Category Archives: Human Rights

University Presidents Act to Protect Students’ Rights

Posted on March 31, 2025 by briansandberg

A group of over 570 university and college presidents have condemned the Trump administration’s violations of students’ constitutional rights. The higher education leaders who are members of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration are acting to protect international … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Education Policy, Graduate Work in History, Higher Education, Human Rights, Humanities Education, Political Activism and Protest Culture, Political Culture, Political History of the United States, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Historians Are Defending the Smithsonian

Posted on March 31, 2025 by briansandberg

Historians are acting to defend the Smithsonian Institution and its mission of providing historical research and education to United States citizens through research, publications, and museum exhibitions. The American Historical Association (AHA), the flagship academic association of professional historians in … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Education Policy, Higher Education, History of Race and Racism, History of Violence, Human Rights, Humanities Education, Museums and Historical Memory, Political History of the United States, United States History and Society, Women and Gender History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Trump’s Attack on History at the Smithsonian

Posted on March 31, 2025 by briansandberg

The Trump administration has launched a direct attack on the historical exhibitions at the Smithsonian Institution museums in Washington, D.C., opening a new front in the ongoing Culture Wars. “The US president, who has sought to root out ‘wokeness’ since … Continue reading →

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

Unlawful Detentions of International Students in the U.S.

Posted on March 28, 2025 by briansandberg

The Trump administration is deliberately targeting international students at universities across the country on the basis of their political speech. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have already unlawfully detained several international students who were legally in the United States … Continue reading →

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

Elite Universities Should Resist

Posted on March 26, 2025 by briansandberg

“President Trump has declared that this country’s leading universities are sites of ‘anti-American insanity.’ He has tried to cut their funding for scientific research. His administration has announced investigations into diversity programs and floated new taxes on university endowments. Brown … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Current Research, Education Policy, Higher Education, Human Rights, Humanities Education, Political History of the United States, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

On the Occupation of the U.S. Institute of Peace

Posted on March 24, 2025 by briansandberg

Elon Musk’s so-called DOGE unit has occupied the U.S. Institute of Peace, an independent research institute established by the United States Congress. The U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) is one of the leading non-profit research institutes for peace studies in … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Civil Rights Issues, Higher Education, Human Rights, Humanities Education, Peacemaking Processes, Political History of the United States, Public History, Security Studies, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

AFT and AAUP Defend the Department of Education

Posted on March 24, 2025 by briansandberg

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), and two public school districts in the state of Massachusetts have filed a lawsuit to block the Trump administration’s attempts to dismantle the Department of Education. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Education Policy, Higher Education, Human Rights, Humanities Education, Legal history, Political Culture, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Challenging Trump’s Use of Unitary Executive Theory

Posted on February 27, 2025 by briansandberg

“In his opening weeks back in office, President Trump is asserting power in a way that pushes hard on, and sometimes past, the boundaries of executive authority,” according to Cass R. Sunstein, Professor of Law (Harvard University). “One of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Rights Issues, Democracy, Human Rights, Legal history, Political History of the United States, Political Theory, Republicanism, State Development Theory, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Legal Opinion on Department of Education Letter

Posted on February 26, 2025 by briansandberg

Sonja B. Starr, Professor of Law (University of Chicago) offers a legal opinion on the incendiary “Dear Colleague” letter issued recently by an Acting Assistant Secretary at the Department of Education. Starr assesses the “Dear Colleague” letter: “The Department of … Continue reading →

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

Jeff Bezos Declares War on Democracy

Posted on February 26, 2025 by briansandberg

I have cancelled my subscription to The Washington Post today. The reason why? Jeff Bezos has declared war on democracy, free speech, and independent journalism. Today’s actions by Jeff Bezos have destroyed The Washington Post as a credible news organization. … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Civil Rights Issues, Democracy, Human Rights, Humanities Education, Information Management, Political Culture, Political History of the United States, Political Parties and Organizations, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment