The Organization of American Historians (OAH) is meeting in Chicago this week and many historians have been addressing the Trump administration’s attacks on education in the United States.

The OAH is the premier academic association of historians who work on the History of the United States.

On Thursday, the OAH held a plenary session on “Historians and the Attacks on Education”

The OAH describes the session: “An informal and free-wheeling discussion about the attacks on history, libraries, federal agencies, museums, the National Park Service and education generally at the university, college and k-12 levels.  As a profession we have rarely faced such a withering assault on the very purpose of what we do in research, teaching, preservation, and exhibiting American history. Nor has there ever been such a well-funded assault on public schools.  The panel will probe the scope and meaning of the current attacks, examine them through historical comparison, and discuss what is to be done.”

Panelists:

Chair:
David W. Blight, Yale University, author of Frederick Douglass, current president, OAH,

Joshua Cowen, Michigan State University, Educational Policy and Law, author of The Privateers.

Panelists:
Nancy McClean, Duke University, author of Democracy in Chains and many other works on the American Right.

David Pepper, Fellow, Kettering Foundation; Saving Democracy and Laboratories of Autocracy; Adjunct Professor (Voting Rights and Election Law), University of Cincinnati School of Law

Leslie Harris, Northwestern University, author of Shadow of Slavery and Slavery and the University, public historian.

Johann Neem, Western Washington University, author of Democracy’s Schools.

Another plenary is being held at the OAH on the history of the United States Constitution.

“Defend History!” buttons are available at the OAH conference and are visible on social media feeds.

The Organization of American History website has more information on the conference and the OAH initiatives to defend history.