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Preliminary TOC
Annual Editions: United States History, Vol 2 , 22e
1. The American Civil War, Emancipation, and Reconstruction on the World Stage, Edward L. Ayers, OAH Magazine of History, January 2006
The Civil War, Emancipation, and Reconstruction were seminal events in American history. The author argues that the war and its aftermath "has carried a different meaning for every generation of Americans" and "embodied struggles that would confront people on every continent."
2. The Nez Perce Flight for Justice, W. David Edmunds, American Heritage, Fall 2008
Despite a long history of cooperation with whites, in 1877 the Nez Perce Indians led by Chief Joseph were thrown off their historic lands in Oregon. Driven from place to place over a distance of 1,000 miles, the exhausted band finally was defeated in September of that year. "I am tired. My heart is sick and sad," Joseph stated. "From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever."
3. How the West Was Spun, Stephen G. Hyslop, American History, October 2008
William "Buffalo Bill" Cody's Wild West Show was enormously popular in this country and in Europe. Hyslop goes behind the daring rescues and cavalry charges, to discuss why this extravaganza was so attractive. It reassured Americans "that they would never be too civilized to beat the braves and bullies of the world at their own game."
4. Gifts of the "Robber Barons," James Nuechterlein, Commentary, March 2007
Corporations grew to unprecedented size during the post-Civil War period. Those who headed these organizations often were referred to as "Robber Barons" for their shady business practices and exploitation of labor. The author examines the lives of two of these individuals, Andrew Carnegie and Andrew Mellon. He concludes that they were "neither heroes nor villains in the roles they played."
5. Upside-Down Bailout, H.W. Brands, American History, August 2010
The prolific historian and writer H.W. Brands argues the financier J.P. Morgan was the most powerful person in America from the 1890s until his death in 1914. A man who valued character above property and men of wealth, Morgan twice in 1895 and 1907 rescued the American economy from bankruptcy. Ironically his power provoked both populist and progressive reformers to challenge his power. In 1913 the Federal Reserve System was created as the nation's lender of last resort.
6. Lockwood in '84, Jill Norgren, Wilson Quarterly, August 2002
In 1884, lawyer Belva Lockwood ran for the presidency on the Equal Rights Party ticket. Although women's suffrage was her priority, she took progressive stands on most of the day's leading issues. She was the first and last woman (so far) to stay in a presidential race right up to Election Day.
7. A Day to Remember: December 29, 1890, Charles Phillips, American History, December 2005
On this date the 7th Cavalry attacked a group of Sioux Indians at Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota, killing about 300 people most of whom were women and children. Author Phillips analyzes the events leading to this massacre, including the rise of what became known as the Ghost Dancers.
8. Where the Other Half Lived, Verlyn Klinkenborg, Mother Jones, July/August 2001
The Mulberry Bend section was one of the most notorious slums in New York City. Danish-born reformer Jacob Riis photographed and wrote about the squalor and unbelievably crowded conditions in which the mostly immigrant population of the Bend had to live.
9. What Happened at Haymarket?, John J. Miller, National Review, February 11, 2013
On May 1, 1886, a group of workers, mostly German speaking immigrants assembled in Haymarket Square, Chicago, to peacefully appeal for an eight-hour workday. Someone threw a bomb in the crowd, police panicked, opened fire, and killed several protesters and seven of their own policemen. Seven received death sentences, one committed suicide, four were executed and three pardoned. Examining the transcripts of the trial and building a diorama of the crime scene in his basement, historian Timothy Messer-Kruse has written several journal articles and books challenging the conventional wisdom of the Haymarket Square incident arguing several of the arrested "anarchists may have been responsible for the root.
10. Father of the Forests, T.H. Watkins, American Heritage, February/March, 1991
Ninety years ago a highborn zealot named Gifford Pinchot knew more about woodlands than any other man in America. The late T. H. Watkins, an environmental historian, has shown how Pinchot teamed up with President Theodore Roosevelt who already had "established the first federal wildlife refuges, supported the expansion of the national park system, and backed passage of the Reclamation Act of 1902." Chief Forester Pinchot used the full power of the Antiquities Act of 1906 to designate eighteen national monuments, including the Grand Canyon in Arizona, as federal preserves were under the control of the national government. Under the Forest Reserve Act of 1905 more than sixty-three million acres of western lands were brought under federal protection. Pinchot defined himself as a practical conservationist whose agency managed to balance the preservation of the environment with the "wise use of earth and its resources for the lasting good of men."
