 column on the Trump administration’s “1776 Report.” 🗃️

American Historical Association encourages Oklahomans invested in history education to participate in public review of draft Oklahoma Academic Standards for Social Studies. They've done some things well; many things not so well.Please read & offer your perspective. www.historians.org/news/action-...

The incoming administration has apparently considered reinstating the infamous 1776 Commission whose work four years ago was widely discredited. Here is why this matters: www.historians.org/perspectives...