Ed Gitre

A Presidents' Day lesson from Philadelphia “Each person who visits the President’s House and does not learn of the realities of founding-era slavery receives a false account of this country’s history,“ Judge Cynthia Rufe wrote.

On Presidents’ Day 2026, a 77-year-old federal judge in Philadelphia issued a ruling that blocks the Trump administration’s efforts to take down or otherwise excise information from Independence National Historical Park relating to George Washington’s ownership of slaves.

Law Dork:

So true. Carnegie Foundation funding of Gunnar Myrdal's study of race in the US wasn't a problem until the Supreme Court used it in support of Brown vs Board of Education.

Recommend looking into the fascinating history of the "Better Baby" movement with books like Annette K. Vance Dorey's Better Baby Contests.

The most commented on characteristic of the first draft selectees in 1940 was the diversity of ethnicities. The ignorance of US history is remarkable.

McCarthy-era congressmen accused foundations of being captured by Communists. coxcommitteereport.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/.... They tore into Carnegie for funding Gunnar Myrdal's *An American Dilemma* after the landmark study of race in the US was cited in Brown vs Board.

Mellon is in good company.

Medgar Evers’ killer was a Klansman, but Trump administration says stop calling him a racist - Mississippi Today Among anticipated changes to a new visitor brochure for the Medgar & Myrlie Evers Home National Monument is no longer using "racist" to describe the killer of the civil rights leader.

I am speechless.

"The National Park Service has removed visitor brochures from the Medgar & Myrlie Evers Home National Monument. Among the anticipated changes? No longer calling his murderer a 'racist.'" 🗃️ mississippitoday.org/2026/02/05/m...

I was looking forward to reading Shake's book. I find the history of civilian-military relations to be far more lively, overflowing with drama, conflict, politics, passion, and negotiation.

This is a bit rich, isn't it? Moyn and his crew chastised anyone who dared make a historical comparison of precisely this sort, simply with a different political figure.

"Observing human behavior confirms that for some among us, the perfidious lust for unbridled power and the imposition of cruelty in its quest know no bounds and are bereft of human decency. And the rule of law be damned."

Someone else might need to see this as much as I did.

I open my course on World War II in Postwar American Culture with this classic war film. It's in my canon. You probably know that Walker's death scene is based on one of Pyle's columns. It's quite moving.

YouTube video by US National Archives Eisenhower's "Military-Industrial Complex" Speech Origins and Significance

Homan "in theatre." ... Can't say we weren't warned.

"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist."

“Freedom is not free. We have to work at it. Nurture it. Protect it. Even sacrifice for it.”

Agreed. I've argued that the "crisis" of the humanities is not about its "irrelevance." Historical memory & scholarship is a threat precisely because of their social & cultural power. That is why history must be suppressed, erased & replaced with politically useful myths: it's too dangerous.

She is wasting no time, as UVA BOV's leadership found out the hard way.

Spanberger inauguration

From the stands yesterday. A new day with a new governor.

History rhymes in other ways. The author of the pamphlet was forced out of the War Department for having written it. "Fascism" was, by May 1945 already, too divisive. The War Department needed to steer clear of "ideology." And the author couldn't be trusted, as a Russian-born Jew.

What a dark day

Great essay. Sparked a spirited, thoughtful debate in a research seminar I taught last year.

"[T]he Margraten cemetery 'is not the appropriate venue for interpreting or debating broader societal issues, however real and significant those issues were and are.'"

What is a more appropriate venue?

I am looking forward to reading Kori's book. I would be interested in her reflections on a key middle position between state and soldier, the "citizen-soldier," expanding the definition of citizenship at a turning point in 1940 w/ the passage of the 1st peacetime draft in US history.

So true

Another beautiful Shchedryk performance amidst ruins.

It was set in what used to be a DTEK thermal power plant — now destroyed by russia.

The contrast between russia’s destructive nature and the Ukrainian will to create beauty even in the darkest times is palpable.

I'd like to save you a few minutes. This op-ed is not worth your time.

A quick read worth your time.

ALL IMLS grants restored in every state & territory.

In response to a ruling from a federal judge in Rhode Island, the Institute of Museum and Library Services reinstated all previously canceled grants in every state and territory. It's a huge win for libraries and our communities.

"The reinstatement of all IMLS grants means that libraries across the country will be able to resume vital services for learning, imagination, and economic opportunity. We are breathing a sigh of relief, but the fight is not over." ALA President Sam Helmick. Show up for our libraries, American Library Association.

NEWS: The Institute of Museum & Library Services has restored ALL previously canceled federal grants to libraries, following a ruling by a federal judge in Rhode Island last month.

This is a massive win for libraries & communities in every state & territory!

Learn more: www.ala.org/news/2025/12...

And what happened after WWII that made the military "politically correct"? Might it be Truman's executive order desegregating the armed forces? What else could it be?

In any event, the "War Department" started to desegregate during the war as I wrote about in TIME.

time.com/7329734/mili...

Thanks, Ben, for all the work you do to spotlight public scholarship.

PFC Willy F. James, Jr's Medal of Honor Willy F. James, Jr. was one of seven African Americans to receive the Medal of Honor for service in World War II, an award delayed decades by bias and discrimination.

One of them is Medal of Honor awardee PFC Willy F. James Jr.

www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles...

Exhibit panel removed from the American cemetery in Margraten

Exhibit panel removed from the American cemetery in Margraten

On Facebook, Black Liberators in the Netherlands posted pictures of panels the Heritage Foundation reportedly pressed the Trump administration to have removed from the American cemetery in Margraten.

Black soldiers who volunteered for combat duty as riflemen are among the dead buried there.