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Home , Akira Iriye, Bernard Bailyn, John Gillis (historian), John Henry Coatsworth, Mary Beth Norton, Teofilo Ruiz

400 A Street, SE Washington, DC 20003 www.nationalhistorycenter.org National History Center An initiative of the American Historical Association

Volume III Issue 1 Spring 2008

We recognize and thank our newest Founders and Lecture Series with Council on Foreign Contributors who have supported the Center since the last Relations Begins newsletter in Spring 2007. Renewing Founders Douglas & Margo Arnold James M. Banner, Jr. Jerry Bentley Roger Brown Giles Constable Hunter Dupree Marshall C. Eakin Stanley N. Katz Wm. Roger Louis William H. & Elizabeth McNeill Joseph C. Miller J. Alden Nicholas Maureen Murphy Nutting Donald A. Ritchie James J. Sheehan Fritz Stern R. Vladimir Steffel Founders, August 2007–April 2008 James B. & Laura Crooks Roger Louis (left) with Ernest May at the lecture with the CFR Felipe Fernández-Armesto Alice George The lecture series cosponsored by the National History Center and the Council John Gillis Edward Gosslein on Foreign Relations began with two talks, one featuring Professor Ernest May, Samuel A. Syme, Jr. the Charles Warren Professor of History at , and the second with Professor Fritz Stern, University Professor Emeritus of Columbia Contributors, August 2007–April 2008 University. Michael Bailey Ralph Buultjens The inaugural lecture with Ernest May was held at the Council’s Nancy W. Collins headquarters on October 24, 2007. Richard Haas, President of the Council, Robert & Geri Dalleck welcomed the members of the Council on Foreign Relations to the event and Donald & Jean Lamm Wm. Roger Louis, founding director of the the National History Center, James C. Turner introduced Ernest May. Professor May reconsidered surprise attacks, focusing on the Fall of in 1940 compared to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in September 2001. May briefly described the German, French, Print ISSN: 1935-5556 and British military and political plans in the spring of 1940 and the lack of Online ISSN:1935-8547 intelligence and communication between agencies that contributed to the fall of France. After his talk, May responded to many questions from audience © National History Center members. (cont. on page 3) Production and Photography by Miriam E. Hauss National History Center / 1 400 A Street, SE Washington, DC 20003 www.nationalhistorycenter.org

Mason University and the History AHA Vice Presidents Join the Education Group in partnership with the American Center’s Board of Trustees Historical Association and the National History Center, the Clearinghouse is funded by a $7 million, five-year grant from The National History Center’s Board of Trustees the U.S. Department of Education. Intended to be the welcomes the three Vice Presidents of the American principal on-line resource for all aspects of K–12 history Historical Association as the newest members to the education (http://teachinghistory.org), the Clearinghouse Board: Karen Halttunen (University of Southern provides information about history content of importance to California), Vice President of the Teaching Division; teachers, effective and appropriate teaching materials, best Teofilo Ruiz (University of California, Los Angeles), Vice history teaching practices, history education policy and President of the Research Division; and David J. Weber research findings, professional development for history (Southern Methodist University), Vice President of the teachers, and Teaching American History projects. The site Professional Division. They join Wm. Roger Louis also contains many interactive features and can link historians (University of Texas, Austin), Chairman; James J. Sheehan and teachers to relevant sites, literature, and programs (Stanford University), Vice Chair; James M. Banner, Jr. worldwide. (Washington, D.C.), Treasurer; Maureen Murphy Nutting (North Seattle Community College); Secretary; Susan Ferber (Oxford University Press); James R. Grossman (Newberry Library); Robert L. Harris (); Stanley N. Katz (); Deanna Marcum (Library of Congress); Diane Ravitch (); and Marilyn B. Young (New York University).

The Center Partners with the The Center commissions policy papers on particular topics, National History Education Clearinghouse which will change each year. For this first year, the Center has commissioned papers on history assessment regimes in six The National History Center has become a partner in the states—Bradley Fogo for California, Frederick Drake for work of the National History Education Clearinghouse. Illinois, Michael Bruner for Kansas, Steven Cohen for Created by the Center for History and New Media at George , Henry Kiernan for New York, and Stephanie van Hover for . After the papers’ submission in the summer of 2008, their authors will gather in Washington, New design for the Center’s web site D.C. to discuss their findings and prepare a general policy The National History Center recently had its web site statement about history assessments. The statement will redesigned by the Center for History and New Media include the general conclusions the authors have drawn from at George Mason. Visit www.nationalhistorycenter.org their respective studies and will propose steps to improve to see the changes. The site now has a more dynamic history assessments generally. At the conclusion of the presence on the web and includes a search engine. assessment project, the papers and policy statement will Visit to keep up with the latest activities of the appear on the Clearinghouse and Center websites and will be Center. The site distributed by the Center to all interested parties. A similar includes links to approach will be taken in subsequent years to other topics. the recent news as well as Involvement in the Clearinghouse’s work is allied to the podcasts of Center’s previous work on history education policy. Both recent lectures. endeavors represent the Center’s larger and on-going effort You can also to identify means by which historians can be more subscribe to a effectively engaged in the creation and reform of history RSS feed that education policy at the national, state, and local levels. will keep you informed!

