Baruch College Department of History | News, Events, and Recent Publications

Baruch College Department of History | News, Events, and Recent Publications
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The Meaning of Courage – Doris Miller
Posted on
February 23, 2026
by
Mark Rice
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By Gabriel Martinez
On the morning of December 7, 1941, Japanese naval and air forces launched a surprise attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet at
Pearl Harbor
. The assault was intended to cripple American naval power and shift the balance of control in the Pacific.
More than 100 ships and tens of thousands of service members were stationed at Pearl Harbor that morning. Among them were thousands of African Americans serving a nation that, by law, segregated them. The U.S. Navy restricted most Black sailors to the Messman Branch, assigning them roles as cooks and attendants for white officers while denying them access to combat training or weapons instruction.
Just before 8 a.m., Japanese aircraft struck the battleships anchored in the harbor, deploying torpedoes modified for its shallow waters. One tore into the USS
West Virginia
, triggering explosions and rapid flooding below deck. Across the harbor, other battleships burned or capsized, and within hours, much of the Pacific Fleet lay damaged or disabled, forcing the United States abruptly into World War II.
Mess Attendant Second Class Doris “Dorie” Miller began his day serving breakfast aboard the ship. When the attack began, he moved to the deck and began carrying wounded sailors to safety. After helping transport the mortally wounded Captain Mervyn Bennion, Miller was directed to an unattended .50-caliber machine gun. Though he had received no formal training, training withheld because of his race, he took control of the weapon and fired at the attacking aircraft. Contemporary accounts credit him with downing at least one plane.
In the attack’s aftermath, early recommendations for commendations referred only to an “unidentified Negro mess attendant.” Advocacy from organizations such as the
NAACP
, along with political leaders including New York Senator James M. Mead, was required to ensure that Miller’s name and his actions were formally recognized. On May 27, 1942, Fleet Admiral and Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet, Chester W. Nimitz, personally awarded Miller the
Navy Cross
, making him the first African American to receive the distinction. Nimitz described his conduct as “an inspiring example to others.”
Miller later received combat training and was assigned to the USS
Liscome Bay
, an escort carrier operating in the Pacific. In November 1943, during operations in the Gilbert Islands, a Japanese submarine torpedoed the carrier, igniting its aviation bomb magazine. The ship sank within minutes. Of the 916 personnel aboard,
701 were killed
. Among them was Doris Miller.
The Gilbert Islands campaign formed part of the broader Allied “island-hopping” strategy, a methodical effort to bypass heavily fortified Japanese strongholds while establishing forward airfields and naval bases across the Pacific. Each captured island extended American striking power closer to Japan. The war continued and eventually ended in Allied victory. Miller did not live to see it.
He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Ribbon, and the World War II Victory Medal. Over time, he has become an enduring symbol of courage under constraint.
As the United States marks 250 years since its founding, Miller’s story reflects a persistent tension in American history. From the Revolutionary era onward, African Americans have defended a nation that did not fully defend them. They have served in segregated units, operated under restricted authority, and demonstrated loyalty within institutions that questioned their legitimacy.
Miller’s heroism did not arise from the removal of barriers; it emerged despite them. His actions remind us that the nation’s strength has never been confined to those fully empowered by it, but has often depended on those asked to prove themselves twice.
Further Reading
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs,
“Doris Miller”
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Volunteer opportunity at Federal Hall National Memorial
Posted on
February 5, 2026
by
Mark Rice
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Federal Hall National Memorial is looking for volunteers to provide visitor information, aid with guided tours, and help visitors to this historic site in Lower Manhattan. If you are interested, apply here:
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Lost Lands, Lost Cause: Zimmermann Telegram – Gabriel A. Martinez
Posted on
October 6, 2025
by
Mark Rice
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on Lost Lands, Lost Cause: Zimmermann Telegram – Gabriel A. Martinez
In January 1917, as the First World War entered its third year, the German Foreign Office sent a secret message to its ambassador in Mexico. Known today as the Zimmermann Telegram, it proposed an extraordinary alliance: if the United States entered the war against The German Empire, Mexico should declare war on its northern neighbor. In return, Germany pledged financial aid and the restoration of Mexico’s “lost territories” of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.
Intercepted and decoded by British intelligence, the telegram was shared with Washington and quickly made public. For the American public, its contents confirmed Germany’s hostility and helped tip the scales toward U.S. entry into the war.
Germany’s offer resonated with long-standing territorial grievances. After the Mexican-American War (1846-1948) Mexico had ceded vast stretches of territory to the United States. For decades, Mexican nationalism carried undertones of irredentism, the belief that these lands, unjustly taken, must be reclaimed. Historian Friedrich Katz argues that this sense of territorial injustice remained central to Mexican political culture well into the twentieth century, shaping both foreign relations and domestic debates about sovereignty.
Map of the U.S. States promised to Mexico in the Zimmermann Telegram (Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona)
Image courtesy of
Army University Press, U.S. Army.
