The World's Best Book Summaries
Where did the APEC meeting (2023) take place? What national leaders did President Biden meet with? What signal might this send to China? President Biden’s recent meeting with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador in San Francisco holds significant implications for US-Mexico relations. The meeting coincided with the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit. Continue reading for a summary of this podcast episode from NPR News Now.
What impact did the 9/11 attacks have on Christianity in America? Why did many Christians support the election of Donald Trump? In the 1990s, American evangelical Christianity shifted toward a less militant concept of masculinity. But, this was short-lived. Kristin Du Mez claims that 9/11 caused an immediate return to the militaristic masculinity of decades past, ultimately culminating in the 2016 election of Donald Trump. Read more for Du Mez’s perspective of American evangelical Christianity in the 21st century.
Why was Donald Trump voted into the presidency? Does it have anything to do with a historical shift in Christianity? Following the 2016 US presidential election, pundits argued that the 81% of evangelical Christians who voted for Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton viewed him as the lesser of two evils. But, according to historian Kristin Du Mez, this explanation is misguided. Continue reading for our Jesus and John Wayne book overview.
Why did settlers come to America? Where did the colonial mindset come from? Settlers came to America because they felt superior to Native Americans and wanted to secure their wealth for themselves. If you look at where European settlers came from, you can see how racism and poverty paired together to feed colonization. Keep reading for more on the reasons behind European colonization.
How will AI boost the IRS’s scrutiny of various taxpayer groups? What benefits and hurdles might taxpayers encounter as the IRS ramps up the use of AI? The IRS is using artificial intelligence to improve tax compliance and customer service this tax season. New AI-powered systems aim to curb tax evasion, improve audit precision, and help close a $688 billion tax gap. Here’s how the IRS is using AI and what the benefits and challenges are.
How did the genocide of indigenous people in America happen? What were the colonizers’ tactics? The genocide of indigenous people in America was accomplished through tactics of total war, a method of decimating a population to force submission. Europeans attacked women, children, and the elderly, and they took or destroyed resources. Here’s how and why European settlers committed genocide in the Americas.
What did indigenous resistance look like? How did Native Americans resist colonization? Indigenous resistance against colonizing forces included guerrilla warfare, which meant setting fire to settlements, taking hostages, and killing settlers. Others chose to assimilate with the Europeans instead of participating in warfare, but this did not always spare them from European violence. Here’s more on how indigenous people resisted colonization in the Americas.
Why did the forced migration of Native Americans happen? What violence forced them to move? The forced migration of Native Americans occurred as Europeans moved westward and demanded more territory. Migration was often deadly and meant leaving sacred, ancestral homes. Read more to see how Native Americans resisted westward expansion and how they were ultimately forced out of their homes.
What was the role of Native Americans during the Civil War? How were they involved? During the Civil War, Native Americans were subject to many anti-indigenous policies and racism, and many responded by fighting to divide the United States. By joining in the war, Native Americans hoped to weaken European forces. Continue reading to learn how indigenous people were affected by and involved in the Civil War.
What’s the history of the US rail system? Why has the US long failed to prioritize high-speed rail construction? Will there ever be a high-speed train in the US? The US Department of Transportation’s recent commitment of $6 billion to high-speed rail, fueled by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, could ignite further development in domestic rail service. Despite the government’s renewed focus on high-speed rail, serious challenges remain. Here’s an overview of the conversation about the US rail system.