The American history wars refers to ongoing academic and popular debates surrounding the character and culture of the United States. While it has received new attention in the 2010s and early 2020s with the The 1619 Project,[1] U.S. history has been the subject of debate and revisionism since the Progressive Era.
Common points of contention include:
- The extent in which American actions in the Cold War were justified.
- This includes debates on whether McCarthyism was simply a matter of historical paranoia or justified, whether the nation's foreign policy was in contradiction to its stated principles, and how great a threat Marxist–Leninist states actually were.
- Topics surrounding race, gender, and sexuality, including the impact of slavery, historical persecution of Native Americans, and the Lavender Scare.
- Whether attempts to migrate past injustices, such as affirmative action, land acknowledgements, and the growing presence of "DEI" in many American institutions are counterproductive or beneficial.
Background edit
Controversy in the area of United States history is nothing new, and first became an issue when historian Charles A. Beard published [2] his An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States in 1913. Howard Zinn has also been a notable figure in the American history wars ever since the publication of his A People's History of the United States in 1980.[3]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Schuessler, Jennifer (2023-01-08). "As Historians Gather, No Truce in the History Wars". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
- ^ "Charles A. Beard: The English Experience". Cambridge. 16 January 2009.
- ^ "Does Zinn's alternative history teach bad lessons?". Stanford. December 19, 2012.
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