Category Archives: United States History and Society

Limits on Religious Identities in U.S. Military

Posted on June 6, 2026 by briansandberg

A new Pentagon policy issued by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth places sharp limits on the religious identities of U.S. military personnel and prioritizes Christian denominations for support by military chaplains. “The Defense Department will no longer allow military service … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Rights Issues, Civil-Military Relations, Democracy, Political Culture, Political History of the United States, Religious History, Religious Politics, Religious Violence, United States History and Society, War, Culture, and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Revoking the Code Noir

Posted on May 28, 2026 by briansandberg

Representatives of the French Republic are preparing to repeal the infamous Code Noir, a law which governed the system of slavery in the French empire during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The Code Noir was originally issued as a royal … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic World, Contemporary France, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern France, Early Modern World, Empires and Imperialism, French Empire, French History, History of Race and Racism, Museums and Historical Memory, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Salvaging the Voice of America

Posted on March 8, 2026 by briansandberg

A federal judge in the United States has invalidated the mass firings at the Voice of America that were carried out in 2025 by Kari Lake, a Trump administration appointee. “A federal judge on Saturday ruled that the appointment of … Continue reading →

Posted in History of News, Information Management, international relations, Museums and Historical Memory, Political Culture, Political History of the United States, Public History, United States Foreign Policy, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Histoire Contestée – Les usages du passé

Posted on February 10, 2026 by briansandberg

Histoire Contestée : Les usages du passé et libertés académiques Pour cette première session collective du cycle de rencontres Ouvertures, Brian Sandberg, historien et Senior Fellow 2025-2026, propose un après-midi dédié à la contestation de l’Histoire et aux guerres culturelles. … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Education Policy, Higher Education, Historiography and Social Theory, History in the Media, History of Race and Racism, History of the Western World, History of Violence, Human Rights, Humanities Education, Intellectual History, Mediterranean World, Museums and Historical Memory, Political History of the United States, Strategy and International Politics, The Past Alive: Teaching History, United States History and Society, World History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Commemorating MLK Day in Troubled Times

Posted on January 19, 2026 by briansandberg

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! Historians across the United States are commemorating Martin Luther King, Jr., today (19 January 2026) in troubled times. Historians are reinterpreting the Civil Rights Movement and its significance, even as civil rights and human … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Civil Rights Issues, Cultural History, Education Policy, High School History Teaching, Higher Education, History of Race and Racism, Human Rights, Humanities Education, Museums and Historical Memory, Political History of the United States, Public History, The Past Alive: Teaching History, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Nation-Wide Assault on Higher Education

Posted on August 23, 2025 by briansandberg

Every university and college in the United States is facing a direct, multi-pronged assault from the Trump administration. Todd Wolfson, President of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP): “This is obviously the most intense assault on higher education by … Continue reading →

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

Decline in International Students to U.S. Universities

Posted on August 14, 2025 by briansandberg

The Trump administration’s limits on visa programs, suspension of student visas, and harassment of international students have already significantly reduced the number of international students applying to attend universities in the United States. “Major international education search platforms, including IDP … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Education Policy, Higher Education, international relations, Migration History, Political History of the United States, Strategy and International Politics, United States Foreign Policy, United States History and Society, World History | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Trump Orders a Politicized Rewriting of History

Posted on August 12, 2025 by briansandberg

President Trump has ordered a politicized rewriting of history at the national museums of the Smithsonian Institution. Trump’s order initiates a new offensive in the ongoing War on History, which represents one front in a broader set of Culture Wars. … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Education Policy, Higher Education, Humanities Education, Museums and Historical Memory, Political Activism and Protest Culture, 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