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Jon Grinspan

Political History Curator, Smithsonian Institution
I study the deep history of American democracy, especially the wild partisan campaigns of the 1800s. At the same time, I collect objects from contemporary protests, conventions, elections, and riots for the Smithsonian, to try to preserve our own heated moment for generations to come. Together, it involves a bit of time-traveling, explaining the past to the present, and the present to the future.

My first book, The Virgin Vote: How Young Americans Made Democracy Social, Politics Personal, and Voting Popular in the Nineteenth Century uncovered the forgotten history of the youth vote, to show that young men and women were once the most engaged, and sought after, demographic in American politics.

My new book, The Age of Acrimony: How Americans Fought to Fix Their Democracy, 1865-1915, chronicles the way that the "normal" democracy we inherited from the 20th century was invented, around 1900, to restrain the vibrant but violent partisan political campaigns of 19th century America. To tell this story, The Age of Acrimony follows the father-daughter political dynasty of radical congressman William “Pig Iron” Kelley and his labor activist daughter Florence Kelley.

How a newspaper revolution sparked protesters and influencers, disinformation and the Civil War

Oct 08, 2024 07:25 am UTC| Insights & Views Business Politics

Theres one question I get every time I give a talk. Im a curator of political history at the Smithsonian Institution, and when I discuss the deep history of political division in our country, someone in the audience always...

Historians diving for balloons and hoping for hot dish: What Smithsonian curators will be doing at the Democratic National Convention

Aug 16, 2024 03:52 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

Three political history curators from the Smithsonians National Museum of American History are heading to Chicago and the 2024 Democratic National Convention soon to collect stuff or as the professionals call it,...

Economy

Gold Prices Extend Losses as Strong Dollar and Fed Uncertainty Weigh on Markets

Gold prices retreated further in Asian trade on Monday, continuing the downturn from the previous session as investors dialed back expectations for a Federal Reserve interest rate cut in December. The precious metal came...

ECB Warns Stablecoin Surge Could Force Policy Shift

The European Central Bank may have to rethink its monetary strategy if rapid growth in stablecoins destabilizes global markets, according to ECB policymaker Olaf Sleijpen. In a recent interview with the Financial Times,...

Asian Currencies Slip as Rate-Cut Hopes Fade and Japan Posts Mild Q3 Contraction

Asian currencies weakened on Monday as expectations for a Federal Reserve rate cut next month diminished and traders digested Japans softer-than-expected economic performance. The U.S. dollar strengthened broadly, with the...

Hyundai Motor Group Commits Over 125 Trillion Won to Domestic Investment Through 2030

Hyundai Motor Group announced a major investment plan totaling 125.2 trillion won ($86.47 billion) in South Korea from 2026 to 2030, a significant increase from the 89.1 trillion won invested between 2021 and 2025. The...

Asian Stocks Slip as Japan’s Weak GDP and Caution Ahead of Nvidia Earnings Weigh on Markets

Asian stock markets drifted lower on Monday as investor sentiment weakened following disappointing economic data from Japan and growing caution ahead of Nvidias highly anticipated earnings report. Market participants also...

Politics

Saudi Crown Prince’s White House Visit Signals Strategic Reset With the U.S.

Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is set to meet U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, marking a significant moment in the countries decades-long partnership. The visit aims to strengthen...

Charlotte Immigration Raids Lead to Over 80 Arrests as Federal Crackdown Intensifies

Federal immigration agents arrested at least 81 people in Charlotte, North Carolina, over the weekend, marking a significant escalation in the Trump administrations nationwide deportation efforts. According to Gregory...

Trump Calls on Republicans to Support Release of Epstein Files

U.S. President Donald Trump reversed course on Sunday, urging congressional Republicans to vote in favor of releasing federal files related to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The shift comes...

Trump Escalates Feud With Marjorie Taylor Greene Amid GOP Tensions

U.S. President Donald Trump intensified his attacks on Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene over the weekend, dismissing her claims that his criticism has put her safety at risk. Greene, once one of Trumps...

Taiwan Launches Islandwide Distribution of Civil Defense Handbooks Amid Rising Threats

Taiwan is set to begin distributing millions of civil defence handbooks to households across the island this week, marking an unprecedented national effort to strengthen public preparedness for emergencies including the...

Science

Blue Origin’s New Glenn Achieves Breakthrough Success With First NASA Mission

Blue Origins massive New Glenn rocket marked a major milestone as it completed its first mission for paying customers, sending two NASA satellites toward Mars and successfully landing its reusable booster at sea. The...

Cogent Biosciences Soars 120% on Breakthrough Phase 3 Results for Bezuclastinib in GIST Treatment

Cogent Biosciences (NASDAQ: COGT) shares skyrocketed over 120% after the biotech company announced groundbreaking results from its Phase 3 PEAK trial evaluating bezuclastinib in combination with sunitinib for patients with...

Trump and Merck KGaA Partner to Slash IVF Drug Costs and Expand Fertility Coverage

U.S. President Donald Trump and German pharmaceutical company Merck KGaA have announced a groundbreaking deal aimed at lowering the cost of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments while boosting access to fertility care in...

SpaceX’s Starship Completes 11th Test Flight, Paving Way for Moon and Mars Missions

SpaceX has successfully launched its 11th Starship rocket from Starbase, Texas, marking another milestone in Elon Musks ambitious plan to create a fully reusable spacecraft for missions to the Moon and Mars. The test...

FDA Adds Fatal Risk Warning to J&J and Legend Biotech’s Carvykti Cancer Therapy

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has updated the safety labeling for Carvykti, the multiple myeloma therapy developed by Johnson Johnson and Legend Biotech, to include a warning about a rare but potentially...

Technology

Alibaba Rolls Out Qwen App Public Beta, Expands Push Into Consumer AI

Alibaba Group (HK:9988) has officially launched the public beta of its new Qwen App, marking one of its most significant moves yet into the rapidly growing consumer AI market. Powered by the companys advanced Qwen3 model,...

Alphabet Shares Surge After Berkshire Hathaway Reveals $4.3 Billion Stake

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL) is poised for strong gains after Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway disclosed a major $4.3 billion investment in the Google parent company. According to 24-hour trading data from Robinhood,...

Samsung’s Sharp Memory Chip Price Surge Signals Soaring AI-Driven Demand

Samsung Electronics has significantly raised prices on several memory chips this month, with some DDR5 modules jumping as much as 60% compared to September. The sharp increase highlights the intensifying global demand for...

Samsung Shares Jump as Company Announces Massive ₩450 Trillion Investment Plan

Shares of Samsung Electronics opened more than 3% higher on Monday after the tech giant revealed an ambitious plan to invest 450 trillion won (approximately $310 billion) in South Korea. The investment, set to be rolled...

South Korea’s Tech Giants Boost Domestic Investments Amid U.S. Trade Deal Concerns

South Koreas leading manufacturers, including Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor Group, announced major domestic investment plans on Sunday as concerns grow that a new U.S. trade agreement could divert capital away from...