Active since January 2003

The mission of Historians for Peace &Democracy (H-PAD) is to stand up for peace and diplomacy internationally, and for democracy and human rights at home. We mobilize activists on campuses and in communities across the United States of America, create educational resources for students, teachers and parents, and network with other organizations working for peace and democracy at home and abroad. First formed in 2003 as Historians Against the War, we reorganized as H-PAD in 2018.

Click here to learn more about our organization.

Recent Announcements

A man rides his bicycle past the al-Aqsa University, leveled by Israeli bombardment in Gaza City on February 15, 2024. AFP via Getty Images

SCHOLASTICIDE IN GAZA!


Every year historians from the U.S. and abroad gather for the annual meeting of the American Historical Association. In January of 2025 Historians for Peace and Democracy will ask their colleagues to join with us to pass a resolution condemning the ongoing Israeli destruction of the Palestinian education system, and the killing of its staff and students.

This Resolution to Oppose Scholasticide in Gaza will be voted on at the Sunday, January 5, 2025 Business Meeting of the American Historical Association.  We need your vote! 

When: Sunday, January 5, 2025: 5:15 PM-6:30 PM

Where: The Mercury Ballroom (New York Hilton, Third Floor)

What we do

We mobilize historians, teachers, and historically-minded activists to challenge the permanent campaign of “fake news” and phony history that has driven the right’s ascent. We will defend the discipline of history against attempts to reduce it to simple affirmations of “American greatness,” and document how prior eras of reaction and repression were successfully combated.

We have developed history and resource guides on numerous topics for classroom use, including U.S. foreign policy, Palestine & Israel, the Iraq War, and conscientious objection and peace movements. We have also produced a series of short videos, titled Liberating History, for classroom use.

We see our campuses as key sites for both repression and resistance. We will fight for the right to education, free speech and academic freedom for all members of campus communities, and for the human and civil rights of our students, especially the undocumented, Muslims, people of color, women and LGBTQ+ people.

Active Since October 2023

Ceasefire Now!

The Israel Palestine Working Group of H-PAD has been working since October 2023 to promote a ceasefire and humanitarian aid to Gaza. We also oppose U.S. military aid to Israel, which only serves to prolong the war and increase the suffering of Palestinians and the destruction of Gaza.

Recommended Reading

We have collected a sampling of some of the best English-language analysis from progressive and anti-imperialist voices that have appeared since October 7th.

We know that no amount of analysis or contextualization can soothe the pain that many people on every side are feeling. But we believe these voices can help inform our efforts to demand an immediate ceasefire to prevent the further escalation of the U.S.-backed Israeli war in Gaza, while also addressing the root causes of the violence, supporting non-terrorist means of resistance to the occupation, and forging a future in which Palestinians and Jews can both live with dignity and security.

Ongoing Action

We have written letters to elected legislators, to the editors of the Chicago Tribune, the Orlando Sentinel, and the Daytona Beach News-Journal, and published articles in The Nation and El Espectador (Bogota, Colombia).

We have also produced a series of short videos on various aspects of the crisis. You can view them on youtube or our other social media channels, and are designed to be shared.

We hope you will join us in our work! If you think you can contribute, please contact Margaret Power at cochairs@historiansforpeace.org.

Gaza
Criticism is Not Antisemitism

Statement, January 6, 2024

In Defense of the Right to Learn

A Resolution Passed by members of the American Historical Association at the Annual Meeting, January 6, 2024

The American Historical Association (AHA) will continue to vigorously:

  • uphold accuracy in history teaching;
  • intervene where appropriate and encourage members to organize against attacks on history and the work of historians;
  • defend academic freedom and job security for history teachers at every level;
  • write editorials and letters-to-the-editor defending teachers, librarians, and school board members; and
  • testify before legislative bodies and school boards about the right to learn.

The Association welcomes support from its members for such activities.

Read full statement →

January 3-6, 2025 in New York City

H-PAD at the AHA

In January of 2024 H-PAD held a radical history mini-conference within the larger AHA annual meeting in San Francisco. We sponsored 17 radical history sessions, held a vigil for the people of Gaza, and we proposed a resolution at the AHA business meeting calling on historians to oppose the suppression of academic freedom and honest education; it was approved unanimously.

We will be doing this again at the AHA Annual Meeting for 2025 in New York City.

Click here to find out more

Last Updated December 2023

Culture Wars Against Education Archive

Historians for Peace and Democracy has compiled an archive of materials on the past and present of the culture wars and responses to them. We hope this archive will help teachers and students on all levels educate themselves about the current crisis and find constructive ways to respond to it. The archive provides a variety of resources that will be useful as well for journalists, commentators, politicians, and the general public. Contents will be updated regularly.