National History Center / 2 400 A Street, SE Washington, DC 20003 www.nationalhistorycenter.org well the old-fashioned disciplinary major is contributing to the sorts of skills that are commonly thought to characterize liberal education—critical thinking, oral and written expression, a sense of values, civic engagement, and more.

The task of the working group set up by the Center is to evaluate the effectiveness of the history major as a component of undergraduate liberal education. Stan Katz co-chairs the working group with Jim Grossman of the Newberry Library, and the group has additional colleagues drawn from a wide variety of different sorts of history departments, including Rayman Solomon, dean of the Rutgers–Camden School of Law, and Nick Lemann, dean of the Columbia School of Journalism, both historians who run the sorts of graduate professional programs that attract many history BA graduates. The group first met in Fritz Stern pondering a question from the CFR audience March 2007 to design the project, which began by surveying a stratified sample of very different sorts of CFR Lecture series (cont. from page 1) college and university history departments, in order to have On March 4, 2008, Fritz Stern spoke in front of a packed some notion (going beyond the personal experiences of house at the Council. Professor Stern’s lecture was entitled the working group) as to what is being done “out there.” A “Fear and Hitler’s Instant Subversion of Freedom.” He preliminary report was presented at the AHA’s annual discussed how Germany was transformed into a one-party meeting in January 2008. A second meeting of the Center’s dictatorship and how quickly it happened in 1933. Craig R. group last month in New York at the OAH meeting Whitney, the standards editor of focused on possible recommendations to the Teagle facilitated questions from the audience. Both lectures were Foundation. filmed by the Council on Foreign Relations and are available on their web site, www.cfr.org. Links to the The next step is to revise the report and formulate the videocasts are available on the Center’s web site. recommendations in order to submit it to Teagle just after Labor Day. It is hoped that the report will be able to say something both informative and helpful about the role of the history major as the working group believes that History and Liberal Education History plays a uniquely valuable role in liberal education. Stay tuned for the report this fall! The Teagle Foundation project is making good progress. The Center applied to the Teagle Foundation, a philanthropy dedicated to the promotion of undergraduate liberal education, in response to a request for proposals for inquiries into the role of various disciplines in liberal education. The historic rhetoric has been that undergraduate liberal education proceeds sequentially, from general education to disciplinary education—from broad synthetic and comparative approaches to the totality of knowledge for underclassmen, to highly specialized work in disciplinary departments for upperclassmen. Not much has changed over the years in the broader context of this approach, though there have been numerous attempts to Members of the Center’s working group with W. Robert Connor, redefine general education, most recently in terms of President of the Teagle Foundation (second from the left), at the AHA’s “core” curricula. The major change for departmental January 2008 meeting. Others pictured are (left to right) Carol Geary education (“majors”) has been the move to non- or inter- Schneider, President of the American Association of Colleges and disciplinary departments—women’s studies, Afro- Universities; Robert Connor; Thomas Bender, history professor at New American studies, American studies and the like. The York University; and Rayman Solomon, Dean of question that the Teagle Foundation wants to ask is how School of Law–Camden National History Center / 3 400 A Street, SE Washington, DC 20003 www.nationalhistorycenter.org Supreme Court never resolved the question, and most Congressional Briefings: constitutional scholars, said McPherson, have concluded Lincoln and Habeas Corpus that Lincoln was right. He went on, however, to discuss how Lincoln’s actions have been cited as precedents for Acting on the principle that the past has a role in current later presidential actions that involved unnecessary policy debates, and that historians are willing to be relevant, violations of civil liberties, including the sedition arrests the National History Center continues its series of during World War I and the internment of Japanese- congressional briefings, outlining the history behind today’s during World War II. McPherson suggested that major issues. Nonpartisan in terms of politics and policy-makers could learn more from Lincoln’s restraint. , the briefings have avoided taking sides and instead have explained how past policies developed and their impact. On February 13, 2008, James McPherson, Professor Emeritus from Princeton University, offered a congressional briefing on “Lincoln and Habeas Corpus,” Rethinking America in Global which was co-sponsored by the Lincoln Bicentennial Perspective: NEH Summer Institute Commission. The National History Center, American Historical While his remarks focused on the Civil War, the Association, and the Community College Humanities connections with current polices were quite clear and Association will host “Rethinking America in Global provoked pertinent questions from the audience about the Perspective,” a summer institute funded by the National war on terrorism. McPherson recounted how Chief Justice Endowment for the Humanities in Washington, D.C. The Roger Taney had challenged President Lincoln’s suspension four-week institute takes place at the Library of Congress of the writ of habeas corpus by executive order. Taney from June 16 through July 11, 2008. The George insisted that such power belonged to Congress, because the Washington University Department of History is also co- suspension of habeas corpus in time of rebellion was located sponsoring the institute. Twenty-five teachers from two- in Article I of the Constitution, which details congressional and four-year colleges will come to D.C. to conduct authority. Lincoln responded that such wartime power research and discuss how to internationalize American logically belonged to the Commander in Chief. The history at the college level. They will explore individual research interests while developing curricular materials that will encourage students to become better citizens of an America faced with a multitude of global challenges and opportunities.

