Category Archives: United States History and Society

On the Rule of Law and Government Spending

Posted on February 10, 2025 by briansandberg

Five former U.S. Secretaries of the Treasury are raising alarm about the unprecedented and unlawful changes made by the Trump administration and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to the system of payments for the entire federal government of … Continue reading →

Posted in History in the Media, Information Management, Legal history, Political Theory, State Development Theory, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Proposed Gaza Removal Plan: a Crime Against Humanity

Posted on February 5, 2025 by briansandberg

President Trump’s outrageous suggestion that the United States annex Gaza and remove the Palestinian people from the territory would be blatantly illegal, constituting a crime against humanity. President Trump yesterday proposed seizing Gaza, leveling its remaining buildings, clearing debris, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Atrocities, Civil Conflict, Civilians and Refugees in War, Current Research, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, Empires and Imperialism, Genocides, History of Race and Racism, History of Violence, Human Rights, Legal history, Political Culture, Political Theory, Religious Politics, Religious Violence, United States History and Society, War and Society, War, Culture, and Society, Warfare in the Early Modern World, World History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Impending Assault on the Department of Education

Posted on February 3, 2025 by briansandberg

The long-anticipated assault on the Department of Education is now beginning. President Trump and his allies have long wanted to minimize or destroy the Department of Education, as well as broader public education systems in the United States. Educational institutions … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Cultural History, Humanities Education, Legal history, Political Culture, Public History, United States History and Society, Women and Gender History, World History | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

On Payment Systems and Control of State Finances

Posted on February 2, 2025 by briansandberg

Elon Musk and his so-called DOGE team of unelected officials, who are mostly drawn from the tech business sector, now have access to the U.S. Department of Treasury system that handles payment of all federal government payments to individuals and … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal history, Public History, State Development Theory, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Celebrating Black History Month in a Time of Crisis

Posted on February 1, 2025 by briansandberg

History professors, teachers, and students across the United States are celebrating Black History Month in a time of crisis. “Feb. 1 is the beginning of Black History Month, which for decades has recognized the contributions of Black people to American … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Historiography and Social Theory, History in the Media, History of Race and Racism, History of Slavery, Human Rights, Humanities Education, Political Culture, The Past Alive: Teaching History, United States History and Society, World History | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Would-be King Trump

Posted on January 22, 2025 by briansandberg

President Trump’s inauguration ceremonies in Washington, D.C., have been filled with royal rhetoric and regal symbolism, promoting the new President as a would-be king. The New York Times reports that “At a late-night inaugural ball on Monday, President Trump, flush … Continue reading →

Posted in Court Studies, Cultural History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern France, Early Modern World, Empires and Imperialism, French History, History of the Western World, Monarchies and Royal States, Noble Culture and History of Elites, Political Culture, Political Theory, Renaissance Art and History, State Development Theory, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Historians and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Posted on January 20, 2025 by briansandberg

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! Historians across the United States are remembering Martin Luther King, Jr., today (20 January 2025) and interpreting the significance of the Civil Rights Movement. University professors and high school teacher are confronting politicized debates … Continue reading →

Posted in History in the Media, History of Race and Racism, Human Rights, Humanities Education, Illinois History and Society, Museums and Historical Memory, The Past Alive: Teaching History, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

On Political Favor and Conflicts of Interest

Posted on January 17, 2025 by briansandberg

On President-elect Trump’s glaring conflicts of interest…. “During his first administration, President-elect Donald J. Trump’s global business empire created an unprecedented number of conflicts of interest for a sitting president. Ethics experts worried that opportunists could try to curry favor … Continue reading →

Posted in Court Studies, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern France, Early Modern World, European History, French History, Noble Culture and History of Elites, Political Culture, Political Theory, Reformation History, Renaissance Art and History, State Development Theory, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

On the Army of God and Religious Politics in the U.S.

Posted on January 9, 2025 by briansandberg

A new report in The Atlantic focuses on the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) in contemporary Christianity and its growing influence in the political culture of the United States. Stephanie McCrummen writes: “A shift is under way, one that scholars have … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, European Wars of Religion, French Wars of Religion, Intellectual History, Political Activism and Protest Culture, Political Culture, Reformation History, Religious Politics, Religious Violence, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Documenting the Storming of the U.S. Capitol

Posted on January 7, 2025 by briansandberg

The Storming of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of then President Trump is one of the most documented individual episodes of mass violence in history. As President-Elect Trump prepares to re-enter the White House, it is important to revisit the … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Historiography and Social Theory, History in the Media, History of Violence, Information Management, Museums and Historical Memory, Political Activism and Protest Culture, Political Culture, Political Theory, United States History and Society | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment