Alien Registration Act of 1940 (Smith Act) — Bunk History

Father Charles Coughlin delivers a radio speech (Fotosearch/Getty Images).

Ultra Violence

Rachel Maddow’s podcast tells of American Nazis in the 1940s. But the era’s real and lasting authoritarian danger came from the growth of a national security state.

by Nelson Lichtenstein via Dissent on May 23, 2023

Harry Bridges surrounded by a group of men.

Before Mahmoud Khalil, There Was Harry Bridges

The U.S. government repeatedly tried to deport the midcentury labor leader over his alleged ties to the Communist Party.

by Clay Risen via The Bulwark on March 24, 2025

How the Red Scare Reshaped American Politics

At its height, the political crackdown felt terrifying and all-encompassing. What can we learn from how the movement unfolded—and from how it came to an end?

by Beverly Gage via The New Yorker on March 10, 2025

Elizabeth Gurley Flynn in March 1949.

New Hampshire Removes Historical Marker For Feminist With Communist Past

The state removed the educational marker after Concord Republicans complained about Elizabeth Gurley Flynn's communist ties.

by Andrew Jeong via Retropolis on May 17, 2023

Anti-Syrian Muslim Refugee Rhetoric Mirrors Calls to Reject Jews During Nazi Era

The fears that were conjured by nativists 80 years ago are chillingly similar to what we're hearing today.

by Lee Fang via The Intercept on November 18, 2015

U.S Department of Justice "Notice to Aliens of Enemy Nationalities"

What Is the Alien Enemies Act?

Trump is relying on a 1798 law with a bad history.

by William Hogeland via Hogeland's Bad History on April 14, 2025

ICE officers knock on the door of a residence.

Trump Is Drawing on Cold War–Era Repressive Tactics

A previous, dark period of American history paired ethnic exclusion through mass deportations and ideological exclusion through political repression.

by David Bacon via Jacobin on January 29, 2025

Communist Party USA members march for unemployed relief during the Great Depression in San Francisco.

Bring American Communists Out of the Shadows — and Closets

In the 20th century, American Communists were seen as an enemy within. In reality, they were ordinary people with complex lives that deserve to be chronicled.

by David Bacon via Jacobin on August 15, 2024

Solving the Mystery of Arne Pettersen, the Last to Leave Ellis Island

All told, Arne overstayed his welcome at least four times — 1940, 1944, 1953 and 1954. It’s hard to say why.

by Megan Smolenyak via Megansmolenyak.com on July 6, 2023

National portrait of W. E. B. Du Bois

W. E. B. Du Bois (1868–1963)

This long overdue tribute honors historian W. E. B. Du Bois, who died on August 27, 1963.

by David Levering Lewis via Perspectives on History on December 6, 2022

Claudia Jones reading the newspaper at a table

Claudia Jones and the Price of Anticommunism

During the Cold War era, communist activists and their families suffered from harassment by the federal government.

by Denise Lynn via Black Perspectives on September 30, 2020

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