The Organization of American Historians

Looking for something to read for National Civics Day? Check out Jacqueline Beatty’s “A Revolution of One’s Own” from The American Historian. Beatty discusses the role of women during the Revolutionary Era, available at https://www.oah.org/tah/the-american-republic/a-revolution-of-ones-own/.

On this day in 1787, Alexander Hamilton published Federalist no. 1. Among other things, the Federalist papers emphasized the need for responsible governance and the role of everyday citizens. We’re doing the work! To support our advocacy work and programming, go to https://portal.oah.org/donate.

Calling all OAH Members! Have you published a book recently? We’d love to hear about it! Send us a video by Wednesday, 11/11 to be included in a new video series. For instructions, head to https://forms.gle/UnzA5BqoHZi3jYA78.

🚨 Tomorrow! 🚨 Join OAH Vice President Thomas Sugrue and panelists Geraldo Cadava, Nicole Hemmer, and Andrew Sandoval-Strausz for "The Midterms in Historical Perspective." To register for this online event, go to https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-t9ToXFPSWSX9nwuaT8Dag#/registration.

It’s National Book Month! Looking for something to read? Check out these recent books by OAH members. For more from our members, check out https://www.oah.org/books/.

We engage in conversation when we gather as a professional community, no matter where we are. Want to join the conversation? Our 2027 conference is April 1–4 in San Francisco. Registration opens in November. For more information, head to https://www.oah.org/conferences/oah2027/.

Only 100 days until Black History Month—book an OAH Speaker for your Black History Month talk or event! For information on our speakers, head to https://www.oah.org/lectures/topics/african-american/

Now, anyone can subscribe to The American Historian! Non-members can get an annual print subscription of our magazine quarterly for just $40. Subscribe by October 26th to get our Great Lakes issue in the mail! To subscribe, go to https://portal.oah.org/shopping-cart/non-member-add-ons.

For our final staff spotlight of October, Jessie Day-Lucore shares why she loves working as an editorial assistant at the Journal of American History. Looking to get to know the OAH and JAH more? Head to https://www.oah.org/about/.

Planning on applying for the OAH’s Three-Year Program Committee? Applications are due next Friday, 10/30. For more information and to apply, go to https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfjpbken4fcw7FRqa50zZDl6Jz1JQzsmcdoi40dVhnT58g3qw/viewform.

Midterm elections are less than two weeks away! Educated voters are prepared voters. Interested in the history of U.S. party politics? Check out Erik B. Alexander and Rachel A. Shelden’s reflection on their December 2023 JAH article on Process at https://tinyurl.com/2mfh7cwe.

Museums and public history spaces are vital civic centers where people learn from the past and plan for the future. For more on the intrinsic value of museums and archives, head to https://www.oah.org/advocacy-statement/statement-on-the-white-house-review-of-the-smithsonian/.

Book reviews are a vital part of the scholarly dialogue. Thank you to all of the reviewers who help make the pages of the JAH a place of conversation. For information on becoming a reviewer, please go to https://www.oah.org/publications/jah/reviewer-data-sheet/.

The OAH’s publications offer a variety of scholarly conversations that push the field of American history forward. For more information on our offerings, head to https://www.oah.org/publications/.

Interested in some of the stories collected by the Federal Employees and Contractors Oral History Project? Check out the new bi-weekly series, Dispatches from the Federal Workforce, on HARPP’s substack at https://substack.com/@harppingonhistory.

The Federal Employees and Contractors Oral History Project is dedicated to capturing the lived experiences of federal employees, before and after the 2025 layoffs. Looking to learn more? Head to https://www.fecohp.org/.

New post on Process from Tina Irvine! In the early 20th century, motivated by racial and cultural anxieties, public health workers carried out a campaign in the Appalachian South to “make poor rural white mountaineers healthy.” Check it out here! https://tinyurl.com/4wh64xbv

November is National Pizza Month! Interested in U.S. histories through the lens of food? We have the reading list for you. Grab a snack and head to https://www.oah.org/2026/10/19/food-history-reading-list/.

Want approachable, narrative-focused histories but aren’t yet a member of the OAH? Now, non-members can get an annual print subscription of The American Historian for just $40! Subscribe by October 26th to get our Great Lakes issue! To subscribe, go to https://tinyurl.com/4cyuyexh.

When we gather, we exchange ideas and develop relationships. Join the conversation—join the OAH at oah.org/join.

Discounted memberships are now available for ABD graduate students! Become an OAH member for only $20 and join a community of scholars. 250 memberships are available on a first come, first serve basis. Join us at http://portal.oah.org/shopping-cart/membership/EJ9vKciOk4.

For our staff spotlight this week, Susan Henning-Harris shares what she loves most about working for the OAH—the people! Looking to get to know us better? Head to https://www.oah.org/about/ for more info.

November is Native American History Month. Looking for a historian to speak at your event? The OAH Lectureship Program has the experts! For a list of lecturers speaking on Native and Indigenous histories, go to https://www.oah.org/lectures/topics/american-indian/.

History and democracy aren’t separate subjects. Understanding how our democracy has changed over time is part of what makes informed civic participation possible. Interested in the history on nonprofits and U.S. democracy? Check out Claire Dunning’s piece on Process at https://tinyurl.com/bd26z8vc.

October’s OAH Friday Forum is tomorrow at 3pm! Join us for “LGBTQ+ History: A View from the States,” with Julio Capó, Lauren Jae Gutterman, David K. Johnson, and Don Romesburg. Register online at https://tinyurl.com/yycnhnue.