11. "A Machine of Practical Utility," Tom D. Crouch, American Heritage, Winter 2010
Experiments conducted on December 17, 1903 by the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina generally are regarded as the first powered and controlled flights in history. The longest flight made that day, however, lasted only 59 seconds. Not until 1905, Couch shows, did they become certain that "they had invented an aircraft that could be flown reliably over significant distances under a pilot's complete control."
12. A Day to Remember: March 25, 1911: Triangle Fire, Charles Phillips, American History, April 2006
Beginning in late 1909, employees of the Triangle Waist Company joined in a strike led by the Women's Trade Union League calling for better pay, shorter hours, and improvement of horrible working conditions. The strike ended with few gains. The 1911 fire, which claimed 146 women, brought to public attention the squalid and dangerous circumstances found at Triangle and other sweatshops. Blocked exits and faulty fire hoses resulted in many needless deaths.
13. Theodore Roosevelt, The Spanish-American War and the Emergence of the United States as a Great Power, William N. Tilchen, Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal, Winter-Spring 2010
Professor William N. Tilchin argues that the accidental rise to the Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt after the assassination of William McKinley gave American foreign policy a strategic vision previously non-existent. The strategic vision included building a canal through Panama connecting the two oceans and fortified by the United States; proclaiming U.S. hegemony in the Caribbean through the pronouncement of the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine; building a strong navy to compete with the world's powers; and establishing strong friendships with England and France.
14. The $5 Day, Robert H. Casey, American Heritage, Winter 2010
In January 1914 executives of the Ford Motor Company announced that they were going to double the minimum wage for an eight hour working day to $5. Henry Ford became something of a hero to workers, who flocked to his plant to enjoy higher pay. Author Casey explores some of the unanticipated consequences of this bold move.
15. Meuse-Argonne: America's Bloodiest Single Battle Occurred in the Forests and Fields of Eastern France During World War I, Edward G. Lengel, American Heritage, Summer 2010
Professor Edward G. Engel argues that America's participation in the Meuse-Argonne battle in eastern France in October, 1918 shifted the balance of power in favor of the allies and led to the eventual victory in the war. By following the battle experiences of Lieutenant Samuel Woodfill and thirteen-year-old private Ernest L. Wrentmore, the author provides a microcosmic history of warfare as the inexperienced American soldiers adjust to the first modern warfare with its use of mustard gas and sub-machine guns that could fire up to 100 rounds per minutes.
16. To Make the World Safe for Democracy, John Lukacs, American Heritage, Winter 2010
On April 2, 1917 President Woodrow Wilson appeared before Congress to ask for a declaration of war against Germany. "The world," he stated, "must be made safe for democracy." The allies won the war, but Wilson failed to attain the kind of settlement he wanted at the Paris Peace Conference and the United States Senate repudiated his plan for a League of Nations. Twenty years later Americans faced the horrifying prospect of another world war.
17. Between Heaven and Earth: Lindbergh: Technology and Environmentalism, Glen Jeansonne and David Luhrssen, History Today, January 2008
Charles A. Lindberg's solo flight across the Atlantic in 1927 "symbolized the triumph of technology over geography and the human spirit over the barrier of space." Seldom mentioned is that in his later years Lindberg came to have grave doubts about the impact of technology on the planet, and devoted himself to a number of environmental issues.
18. Remember the Roaring '20s?, Robert S. McElvaine, The Washington Post National Weekly Edition, October 6—12, 2008
"The task facing business in the 1920s," the author writes, "was replacing the work ethic with a consumption ethic." He sees a great deal of similarity between the Bull Market of the 1920s and the economic bubble that burst in 2008
19. Why the Money Stopped, John Kenneth Galbraith, American Heritage, August 1958
In an article summarizing his classic The Great Crash, the famous liberal economist John Kenneth Galbraith believes the economy on the eve of 1929 had several major flaws: these included a large unequal distribution of income, a favorable trade balance made by dubious foreign loans, large scale corporate thimble-rigging, and a flawed stock market boom. Finally, the author maintains that the knowledge of economists and business leaders as to how the economy operated was seriously flawed.
20. 15 Minutes That Saved America, H. W. Brands, American History, October 2008
On March 12, 1933 President Franklin D. Roosevelt made the first radio broadcast of what would become known as his "fireside chats." In a calm, intimate manner he spoke to the American people about the banking failure that had almost paralyzed the nation and what he proposed to do about it. Author Brands regards this as perhaps the most important 15 minutes in American history.