The military reality rendered Germany’s potential alliance highly implausible at best. 1917 Mexico lacked the heavy artillery, modern rifles, and core logistics that defined industrial warfare in 1917. Even had Mexico mobilized, its limited rail networks and remarkably fragile economy made sustaining an offensive across the vast deserts of the southwest virtually impossible. The reality is clear cut, Mexico could not field, supply, transport, nor sustain an army large enough to confront the United States of America. Even before America’s mobilization during WWI, they kept a modest standing army of roughly 127,000, greatly outnumbering, according to Katz, Mexico’s 20,000-30,000 troops under central control. To further contrast, the United States could draw on modern training, vast manpower reserves, and the world’s largest railroad network, enabling rapid mobilization on an unparalleled scale. To add to the infeasibility of a sustained and successful campaign, Mexico was plagued by deep internal conflict and in the midst of The Mexican Revolution.
German planners and diplomats were certainly aware of these limitations. They were less concerned with Mexico’s actual ability to retake lost territory than with the diversionary prospect of bogging down U.S. troops along the border, delaying their arrival in Europe, and buying precious time for a waning German Empire already pressed to its limits. In this sense, the telegram was never a genuine offer of alliance but an act of instrumentalization. Germany dangled the lure of “lost territories” not to empower Mexico, but to exploit its grievances for European ends. The event reveals a broader geopolitical pattern, one that may be observed from the earliest encounter between Europeans and Latin America; foreign powers viewing Hispanic nations not as equals, but as levers to be pulled in pursuit of their own struggles.
Further Reading
Friedrich Katz,
“The Secret War in Mexico: Europe, the United States, and the Mexican Revolution”
(University of Chicago Press, 1981)
National Archives,
“The Zimmerman Telegram”
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August 26, 2025
by
Mark Rice
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Student spotlight – Gabriel Martinez
Posted on
July 28, 2025
by
Mark Rice
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on Student spotlight – Gabriel Martinez
Hi, my name is Gabriel A. Martinez. I’m a transfer student and a History major at Baruch College. I came here by way of City Tech, drawn to Baruch not only by its robust academic reputation but also by its deep legacy as a public institution committed to empowering the public through high-quality and accessible education. With its accomplished and vibrantly intellectual faculty, Baruch’s History Department immediately struck me as the place to deepen my love of history personally and academically.
My interest in history runs deep; I’ve long been fascinated by the rise and fall of empires and stories of resistance and resilience. I’m especially drawn to topics like World War I and Cold War Latin America, where parts of my own family’s story are rooted. At Baruch, I’m excited to further explore the history of American foreign policy and intervention, alongside the legal, military, and political institutions that have shaped, and at times challenged, the nation’s democratic ideals.
Though I intend to pursue law school, I don’t see the study of history as merely preparatory. I approach it with a genuine intellectual commitment. History, to me, is essential as it cultivates our ability to think critically, write clearly, and understand what has shaped the present. In an age of distraction and disinformation, history remains one of our sharpest tools for discernment.
Beyond the classroom, I’m a volunteer EMT, tennis enthusiast, reader, and avid traveler. I think it’s important to learn beyond the academic setting, and I’m proud to be part of the Baruch History community and excited to contribute to its tradition of scholarship and public engagement.
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Women’s History Month Student Work Spotlight: Women and Gender during the Cold War
Posted on
March 31, 2025
by
Emily Caffery
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on Women’s History Month Student Work Spotlight: Women and Gender during the Cold War
We’re highlighting our courses on the history of women and gender for Women’s History Month! Women and Gender during the Cold War, taught by Professor Katherine Pence, considers the way the politics of bipolar conflict between capitalism and communism affected women and ideologies of gender both in global affairs and everyday life. Students conduct research on relevant topics of their choosing, focusing on methodologies of gender history. Learn about their research at Baruch’s
Reseach and Creative Inquiry Expo
in May!
Truck supervisor Bernard Levey with his family in front of their home in the new Levittown, Pa., housing development in 1950. (Bernard Hoffman/Time Life/Getty Images)
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Student Spotlight
Women’s History Month Student Work Spotlight: William Alex Wong
Posted on
March 27, 2025
by
Emily Caffery
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on Women’s History Month Student Work Spotlight: William Alex Wong
For Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating the great work of students in our courses focused on the history of women and gender! In Women and Gender in the Middle East, students work within the Wiki Education platform to improve Wikipedia articles on relevant topics. Today’s student profile is history major William Alex Wong, who is expanding an article on
Women in Palestine
Hughes, William, Cartographer, Edward Robinson, John Lewis Burckhardt, Pierre Jacotin, Society For The Diffusion Of Useful Knowledge, and Charles Knight & Co.
Palestine, with the Hauran, and the adjacent districts.
[London: Charles Knight & Co, 1843] Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/2014592610/.