The institute will be directed by Carl Guarneri and John Gillis. Guarneri has been a prominent proponent of globalizing American history and is the editor of America Compared: American History in International Perspective. Gillis has written extensively on comparative and transnational themes, especially relating to the .

They will be joined by distinguished guest faculty—Donna Gabbacia, Eliga Gould, Thomas Knock, Paul Kramer, Charles C. Mann, Elizabeth Mancke, Philip Morgan, and Penny Von Eshen—all of whom have made important contributions to this emerging field.

Third Decolonization Seminar For four weeks this summer (July 9 to August 3), fifteen scholars will gather in Washington D.C. to participate in a Professor McPherson discussing Lincoln’s suspension of habeas corpus during the Civil War seminar to research and discuss what can arguably be called the most influential development of the 20th century- decolonization. The seminar is third in a series of summer

National History Center / 4 400 A Street, SE Washington, DC 20003 www.nationalhistorycenter.org seminars organized by the Center with the support of a generous grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Erik Kennes (PhD Candidate 2008, University of Laval, Canada; Royal Museum of Central Africa, Belgium), As with earlier seminars, the scholars are completing their “The Formation of Katangese Political Consciousness at Independence” PhDs or have received them within the last five years. The Fabian Klose (PhD 2007, University of Munich; Lecturer, seminar will be led by Wm. Roger Louis (Univ. of Texas at University of Munich), Austin), Dane Kennedy (George Washington Univ.), “The Transfer of Strategic Knowledge in the Age of the Wars of Philippa Levine (Univ. of Southern California), Jason Decolonization” Parker (Texas A&M), and Pillarisetti Sudhir (American Historical Association). The fifteen participants in this Guy Laron (PhD 2007, Hebrew University; Post-doctoral year’s decolonization seminar are: Fellow, Tel-Aviv University), “Decolonization Age and the Eisenhower Administration, 1952–1956” Carolyn Biltoft (PhD Candidate 2008, Princeton University), Daniel da Silva Costa Marcos (PhD candidate 2008, “Assassination: Life and Death at the End of Empire” Portuguese Institute for International Relations-New Neilesh Bose (PhD candidate 2008 ; University of Lisbon), Resident Fellow, College of St. Rose, Albany, NY), “The USA, Portugal, and the Colonial Issue, 1945–1961” “Nation, Territory, and Bengali Visions of Pakistan, 1940–1947” Laura Robson (PhD candidate 2009, ), Jennifer Dueck (DPhil 2005, Oxford; Lecturer, Corpus Christi), “Decolonization and Christian Arab Political Identity in British “Zionism in the French Mandate of Syria and Lebanon” Mandate Palestine, 1917–1948” Eric D. Duke (PhD 2007 Michigan State University; Maria Romo-Navarrete (PhD, 2006, Sorbonne; Associate Assistant Professor, University of South Florida), Researcher, Research Center of History at the University of “Out of One...Many Nations: Imagining the West Indies Federation” Sorbonne), “French Indigenous Political Elites through the Last Years of the French Jennifer Foray (PhD 2007 ; Assistant Empire” Professor, Purdue University), “From Dominion Status to Decolonization: The Commonwealth Idea in Stefanie Wichhart (PhD 2007, University of Texas at Austin; the Netherlands, 1920–1954” Assistant Professor, Niagara University), “A ‘well-run’ Iraq or a ‘happy’ Iraq: The Second British Occupation, Leigh Gardner (DPhil Candidate, 2009, Jesus College, Oxford), 1941–1946” “Public Finance and Decolonization in British Africa: Continuity and Change in Kenya and Zambia, 1945–75” Emma Hunter (PhD 2007, ; Reinterpreting History: Vietnam Lecturer, University of Cambridge), The first volume in the Reinterpreting History book series is “Political Languages in Decolonization-Era Tanzania: Revisiting the out! Making Sense of the Centre-Local Dynamics” Vietnam Wars: Local, National, Shereen Ilahi (PhD Candidate 2008, University of Texas at Austin), and Transnational Perspectives “Amritsar Massacre of 1919 Compared to 1920 Bloody Sunday in made its debut at the Ireland” Organization of American Historians’ meeting in March. Edited by Mark Bradley and Marilyn Young, In Memoriam the volume is available in We salute the memory of those Founders and both hardback and Contributors we have lost recently. We will miss paperback versions from the these esteemed historians and send their families Oxford University Press’s our condolences. web site, www.oup.com/us.