21. When America Sent Her Own Packing, Steve Boisson, American History, October 2006
During the Great Depression about 1 million people of Mexican descent were driven from the United States by raids, deportations, and scare tactics. Los Angeles County, for instance, sponsored trains to "repatriate" Mexicans. Americans, bewildered by the economic disaster, sought a convenient scapegoat and "found it in the Mexican community."
22. A New Deal for the American People, Roger Biles, Northern Illinois University Press, 1991
Critics of the New Deal on the right claimed that FDR created a socialist or fascist state or at best an anti-free market business environment. Critics on the left believe Roosevelt caved in to the interests of big business and did little to help the lower-middle class, poor and minorities with their economic problems. History Professor Roger Biles contends that, in spite of its minimal reforms and non-revolutionary programs, the New Deal created a limited welfare state that implemented economic stabilizers to avert another depression.
23. Labor Strikes Back, Robert Shogan, American History, December 2006
In December 1936, the United Auto Workers launched a sit-down strike against General Motors. Shogan discusses events leading up to the strike and the violence that resulted. The success of the strike sparked a wave of similar actions in workplaces across the nation. According to the author, "the sit-down strikers wrote a new chapter in the annals of American labor."
24. Flight of the Wasp, Victoria Pope, American Heritage, Spring 2009
The Women Air Force Service Pilots served as a home front Army auxiliary during World War II. They flew cargo, transported new planes from factories, and towed aerial targets. Always controversial in an age when the ability of women to perform such functions was controversial, the group was disbanded in 1944. An initially skeptical General Harold Arnold, Chief of the Army Air Forces, said of their performance: "It is on the record that women can fly as well as men." Unfortunately, it was not until the 1970s that they were officially recognized as veterans.
25. Why Truman Dropped the Bomb, Richard B. Frank, The Weekly Standard, August 8, 2005
Revisionist historians have argued that since the Japanese were ready to surrender, the Truman administration dropped the A-bomb to intimidate the Russians and make them more manageable in the negotiations regarding post-war settlements in Germany and Poland. Historian Richard D. Frank argues that the release of the intelligence intercepts dubbed the "magic Diplomatic Summary" in 1978 and 1995 reveals that the Japanese were not only not ready to surrender but were building up their troop strength on Southern Kyushu in order to repel the American invasion. Consequently, the President and the Joint Chiefs of Staff ordered the use of the Atomic bombs for military rather than political reasons.
26. Baseball's Noble Experiment, William Kashatus, American History, March/April 1997
Jackie Robinson broke the color line in major league baseball when he began playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. This article explains the role of Dodger president Branch Rickey and the hardships that Robinson had to endure. Robinson triumphed and went on to a Hall of Fame career. He inspired countless young blacks, "and in the process taught many white Americans to respect others regardless of the colors of their skin."
27. The Real Cuban Missile Crisis: Everything You Need to Know is Wrong, Benjamin Schwarz, The Atlantic, January/February 2013
Benjamin Schwarz argues that the new evidence from the memoirs of participants in later years and the declassification in 1997 of the "Ex Comm" committees tapes reveal that Kennedy fabricated a crisis for reasons of politics and prestige. In actuality, Kennedy secretly negotiated a swap for the dismantling of the Jupiter missiles in Turkey for the intermediate range missiles in Cuba.
28. The Forgotten Radical History of the March on Washington, William P. Jones, Dissent, Spring 2013
Historian William P. Jones argues that the "March on Washington" in August, 1963 was organized by groups such as the Negro American Labor Council and the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in order to highlight "the economic subordination of the Negro "and advance a broad and fundamental program for further economic justice." The first speakers such as A. Philip Randolph, John Lewis and others advocated radical economic reforms. But Martin Luther King toned down his demands for economic equality in favor of a non-segregated society where Blacks and Whites were politically and socially equal.
29. The Key to the Warren Report, Max Holland, American Heritage, November, 1995
Max Holland discusses the atmosphere in the Winter of 1963-1964 after the Kennedy assassination. The Cold War was still at a high point in spite of the fact that Kennedy and Krushchev had attempted to cool tensions after the Cuban missile had subsided in the previous year. President Johnson formed a commission of seven high-level officials to investigate who was behind the assassination of JFK. The Warren Commission, unaware of previous attempts by the CIA to assassinate Castro, rejected conspiracy theories of plots by right wing groups, left-wing supporters, and organized crime. The commission concluded Oswald was the killer and he acted alone.