Hello, my name is William Alex Wong, I am an upper senior undergraduate history student at Baruch College. I became interested in studying the history of women and gender in the Middle East through my current course on the subject, ‘Women and Gender in the Middle East.’ My broader interest in history spans across different regions, including Europe, Southeast Asia, the United States, Central and South America, and more recently, Asia. I’m eager to explore how gender plays a role in shaping societies and historical narratives, especially in the context of the Middle East.
I became a history major because I wanted to better understand how historical events and societal structures shape the world we live in today. History allows me to explore diverse cultures, political dynamics, and human experiences. While my coursework has ranged across different regions like Europe, Southeast Asia, and the United States, I’ve developed a particular interest in how gender intersects with historical narratives—especially in the Middle East. This major provides the tools to dive deeper into how women’s roles have evolved across time and contexts.
I am working on the Wikipedia article titled, ‘Women in Palestine.’ My focus is on Palestinian women during the Ottoman period, before Jewish immigration in the 1880s. This section will explore their roles in social, political, and cultural life, offering important context for understanding Palestine before significant political changes took place.
The article currently doesn’t include a section on Palestinian women before the 1880s. According to the Wiki Options page provided by Professor Griffith, this section needs to be added. I’m working on creating this section, which will focus on their roles during the Ottoman era. This addition will help fill a major gap and provide a more complete understanding of the history of Palestinian women.
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Women’s History Month Student Work Spotlight: Amalia Parrish
Posted on
March 26, 2025
by
Emily Caffery
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on Women’s History Month Student Work Spotlight: Amalia Parrish
In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re recognizing the excellent work history students are doing this spring in Professor Zoe Griffith’s course Women and Gender in the Middle East. In this course, students edit Wikipedia pages on relevant topics through the Wikiedu platform. We’re starting off with a profile of Amalia Parrish, who is focusing on the Wikipedia article on
Islamic clothing
Hi! My name is Amalia Parrish and I’m a history major at Baruch College! I’m currently a junior continuing the lineage of Baruch Bearcats! So maybe you could say going to Baruch is in my genes! 🙂
I became a history major because I have always been fascinated by how civilization has changed over thousands of years! Customs, foods, religions, superstitions, architecture, and laws in various civilizations continue to amaze and inspire me to dig in and learn more! Studying history offers surprises, new perspectives, and it helps challenge the assumptions we naturally make as we try to understand our world. I have been shocked more times than I could count in challenging my assumptions!
The topic of my Wikipedia article is Islamic Clothing. This page generally lacks credible sources. The information is interesting, but oftentimes, it reflects a bias toward one school of thought. I’m looking to corroborate ideas with credible sources and eliminate bias as best as possible. Millions turn to Wikipedia, assuming it is credible. It’s up to us Wikipedians to ensure that it is!
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Student Spotlight
Friedman Seminar with Dr. Jonathan Michael Square: “Looking Back to the Future: Realizing the Afric-American Picture Gallery”
Posted on
March 21, 2025
by
Emily Caffery
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on Friedman Seminar with Dr. Jonathan Michael Square: “Looking Back to the Future: Realizing the Afric-American Picture Gallery”
This Tuesday, March 25, Dr. Jonathan Michael Square, Assistant Professor of Black Visual Culture at Parsons School of Design, is coming to Baruch to give the talk “Looking Back to the Future: Realizing the Afric-American Picture Gallery.” Join us at 12:45pm in NVC 5-165, followed by a reception in the History Department (NVC 5-260).
Dr. Jonathan Michael Square is the Assistant Professor of Black Visual Culture at Parsons School of Design. He earned a PhD from New York University, an M.A. from the University of Texas at Austin, and a B.A. from Cornell University. Previously, he taught in the Committee on Degree in History and Literature at Harvard University and was a fellow in the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Most recently, he curated the exhibition
Past Is Present: Black Artists Respond to the Complicated Histories of Slavery
at the Herron School of Art and Design, which closed in January 2023, and
Revolisyon Toupatou
, which closed at Parsons School of Design a few weeks ago. He is currently preparing for his upcoming show titled
Almost Unknown, The Afric-American Picture Gallery
at the Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library. A proponent of the use of social media as a form of radical pedagogy, Dr. Square also leads the digital humanities project Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom.
This event is sponsored by the Department of History and the Robert A. Friedman Seminar.
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Globus Seminar with Dr. Sara Rahnama: “The Future is Feminist”
Posted on
March 19, 2025
by
Emily Caffery
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on Globus Seminar with Dr. Sara Rahnama: “The Future is Feminist”
The History Department is pleased to host Dr. Sara Rahnama of Morgan State University for a Globus Seminar lecture on her new book, The Future is Feminist: Women and
Social Change in Interwar Algeria.
In this innovative history of Islamic feminism and women’s rights in the Middle East, Dr. Sara Rahnama explores how Algerians looked to feminism as a path out of the stifling realities of French colonial rule between the World Wars.
We hope you’ll join us! Thursday, April 10 from 12:30-2pm in NVC 5-160, followed by a reception with light refreshments in the History Department.
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