John A. Garraty The series addresses a key William S. Greever element in the historian’s Roy Rosenzweig craft: how the interpretation Clarence Ver Steeg of specific historical events evolves over time. National History Center / 5 400 A Street, SE Washington, DC 20003 www.nationalhistorycenter.org National History Center Founders and Contributors Founders Hanns✝ & Bonnie Gross Carole Shammas Edith B. Couturier Lowell J. Satre Joyce O. Appleby Christopher J. D. Haig James J. Sheehan Theodore Rawson Crane Ann I. Schnieder American Historical Association James N. Hantula Robert B. Slocum Joseph T. Criscenti G. Ann Schultis Douglas M. & Victoria A. Harden Wilson & Kathryn Reed Smith Robert & Geri Dallack R. Baird Shuman Margo C. Arnold Robert L. Harris, Jr. Raymond W. Smock Robert C. Darnton Harvard Sitkoff Walter L. Arnstein Nadine Ishitani✝ & Winton U. Solberg John P. Diggins Cecil O. Smith, Jr. Bernard Bailyn Donald Teruo Hata Jonathan D. Spence & Leonard Dinnerstein Lorraine Smith Neal W. Baker J. Roderick Heller, III Annping Chin A. Graham Down Pamela H. Smith Peter M. Baldwin Richard G. Hewlett Roderick Stackelberg Richard & Mary Dunn Daniel C. Snell James M. Banner, Jr. Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham Peter D. L. Stansky Elizabeth J. Durrell Reba N. Soffer Roby C. Barrett John Higham✝ Peter N. Stearns Richard Ekman Gabrielle M. Spiegel Ross W. Beales, Jr. Peter Charles Hoffer & R. Vladimir Steffel Emory G. Evans Jeffrey K. Stine Thomas Bender N. E. H. Hull Fritz Stern Norman S. Fiering Richard Stott Jerry H. Bentley Daniel W. Howe Samual A. Syme, Jr. Leon Fink Susan Strasser Paul A. Bernabeo & Philip M. Teigen Galen R. Fisher Margaret Thomas David Cohen Arnita A. Jones Arnold Thackray Ralph T. Fisher, Jr. Melvin Tucker Albert J. Beveridge, III Lawrence S. Kaplan Edward C. Thaden James C. Turner Allison Blakely Emile Karafiol & George B. Tindall✝ Timothy Gilfoyle Nancy C. Unger Andrew Blane Virginia Robinson Alan Tully Howard F. Gillette, Jr. Milton Vanger Shelley & Mark Bookspan Stanley N. Katz Reed Ueda Carol Gluck Solomon & Daniel J. Boorstin✝ Nikki R. Keddie Richard H. Ullman Otis L. & Delores Barbara Wank Charles C. Booth Dane K. Kennedy Douglas A. & Harriett Unfug Graham, Jr. Elizabeth B. Warbasse Stephen S. Bowen Linda K. Kerber Betty M. Unterberger Victor R. Greene Bernard M. Wasserstein, Jr. Roger H. Brown Richard S. Kirkendall Sandra F. VanBurkleo James Grossman Robert H. & Vern L. Bullough✝ Milton M.✝ & Clarence L. Ver Steeg✝ Jacquelyn D. Hall & Alice Ann Whealey Richard T. Burke Margaret Klein Maris A. Vinovskis Robert Korstad Willam M. Wiecek Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Richard H. & Lynne Kohn John O. Voll Don Higginbotham Stanley B. Winters Foundation Peter J. Kovler Foundation Eugen✝ & Ronald J. Hoffman James Harvey Young✝ William H. Cartwright, Jr.✝ Daniel W. Kwong Jacqueline Weber Irving B. Holley, Jr. Madeleine Zelin Joan R. Challinor David E. Kyvig & William A. Weber & Helen L. & Anonymous Thomas D. Clark✝ Christine B. Worobec Linda L. Clark Daniel Horowitz John H. Coatsworth Virginia W. Leonard Gerhard L. Weinberg John W. Jeffries ✝ Deceased Gary B. Cohen Richard W. Leopold ✝ J. Patrick White✝ David S. Johnson Juan R. I. Cole Lester K. Little W. Ralph Whitley II David M. Kennedy Wm. Roger Louis Ekkehard-Teja Wilke Paul M. Kennedy Joel Colton We thank