Seeking conservative historians to write for this site

I have been busy trying to build up my other history blogs while neglecting this one. I apologize to you for not updating this site more often. With that said, I would like to open up the site to new writers. If you are a conservative leaning person who works in any area relating to history, please consider writing for this site. You do not have to write a certain amount of time, but when you are able. If writing for this site is something you are able and willing to do, then please email me with your name, preferred email, website, educational background, institutional affiliation, and interests. I will then send you an invite to create a Blogger account and add you as a contributor. I look forward to others joining me and writing about history and the experiences of conservatives in the field.

Why NOT to join the American Historical Association

Well, having survived my first year of graduate school, I am now looking forward to summer and conducting my own research. I also hope to obtain a couple more contributors to this site to make it more lively, and I do apologize for the overall lack of activity. Now, on to business.

I was a member of the American Historical Association (AHA) for a year in 2006 and still occasionally receive mailings to renew my membership. I decided several months ago that I would not renew for various reasons that I will discuss shortly. While belonging to professional associations and organizations are great for people wishing to be on the inside of their field, one should be cautious with which group they give their hard-earned money to, which is where the AHA comes in.

My rift with the AHA began not long after I joined. A little background is needed. I only joined the AHA for graduate school application benefits (mainly putting it on my CV), but thought that it might be worthwhile outside of this. I was wrong. I began to get suspicious when I noticed rants against David Horowitz’s Academic Bill of Rights or ABOR, which is designed to protect students from abuse by radical professors and administrators, who disagree with their views, in AHA’s newsletter Perspectives. In addition to these and other small things of a more leftist nature, their journal The American Historical Review also raised red flags (no pun intended). Many of the articles took on a decided leftist slant, with the article dealing with transsexualism among POWs being the “straw that broke the camels back”. With that lead article in the (I believe April 2006 issue) and an image of a transsexual on the front cover, I knew that I could no longer support the AHA and would not renew.

Other incidences of liberal bias abound. For instance, I voted for officers for the AHA as a member and noted that many officers researched or held professorships in “victim studies” areas (Black, Chicano, Asian, Women, Gender, Gay, etc. Studies) with no “normal” alternatives. These areas are noted for housing radical professors who tend to negatively view America and Americans, particularly Christians and conservatives. With all these reasons, I must state that it would not be worth the money for conservative or Christian historians to belong to the AHA.

With that, I will say that it is important to belong to an organization that publishes a scholarly journal to stay on top of the latest research in your field. There are many wonderful organizations available instead of the AHA, some are listed on this page. They include: The Society for Military History, The Historical Society, and others, which offer cheaper rates for regular membership in many cases, as well as discounted student rates, unlike the AHA that bases regular membership on income.

In conclusion, because of the left-wing slant of the officers and publications, as well as the mundane nature of the articles, I cannot recommend the AHA for membership. While I do not say that their publications are not worthwhile for research, save your money and join a more fair-minded organization.

Welcome to Conservative Historians

I would like to welcome you to this new adventure in both blogging and history. I am starting this blog to branch away from my other blog on history Military History Blog. I hope to quickly add some colleagues of mine in the History Department at the University of North Dakota, where I am working on my MA, as contributors. This blog seeks to be an outlet for historians of the conservative persuasion. It seeks to be a place where they can post their thoughts on all issues of history, from various time periods, to various issues within our discipline. Though the title may seem misleading, the contributors are not necessarily Republican. Contributors to this site may not be conservative politically, but conservative philosophically, which is fine. This site welcomes all who seek to share their insights on history and engage in debate. I also encourage you to join my history forum The Herodotus Files, which is where I would like our debate regarding posts to occur, if possible. I am now seeking those of you of the conservative persuasion, who are either historians already or are students of history, to consider becoming a contributor to this site. In closing, thank you for visiting and I hope to have more voices besides my own added to this site and more posts up soon.

Daniel Sauerwein
Site Creator