Tag

American History

All articles tagged with #american history

politics22 days ago•21 min saved

Voting Rights Then and Now: From 1965 Act to Today's Battleground

Heather Cox Richardson reminds readers that the Voting Rights Act, signed on August 6, 1965, followed a long arc from Reconstruction amendments and federal enforcement against white supremacist obstruction to protect Black voting rights; she details how later Supreme Court decisions and recent cases have narrowed those protections and boosted suppression in some states, while studies show persistent and widening gaps in turnout—echoing Lyndon Johnson’s pledge that the vote is the core right without which democracy falters.

via Letters from an American | Heather Cox Richardson | Substack|

#american-history #civil-rights-movement #oops

politics25 days ago•11 min saved

Trump pushes to rewrite Smithsonian history, fueling a culture-war clash

Trump's administration has pursued a sweeping review of the Smithsonian to root out what it calls 'woke' content, issuing executive orders, launching a White House investigation of eight museums, and demanding records and on-site reviews. In July 2026, a White House report accused the National Museum of American History of 'ideological capture' and urged removing activist exhibits in favor of patriotic, founding-era content. The administration then ordered reforms across federal agencies, while the Smithsonian defends its mission of scholarship and public education, setting up a protracted clash over how America's story should be told.

via Fox News|

#american-history #investigation #politics

politics1 month ago•19 min saved

Trump Admin Seeks to Rewrite America's Story, Sparking Smithsonian Fallout

Heather Cox Richardson argues that the Trump administration is attempting to rewrite U.S. history by portraying the country as founded on white, European heritage, criticizing a White House report that claims the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History ‘erases’ heritage. The piece details congressional hearings, partisan attacks on museum director Anthea Hartig, the administration's executive order to place corrective signage at the Smithsonian, and the broader warning that politicizing history threatens public trust and the accuracy of our national story.

via Letters from an American | Heather Cox Richardson | Substack|

#american-history #dei #history-education

politics1 month ago•8 min saved

Smithsonian Faces Capitol Clash Over Dropping 'American History' from Mission

A House hearing probes why the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History removed the phrase 'American history' from its mission statement, with Rep. Mike Carey demanding explanations while Anthea Hartig defends the move as broadening voices and linking history to civic understanding rather than erasing the nation's past amid broader culture-war debates.

via Fox News|

#america-first #american-history #congressional-hearing

politics1 month ago•3 min saved

Trump orders warning signs at Smithsonian over history narrative

President Trump signed an executive order directing temporary warning signs near the Smithsonian National Museum of American History to alert visitors about allegedly inaccurate exhibits and direct them to “accurate information” about American history, basing the move on a White House report that accuses Smithsonian leadership of politicizing history; the White House says the museum has veered toward activism, while Interior is tasked with installing the signage; Smithsonian officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

via The Washington Post|

#american-history #culture-war #misinformation

politics1 month ago•6 min saved

Kelsey Grammer pushes for a founding-history overhaul of U.S. education

Kelsey Grammer urged a sweeping overhaul of the U.S. education system on Planet Tyrus, arguing Americans must learn the founding history and the Founding Fathers' vision to prevent manipulation and guide the country toward a more unified future.

via Fox News|

#american-history #education-reform #founding-fathers

culture1 month ago•53 min saved

Shaping a Nation: 25 Works That Defined American Culture

Washington Post critics present a decade-by-decade list of 25 transformative American works—spanning books, art, music, and film—explaining how each reshaped the national story, sparked debates, and reflected evolving ideas from the 18th century to the modern era, with concise context for why they mattered.

via The Washington Post|

#american-history #culture #film

politics1 month ago•4 min saved

Ken Burns: America’s enduring story outgrows today’s political rifts

Ken Burns argues that confronting the brutal realities of American history, rather than sanitizing it, sharpens our view of the present and reveals how the founders imagined a citizen-led republic. He warns that today’s authoritarian impulses thrive on distraction and conspiracy, urges unity over division, and emphasizes the ongoing need to reconcile a diverse nation while learning from the past.