the Mary Powlesland Commager Russell M. Magnaghi Samuel R. Williamson, Jr. Alice Kessler-Harris Patrick T. Conley Charles S. & Henry & Beatrice Winkler Daniel J. Kevles Founders and the Paula Wylie Connolly Patrick Manning Bertram Wyatt-Brown Warren Kimball Contributors for Giles Constable Ernest R. May Jamil Zainaldin Jeffrey C. Kinkley their continued David T. Courtwright Paul C. Zmola James C. Klotter Lawrence J. McCrank Anonymous Sally Gregory Kohlstedt support of the James B. & Laura Crooks National History R. Bruce & Patricia K. Craig Gerald W. McFarland Anonymous, in honor of Paul A. C. Koistinen Hamilton Cravens John P. McKay Jonathan D. Spence Donald & Jean Lamm Center. Philip D. Curtin William H. & Elizabeth McNeill Catherine G. Lauritsen Allen F. Davis James M. McPherson Contributors Richard Lowitt Founders of the W. N. Davis, Jr. Samuel T. McSeveney Nancy Fix Anderson Roy T. Matthews Barbara D. & Elaine Tyler May National History William H. Davis Michael Bailey Center are those who Carl N. Degler Thomas R. Metcalf Lois W. Banner Mary Emily Miller Marion F. Deshmukh Sheldon✝ & Mary Meyer Daniel A. Baugh Regina A. Morantz-Sanchez pledge or donate A. Hunter & Joseph C. Miller James G. Basker Carolyn Bond Morrison $3,000 or more. Marguerite L. Dupree W. Scott & Benjamin L. Benford Anna K. Nelson Founding pledges Marshall C. Eakin Phyllis Stock Morton Martin Berger Charles E. Neu John M. Murrin David Paul Nord can be fulfilled over a Elizabeth L. Eisenstein David W. Blight three-year period. Joseph J. Ellis J. Alden Nichols Jo Tice Bloom Harriet Noreen Felipe Fernández-Armesto Patricia U. Bonomi Paul O’Keefe Donations of less Theodore W. Friend Maureen Murphy Nutting Charles M. Brand Otis A. Pease than $3,000 will be Lee & Juliette Folger Robert Orrill Douglas M. Brattebo Daniel & Evelyn Peterson recognized at the Justus F. & Barbara J. Paul Frank & Barbara Peterson Foundation Ira V. Brown Contributor level. ✝ Bradford Perkins John F. Piper, Jr. John A. Garraty Carl M. Brownell Contributors whose Alice George Elisabeth & Lewis Perry Ralph Buultjens Henry P. Porter, Jr. Prosser Gifford William D. Phillips, Jr. & Stephen H. Case Gaines Post, Jr. continued support John Gillis Carle Rahn Phillips Fred A. Cazel, Jr. Theodore K. Rabb reaches $3,000 will Charles C. Gillispie Oliver B. Pollak William C. Cheek Jim Ralph then be recognized James A. Rawley✝ Roscoe E. Reeve Edward Gosslein Lizabeth Cohen & as Founders. Henry F. & Edith K. Graff Donald A. Ritchie Herrick Eaton Chapman Richard W. 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National History Center / 7 Volume III Issue 1 Spring 2008

An initiative of the American Historical Association

The National History Center promotes research, teaching, and learning in all fields of history. Created by the American Historical Association in 2002, the Center is a public trust dedicated to the study and teaching of history, as well as the advancement of historical knowledge in government, business, and the public at large.

The Center was established to provide historical context on current issues that face society, to better understand today’s world.

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an Initiative of the American Historical Association Association Historical American the of Initiative an

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