
There are a lot of interesting historians who’ve surfaced in some ways in the last few years and have been writing a little bit more for the public, whether it’s on social media, op-eds or other venues.

Part of what we were doing was reacting to the last few years where there was a lot of stuff circulating in public about American history, including issues connected to the classroom, that we knew were at odds with what most historians have been writing about - not just in recent years, but really, for decades. Zelizer: We’ve worked together before on another book, Fault Lines. InsideHook: Was there a specific moment that inspired both of you to put this anthology together? Or was it more of a general feeling about the current state of American politics and history? InsideHook spoke with both men to learn more about the project and venture into the history of bad history in the United States. The two of them recently co-edited Myth America: Historians Take on the Biggest Legends and Lies about Our Past, which features a wide variety of contributors chronicling their areas of expertise. Kruse and Julian E. Zelizer, the answer involves debunking misinformation and long-standing myths. What’s a responsible historian to do in times like these? In the case of Princeton University professors Kevin M. Unfortunately, there’s also a lot of historical misinformation floating around out there, with a growing number of ways to distribute it.

There’s a receptive and growing audience for historical explainers and deep dives into once-obscure archives.

Spend enough hours online, and you’ll see why. It’s also an eminently frustrating time to be a history buff.