30. The Spirit of '78, Stayin' Alive, Kenneth S. Baer, The Washington Post, July 13, 2008
Many writers have claimed that if you want to understand the present, you should look back to 1968. Not so, according to the author. "If you peer deeply into the polyester soul of 1978, you can see the beginnings of the world we live in today."
31. Soft Power: Reagan the Dove, Vladislav M. Zubok, The New Republic, June 21, 2004
Ronald Reagan, once considered by many to be a bungling incompetent, now occupies a much higher place in the ranks of twentieth century presidents. This transformation has come about, Zubok argues, not because of his embrace of militant policies such as Star Wars but because he sought the path of peace with the Soviet Union when the opportunity arose.
32. A Wimp He Wasn't, John Solomon, Newsweek, March 24 & April 4, 2011
Most historians and political scientists considered George Herbert Walker Bush, an average or below average President and a bit of a wimp. But recent research uncovered by John Solomon, showed Vice President Bush attempted to force the Salvadorian military to stop killing its civilian opponents. The President also didn't excessively celebrate the fall of the wall in Berlin, so the Russian leader was able to allow a new government takeover in East Germany. Ironically, the wimp label followed Bush during his career even though he had been a decorated Naval pilot during World War II.
33. The Tragedy of Bill Clinton, Garry Wills, New York Times Book Review, August 12, 2004
Most people agreed that Bill Clinton was an able politician, regardless of whether they agreed with his objectives. This article analyzes the man and the scandals that mortally wounded his presidency. Wills argues that Clinton would have better served himself and his programs had he resigned from office.
34. The Rove Presidency, Joshua Green, The Atlantic, September 2007
President George W. Bush's key strategist, Karl Rove, "had the plan, the power, and the historic chance to remake American politics." This seemed especially true after 9/11. The Bush/Rove vision of creating a permanent Republican majority dissipated through a series of blunders. "Bush will leave behind a legacy long on ambition," Green writes, "and short on positive results."
35. Good Health for America?, Martin Gorsky, History Today, February 2010
Written shortly before passage of President Obama's health care bill, Gorsky provides a brief history of why previous attempts failed. "The key point," according to Gorsky, "is that the political institutions of the U.S. tend to impede deep and contentious reforms."
36. What Do We Owe the Indians?, Paul VanDevelder, American History, June 2009
The treatment of Indians has been a sordid chapter in American history. Pushed off their ancestral lands, many tribes were herded onto reservations that could barely sustain existence. A new generation of educated Indians are using the courts to make certain that the 371 active treaties, many of which have been broken or ignored, are interpreted fairly.
37. Becoming Us, Alan Ehrenhalt, Governing, July 2008
For nearly 200 years those who consider themselves "Americans" have been worried about successive waves of immigration. Will the newcomers eventually blend into society, or will they remain a quasi-alien presence for the foreseeable future? The author analyzes this issue as it applies to Mexican immigrants.
38. Losing Streak: The Democratic Ascendancy and Why it Happened, Jeffrey Bell, The Weekly Standard, February 11, 2013
Policy analyst Jeffrey Bell argues that Barak Obama is becoming a transformational President for the Democrats in 2013 in the same way Ronald Reagan transformed the Republicans in the 1980s. To quote Bell: "In the six Presidential elections between 1992 and 2012 the Democratic party has regained the solid popular-vote majority it enjoyed during the New Deal/Great Society era (1932-1964) but relinquished in the six elections between 1968 and 1988
39. Global Warming: Who Loses—and Who Wins?, Gregg Easterbrook, The Atlantic, April 2007
Global warming, Easterbrook argues, could cause a "broad-based disruption of the global economy unparalleled by any event other than World War II." He points out that this phenomenon probably will do more harm to those nations already mired in poverty and might actually benefit the more affluent ones. He also discusses what must be done to save off disaster.
40. It's Hard to Make It in America: How the United States Stopped Being the Land of Opportunity, Lane Kenworthy, Foreign Affairs, November/December, 2012
According to the author the opportunity gap between children from poor families as opposed to those from middle-class and upper-class families had narrowed considerably from the mid-nineteenth century until 1970. Since the 1970s, inequality of opportunity for children from the lower classes has widened considerably compared with those from the middle and upper classes. But most Western European democracies have more economic mobility and less of an income gap between classes. Kenworthy suggests that more federal money spent on early education, earned income tax credits for certain families and shifting affirmative action programs from race and gender to family background might provide more economic opportunities for the middle and lower classes.
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