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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

Carney and Macron Strengthen Canada-France Defense Ties Amid US Trade Uncertainty

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and French President Emmanuel Macron have agreed to expand defense and industrial cooperation, reinforcing Canadas growing partnership with Europe as trade tensions with the United...

IMF Advances Ukraine Loan Program, Clears $690M Disbursement

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reached a staff-level agreement with Ukraine following the latest review of the countrys $8.1 billion loan program, paving the way for a new disbursement of approximately $690...

Oil Prices Fall as U.S.-Iran Peace Deal Hopes Ease Supply Concerns

Global oil prices dropped sharply on Friday and were set for significant weekly losses as growing optimism surrounding a potential U.S.-Iran peace agreement raised expectations that the Strait of Hormuz could soon reopen,...

US Dollar Heads for Weekly Loss as Iran Peace Deal Hopes Boost Risk Appetite

The U.S. dollar weakened on Friday and remained on track for a weekly decline as growing optimism surrounding a potential peace agreement between the United States and Iran improved global market sentiment and reduced...

Gold Prices Slip Weekly Despite Friday Rebound as U.S.-Iran Peace Deal Hopes Grow

Gold prices edged higher on Friday but remained on course for a weekly loss as investors weighed growing optimism over a potential U.S.-Iran peace agreement against expectations of tighter monetary policy from major...

Politics

JCPOA Nuclear Deal Explained as U.S. Nears Potential New Iran Peace Agreement

The United States has indicated that it is close to reaching a new peace agreement that could end the three-month conflict with Iran, although the details of the proposed deal have not yet been disclosed. As discussions...

KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun Defends Taiwan-China Engagement During U.S. Visit

Taiwans main opposition leader, Kuomintang (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun, said she used her recent visit to the United States to address what she described as widespread misunderstandings about the partys approach to...

North Korea Slams U.S. Missile Sale to South Korea, Warns of Rising Regional Tensions

North Korea has strongly criticized the United States over its recent approval of a major arms sale to South Korea, arguing that the move will further heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula and undermine regional...

France Hosts Israeli-Palestinian Civil Society Appeal to Revive Two-State Solution Ahead of G7 Summit

Israeli and Palestinian civil society groups have renewed calls for international support for a two-state solution, urging world leaders not to let the ongoing Middle East conflict overshadow efforts toward lasting peace....

US-Iran Peace Deal Nears as Tehran and Pakistan Signal Breakthrough

Hopes for a historic U.S.-Iran peace agreement strengthened on Friday after encouraging statements from Iranian officials and key mediator Pakistan suggested that a final deal could be close. Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

SpaceX IPO Set for Explosive Debut as Valuation Tops $2.2 Trillion

SpaceX is poised for one of the most historic stock market debuts ever, with shares expected to open nearly 30% above their initial public offering (IPO) price. According to preliminary Nasdaq data, SpaceX stock (NASDAQ:...

Meta AI Strategy Faces Challenges as Zuckerberg Admits Mistakes in Internal Memo

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has acknowledged that the company has made mistakes during its ongoing artificial intelligence (AI) transformation, according to an internal memo obtained by Reuters. In the memo, Zuckerberg...

Hanmi Semicon Shares Surge After $33 Million SpaceX Investment

South Korean semiconductor equipment maker Hanmi Semiconductor (KS:042700) saw its stock price soar on Friday after announcing a strategic investment in SpaceX, the aerospace company led by Elon Musk. The company revealed...

EngineAI Files for Hong Kong IPO Amid Rising Demand for AI and Robotics Stocks

Chinese humanoid robotics startup EngineAI has reportedly confidentially filed for an initial public offering (IPO) in Hong Kong, seeking to capitalize on growing investor interest in artificial intelligence (AI) and...

Adobe Beats Q2 2026 Estimates, Raises Full-Year Outlook as AI Revenue Surges Despite Stock Drop

Adobe (NASDAQ: ADBE) delivered stronger-than-expected fiscal second-quarter 2026 results, surpassing Wall Street forecasts on both revenue and earnings while raising its full-year guidance. The software giant also reported...