The American Historical Association supports historians employed by the federal government. We appreciate the important work they do every day to preserve, chronicle, and interpret American history. The AHA recognizes that our colleagues in the federal government are facing unprecedented workforce reductions and has compiled the following resources.
This is a working document. Please contact us at info@historians.org or on Signal at ahahistorians.50 if you have recommendations for other ways to support federal historians.
Other AHA resources on the current moment include Tracking Federal Actions Affecting History and Historians Respond to Federal Actions.
The AHA is grateful to the federal employees who provided feedback and guidance throughout the development of this resource page.
Complimentary AHA Membership
Historians who are former employees of the federal government who have been terminated or resigned since January 20 may register for one year of free membership in the AHA. Membership provides access to numerous resources, discounts, and publications, and to a diverse and vibrant network of historians. Benefits include exclusive health insurance and related coverage options; free and discounted subscriptions to publications and online libraries; and more.
Please complete this form to request a complimentary membership.
AHA Career Contacts: Informational Interviews
Since its launch in early 2015, the AHA’s Career Contacts program has arranged hundreds of informational interviews between current PhD students and recent PhD recipients and history PhDs who have built careers beyond the professoriate. These historians work in a variety of fields, including academic administration, nonprofit management, public policy, archives and libraries, K–12 teaching, as well as a range of positions in the federal government and private industry.
AHA members can also search the AHA Member Directory by name, organization, city, state, and specialization to get contact information for collaboration and community. This information can also be found for historians from departments listed in the AHA’s Directory of History Departments and Organizations at historians.org/historiansearch.
Find Jobs, Events, & Opportunities
AHA Career Center job board
AHA Events Calendar highlights upcoming events, including conferences, webinars, and virtual events.
Calls for Opportunities includes upcoming calls for papers, conference proposals, grants and fellowships, and other activities.
Professional and Career Resources from the AHA
Career Path essays in Perspectives on History
Resources from the AHA’s Career Diversity initiative, including:
Where Historians Work: An interactive, online database that catalogs the career outcomes of historians who earned PhDs at universities in the United States from 2004 to 2017. This tool allows historians to understand the broad scope of career options open to history PhDs.
Recordings of AHA Webinars and Events on Careers for Historians
- A Historian On Your Team
- Careers for Historians in the Tech Industry
- Government and Public History
- Historians in Administration and Education
- Historians in the Public Sphere
- History and Science, Public Health and Environment
- History in Alternative Media
- History in NGOs and Advocacy
- History PhDs in the World of Entrepreneurship
- On the Job: Talking about History Skills with Employers
- The Many Careers of the History PhD
Recordings of AHA Webinars and Events on Professional Development & Training
- Future Directions in Research and Training for Digital History
- Graduate Students Putting History in Action
- Historical Research Beyond the Professoriate
- History Graduate Students Practice Elevator Pitches
- Op-Ed Writing for Historians: How to Pitch, Write, Revise, and Get Your Ideas to the Public
- The Public and the Historical Enterprise: What Do They Know? What Do They Do?
- Teaching History Across the Educational Landscape
- What Use Is History?
- Writing and Publishing in Public: Tips for Historians
At the AHA annual meeting in January 2018, three historians working at think tanks (Ted R. Bromund, The Heritage Foundation; Philip Eric Wolgin, Center for American Progress; and Stephanie Young, RAND Corporation) and moderator Brian Balogh (Univ. of Virginia) answered questions about pursuing a career as a historian at a think tank.
- Should someone who wants to work at a think tank get a PhD?
- Can historians reach a broad audience?
- How to craft cover letters and resumes for a think tank position
- How to get started at a think tank with part-time work?
- Parting thoughts on historians working at think tanks
- How does one become an expert on a new subject while on staff at a think tank?
- What is the nexus between research and politics at think tanks?
- Ted Bromund’s 5 Barriers and Solutions to Non-Academic Employment
Related Resources and Initiatives
Organization of American Historians, Federal Employees and Contractors Oral History Project and Records at Risk Data Collection Initiative
Society of American Archivists, Resources for Federal Workers
General Resources for Federal Employees
- Virtual Go-Bag compiled by the American Foreign Service Association
- Accommodation to Qualified Employees with Disabilities
- Employment Rights Under Federal Law
- Information on Civil Service Law
- Prohibited Personnel Practices
- US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- US Merit Systems Protection Board
- US Office of Special Counsel
- US Office of Special Counsel, Your Rights as a Federal Employee
- US Office of Personnel Management, Employee Rights and Appeals
- Whistleblower Protections and Accompanying Resources