Category Archives: Civil Rights Issues

Effacing History at the Smithsonian

Posted on August 13, 2025 by briansandberg

President Trump has launched a coordinated effort to efface the historical record of the United States in the national museums of the Smithsonian Institution. “The Trump administration said on Tuesday that it would begin a wide-ranging review of current and … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Civil Rights Issues, Higher Education, Human Rights, Humanities Education, Museums and Historical Memory, Political History of the United States, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

On Historical Advocacy and the Supreme Court

Posted on August 7, 2025 by briansandberg

“As the Supreme Court’s decisions increasingly turn on their understanding of the distant past, the number of supporting briefs from historians has exploded and their influence has grown,” according to Adam Liptak, who has published an article in The New … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Civil Rights Issues, History in the Media, Legal history, Political History of the United States, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Trump Aims to Decrease International Students in U.S.

Posted on August 4, 2025 by briansandberg

The Trump administration’s war on higher education is targeting the entire American research university model of excellence, which is based on open recruitment and democratic access to higher education. One key part of Trump’s attack aims to decrease the number … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Civil Rights Issues, Education Policy, Higher Education, Human Rights, international relations, Political History of the United States, United States Foreign Policy, United States History and Society, World History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Trump’s War on Education Hits Community Colleges

Posted on August 4, 2025 by briansandberg

The Trump administration’s war on higher education is hitting state universities and community colleges across the nation. On the impacts of the Trump administration’s attacks on community colleges: “Since January, the Trump administration has waged war on the nation’s wealthiest … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Civil Rights Issues, Empires and Imperialism, Higher Education, Human Rights, Political History of the United States, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Academic Presses Making Deals with AI Companies

Posted on July 30, 2025 by briansandberg

I am alarmed to discover that Johns Hopkins University Press, one of the leading academic presses in the world is making deals with AI companies to license their titles to “train” LLMs. Here is an urgent question for friends who … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Academic Publishing, Civil Rights Issues, Digital Humanities, Higher Education, History of the Book, Human Rights, Humanities Education, Information Management, Legal history, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

George Orwell’s ‘1984’ and Modern America

Posted on July 28, 2025 by briansandberg

Charlie English has published an essay in The New York Times on the role that George Orwell’s 1984 played in the Cold War, drawing comparisons to the book being banned in the United States in the twenty-first century. English is … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Academic Publishing, Authoritarianism, Civil Rights Issues, Education Policy, Empires and Imperialism, European History, European Studies, High School History Teaching, History in the Media, History of the Book, Human Rights, Humanities Education, Information Management, Intellectual History, international relations, Political Culture, Political History of the United States, Political Theory, Public History, The Past Alive: Teaching History, United States History and Society, World History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Summer Interns Lose Positions in Trump Cuts

Posted on July 15, 2025 by briansandberg

The massive layoffs and disruptions in federal agencies carried out by Elon Musk’s so-called DOGE team and the broader Trump administration have eliminated thousands of summer internships positions for young Americans. “The Trump administration’s sweeping cuts have pushed many lifetime … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Careers in History, Civil Rights Issues, Education Policy, Graduate Work in History, Grants and Fellowships, Humanities Education, Jobs and Positions, Political History of the United States, Public History, The Past Alive: Teaching History, United States History and Society | Leave a comment

“Israel is Committing Genocide” – Historian Omar Bartov

Posted on July 15, 2025 by briansandberg

Historian Omar Bartov, one of the leading specialists on the history of genocides, demonstrates that Israel is indeed carrying out a genocidal military campaign against Palestinians in Gaza. “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people,” according to Bartov in … Continue reading →

Posted in Atrocities, Civil Rights Issues, Civilians and Refugees in War, Empires and Imperialism, Genocides, History of Race and Racism, History of Violence, Human Rights, international relations, Laws of War, Religious Violence, Strategy and International Politics, War, Culture, and Society, World History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Trump Blocks International Students Going to Harvard

Posted on May 22, 2025 by briansandberg

The Trump administration is launching a new attack on Harvard University, one of the premier private academic institutions in the United States. The New York Times reports that “The Trump administration on Thursday halted Harvard University’s ability to enroll international … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Civil Rights Issues, Education Policy, Higher Education, Human Rights, Legal history, Political History of the United States, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“A Gross Usurpation of Power” by Trump Administration

Posted on May 20, 2025 by briansandberg

The Trump administration’s recent takeover of the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) and firing of its leaders and staff members were unlawful acts. In March 2025, members of Elon Musk’s so-called DOGE team, with the assistance of armed officers of … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Civil Rights Issues, Higher Education, Human Rights, Peacemaking Processes, Political History of the United States, Strategy and International Politics, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment