New Ideas in American History
Mission Statement
New Ideas in American History translates advanced knowledge in history for a wider audience. Through interpretative essays, our contributors call attention to the newest and most interesting ideas in the field — ideas that push our understanding of critical points in American history and of how historians reach new conclusions about old things.
In fashioning this space, we hope to celebrate innovations in American history, and to give more people early and convenient access to these discoveries.
Scholars have spent the last several decades revolutionizing our understanding of United States history. This scholarship has given rise to a seismic shift in our understanding of what and who is essential to the American story.
The field of American history is also larger and more diverse now than it has ever been. This expansion has given rise to new approaches to historical inquiry.
Still, a good portion of the best scholarship rarely reaches audiences who would learn from it. Contemporary crises have given rise to new interest in American history, but general readers and teachers of history have few ways to learn of the best new work in the field, especially that published by university presses and more junior scholars. Though scholarship gradually influences textbooks, students still arrive on college campuses having learned little of these discoveries. Young adults who do not attend college are rarely granted access to the types of knowledge that has defined the field for the last several decades.
We endeavor to meet the challenge of this moment by expediting access to the most current ideas in American history scholarship. Our intention is to demystify the process of historical knowledge production and bridge the gap among historians, K12 educators, and their students.
To this end, we invite professional historians to write interpretative essays about ideas and books they believe in. These essays are meant to curate, celebrate, and amplify new ideas, and demonstrate their importance to people who care about America and its history but might not otherwise have timely access to this material.
New Ideas in American History is a project of New American History.