Sixty years ago, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Historic Preservation Act into law. Section 106 of the NHPA is under attack! For more information and talking points, go to https://tinyurl.com/yw4sz47t.

Looking for one final piece to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month? Roberto José Andrade Franco’s “A History of Latino and Mexican Boxing” shines a light on the intersections of masculinity, race, and popular culture. Read at https://www.oah.org/process/franco-latino-and-mexican-boxing/.

In a time of anti-intellectual sentiment, the OAH encourages meaningful engagement with the past and works to protect history. Looking for something to read and think with? Check out Michael Witgen’s piece from The American Historian’s U.S. History at 250 series at https://tinyurl.com/mr2pc7w9.

HARPP brings together historians from across professions to defend the public record. Interested in the latest from HARPP? Head over to the Substack at https://substack.com/@harppingonhistory!

The Senate is expected to vote soon on a bill that rewrites Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, which would silence the voices of the public and Tribal Nations. Contact your representatives! For talking points, go to https://culturalheritagepartners.com/defend-section-106/.

The closure of the Chicago and San Francisco NARA regional facilities will negatively impact the historical record. You can make a difference! Contact your representative—make your voice heard! The OAH has issued a public letter with talking points, accessible at https://tinyurl.com/y46d3pww.

Interested in the role of morality, labor, and violence in shaping American borders? Check out Erik Bernardino’s TAH article, “How the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands Became Spaces of Crime and Violence” at https://tinyurl.com/yck6fy5t.

Today is Indigenous Peoples’ Day! We celebrate and honor Indigenous histories, cultures, and ongoing contributions across North America. Looking for something to read? Denise I. Bossy’s piece on Indigenous digital humanities from The American Historian is available at https://tinyurl.com/ycytfyap.

Happy Arts and Humanities Month from the OAH! This month and every month, we stand with our advocacy partners to defend the public record. For more information on our advocacy work, go to https://www.oah.org/resources/advocacy/.

The OAH is host to a variety of spaces for people to meet, exchange ideas, and grow as historians. We grow stronger when we gather, ready to go out and protect history. Ready to join us? Head to https://www.oah.org/membership/.

Looking for more to read during Banned Books Week? Check out Cookie Woolner’s Process piece on Process about Black queer women living in Chicago during the early twentieth-century. Head to https://www.oah.org/process/woolner-black-queer-women/.

We’re back with another staff spotlight! This week, Advancement Coordinator Jon Warner shares why he loves history and how that informs his work at the OAH. Want to get to know the OAH better? Head to https://www.oah.org/about/.

The K–12 Teacher’s Book Club is a free program that brings educators together for discussion, professional growth, and personal enrichment. The next meeting is January 21, 2027. For more information, go to https://www.oah.org/bookclub/.

Join us next Friday at 3pm ET for an OAH Friday Forum. Julio Capó, Lauren Jae Gutterman, David K. Johnson, and Don Romesburg convene to discuss the teaching, preservation, and public understanding of LGBTQ+ history. For more information and to register, go to https://tinyurl.com/yycnhnue.

Sexual shaming is a tool of political power. The latest from HARPPing on History looks at how it was used at the House hearings on historical interpretation at the Smithsonian to target LGBTQ+ people, histories, and representations. https://ow.ly/rjfs50ZVV1x

Are you going to the 2027 OAH Conference in San Francisco? You may be eligible to join the lottery for a travel stipend! Submission forms are due by December 1st; recipients will be notified after January 1st, 2027. For more information, head to https://www.oah.org/application-for-travel-grants/.

Starting Sunday, October 18th, the OAH will be offering a limited number of discounted memberships for ABD graduate students who have never been an OAH member. The first 250 eligible students will be able to become a member for only $20! Check out https://www.oah.org/membership/ for member benefits.

Congratulations again to the newest speakers appointed to the OAH Lectureship Program! These 27 speakers bring a wealth of knowledge and diverse historical perspectives to the lectureship roster. Looking to learn more? Head to https://www.oah.org/lectures/new-speakers/.

The OAH Conference on American History is a place to come together, exchange ideas, and share community. The next conference is April 1–4, 2027 in historic San Francisco. Registration opens in November. For more information, go to https://www.oah.org/conferences/oah2027/.

The OAH is proud to offer affinity groups where historians from across the country can build community, exchange ideas, and stay connected with one another. Wondering what group is right for you? Check out https://www.oah.org/affinity-groups/ for more information.

New post alert! In “Dialing into the Revolution,” Jacob Bruggeman explores how activists in the early 1970s used “phone phreaking” to challenge corporate infrastructure and the control of new technologies. Read it now on Process! https://tinyurl.com/mrtnbxdz

Looking for something to read during Banned Books Week? Consider checking these challenged titles for inclusive American history from your local public library!

The MLB Postseason is underway! Interested in the history of Mexican and Mexican-American players in the league? Read Alex Nuñez’s “Field of Sueños: Baseball and the (Mexican) American Dream” from The American Historian at https://tinyurl.com/36m7jtk6.

The Federal Employees and Contractors Oral History Project is collecting stories—professional and personal—from the people behind federal government service. For two federal employees, this includes a chance meeting ending in marriage. Read more from HARPPing on History: https://ow.ly/JmIj50ZUyug

This week is Banned Books Week. The week is dedicated to increasing awareness about censorship and defending the freedom to read. The OAH stands against censorship, especially censorship of the historical record. For more information, go to https://bannedbooksweek.org/about/.