Public History
Overview
Historians are charged with engaging with the public to bring the importance of “History” to the every day individual. This is nothing new. Way back in 1931, famed historian Carl Becker delivered his essay “Everyman His Own Historian” in an attempt to engage with the general public. Becker argued that democracy needed History, that it should be “by the people and for the people.”
This has never been truer. Though in the twenty-first century, America’s democracy seems a bit rocky at the moment. Numberless historians have entered the public realm in an effort to bring History to the public for the purpose of shoring up this American republic.
I, too am doing my part to engage the public and present History’s meaningful legacy and contribution to these United States. The following are some of my public history attempts.
On Refugees
After the Vietnam War and the rise of communist regimes in Southeast Asia, the seas in and around Indochina became a flotilla of refugees escaping persecution. Over a twenty year period, tens of thousands of refugees were plucked from the seas, many ended up in these United States. Ronald Reagan championed their arrival. The GOP statesman pointed proudly to the legacy of Americans welcoming world-weary folk in freedom’s shores. Not so with Syrians.
on Populism
Why the Popularity of Trump and Sanders Shouldn’t Come as a Surprise (January 31, 2016)
Prior to the presidential election of November 2016, both Republicans and Democrats had yet to choose their candidates. Ten months ahead of that election populists in both parties seemed to have clear preferences: Bernie Sanders on the left, Donald Trump on the right. This article reached back to a war in the mid-eighteenth century and a 1772 essay written by Jacques Antoine Hippolyte, aka the Comte de Guibert that had a stark warning for France. Guibert advised not to ignore the needs of the people. Of course, France continued on that track till it was derailed in a revolution in 1789. The slippery slope of populism’s roots is what this article is about.
On Brexit
Should We Really Have Been Shocked by the Brexit Vote? (July 3, 2016)
News that Britain voted narrowly to leave the European Union seemed to send shock waves across the globe. American media acted with great surprise. But Europe’s “New Right” had been at work since the 1960s, and recent plays on nationalist aspirations found traction in the 2008 global economic collapse.
On U.S. Education
The United States once led the world in educating its youth. It has dropped to fifth. This article points out that improvements in education have been made. However, global is the nature of educational competitiveness. Other nation-states have made gains. The USA would do itself a favor by recognizing these gains made by foreign powers and respond with a coherent national plan. But Betsy DeVos became this country’s Education Secretary with a tie-breaking vote while conservative think-tanks have called for the Department of Education to be dissolved. This, as the article states, will have consequences.
On Racism
America Was Never White (August 20, 2017)
Tecumseh confronts William Henry Harrison, circa 1810
Events in Charlottesville, VA, troubled many. The rise of the Alt-Right, White Nationalism, and neo-Nazis seem to run counter to a country that elected Barack Obama as president, twice. Far from being click-bait, this article uses simple demography to explain what the title indicates: America was never “white”. Later this article was picked up a number of other online publications including Newsweek Magazine. I also received my first death threat. The level of vitriol in America has come to that.
On Russian Interference
We’ve Gotten Wrong What Russia Did to Us in 2016 (November 14, 2017)
Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election brought all sorts of news and commentary as well as congressional hearings. What was not entirely made clear was just how easy it was for Russia to influence our elections. All that Russia needed was to use American culture against itself. On that topic, Russia succeeded mightily. There is a new Cold War 2.0 and America is losing.
The dismissal of a Navy captain over covid-19 says more about the navy than Donald Trump
The U.S. Navy relieved Captain Brett Crozier of his command of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt. In doing so, social media outlets exploded. That Crozier attempted to prevent an outbreak of the Coronavirus aboard his ship, he himself fell victim to the malady, endeared him to the American public. Nonetheless, my article pointed to 250-years plus of naval tradition: bureaucratic agencies hold sway over captains and admirals at sea. It’s been that way since the days of Admiral John Byng in the 1750s.