via USA Today|

#american-history #democracy #founders

history1 month ago•4 min saved

July 4 Myths Debunked: The Real Path to American Independence

Myth-busting the Fourth: American independence was declared on July 2, the Declaration was adopted on July 4 and signed on August 2; not all famous founders signed it; the Liberty Bell did not ring to celebrate independence on that day; there are no hidden messages in the Declaration; Americans were not universally in favor of independence, and Native Americans had mixed loyalties with many aligning with different sides during the conflict.

via Mental Floss|

#american-history #declaration-of-independence #george-washington

us-politics2 months ago•25 min saved

Trump’s 250th spectacle reveals America’s divided memory

The Guardian piece argues that America’s semiquincentennial has been hijacked by Donald Trump into a partisan, spectacle-driven celebration—from a UFC event on the White House lawn and a sprawling ‘Freedom 250’ pageant to a controversial Lincoln Memorial pool renovation. Critics say the anniversary should prompt a honest reckoning with the nation’s founding contradictions (slavery, Native dispossession) rather than a vanity project centered on Trump. Historians warn the moment exposes a clash between liberal and illiberal impulses, while museums and scholars push for nuanced truth-telling that counters the simplification of history. The mood is broadly pessimistic about democracy’s future, with official celebrations overshadowed by cultural wars and concerns over how the country remembers its past.

via The Guardian|

#america250 #american-history #culture-war

entertainment2 months ago•51 min saved

Larry David Turns American History on Its Head in Life, Larry

Larry David’s seven-episode HBO sketch series Life, Larry reimagines American history through his signature humor, featuring him as iconic figures (including Susan B. Anthony and Rosa Parks) with Barack and Michelle Obama as producers; the show skewers progress and historical myths in a satirical tour from Founding-era quips to more recent themes, embodying David’s Seinfeld/Curb-style humor.

via Yahoo|

#american-history #entertainment #hbo

entertainmenttelevision2 months ago•16 min saved

Chris Pratt to Lead Public-D diplomacy History Shorts for America's 250th

Chris Pratt will star in a series of comedy shorts about American history, co-starring presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. Nicknamed a “Faster Class” for U.S. history, the project from ATTN: blends live action and animation, with Goodwin as executive producer, editorial adviser, and on-screen authority to keep facts straight. It has U.S. Department of State funding via the Office of Public Diplomacy and Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs to inform and engage foreign audiences about America’s constitutional values through modern digital storytelling ahead of the 250th anniversary.

via Variety|

#american-history #attn #chris-pratt

culture2 months ago•8 min saved

From Page to Screen: A History-Adaptations Quiz

A Book Review feature hosts a five-question quiz on U.S. history books that were adapted for film and TV, highlighting works like Alexander Hamilton, Gettysburg, Band of Brothers, Hidden Figures and China Beach, with answers and links to the books and their screen versions after the quiz.

via The New York Times|

#american-history #books-to-film #culture

politics2 months ago•2 min saved

Court halts sanitization of U.S. history in national parks and orders restoration of exhibits

A federal judge in Massachusetts ordered the Trump administration to restore National Park Service exhibits altered under an executive order aimed at avoiding disparaging depictions of Americans, and to pause further changes while requiring weekly progress updates; plaintiffs say the changes erase accurate history—such as slavery and climate-change context—at sites including Independence National Historical Park, stressing that history should reflect all communities rather than be whitewashed.

via CNBC|

#american-history #censorship #court-ruling

history2 months ago•6 min saved

Week Two Spotlight: Everyday Americans Take Center Stage in 250 to 250

Heather Cox Richardson outlines Week Two of the 250 to 250 video project, a series honoring the Declaration of Independence’s 250th anniversary. The videos spotlight everyday American agency across themes like community, democracy, innovation, mobility, civil rights, education, conservation, and creativity, featuring ten narratives (e.g., Pujo Committee, Man o’ War, Ellis Island, Hubble Space Telescope) with various historians and public figures as narrators. The post also provides follow links to YouTube and social channels for audiences to watch and engage with the clips.

via Letters from an American | Heather Cox Richardson|

#250-to-250 #american-history #civil-rights