“‘Liberals’ were defending ‘the American way of life,’ protecting the virtues of ‘the common man.’ ‘Liberals’ were using the government to enact reforms that were improving the lives of many Americans. ‘Be liberal.’ ‘He’s a liberal.’ ‘The liberal form of government is best.’ Et cetera, et cetera. The trouble was, no one seemed to know what the word meant. Most words with such a long and contested history have no single settled meaning.”⁠ ⁠ Read a selection from Kevin M. Schultz’s Why Everyone Hates White Liberals (Including White Liberals), which was published this month by University of Chicago Press. https://harpers.org/archive/2025/06/liberal-bias-kevin-m-schultz-why-everyone-hates-white-liberals/ (fb)

Harper’s Magazine marks its 175th anniversary with an expanded June issue. The issue features a special symposium “Distant Mirrors” that includes original essays examining transformative historical figures from the magazine’s history, including essays by John Jeremiah Sullivan on Mark Twain and Harmony Holiday on James Baldwin. Alongside these contemporary analyses are seven selections from our archive—from Noah Brooks’s 1865 reminiscence of Abraham Lincoln to Don DeLillo’s reflection on September 11. Alongside the symposium, the issue features Jonathon Sturgeon’s letter on the Kentuckiana killings, Karl Ove Knausgaard’s essay on finding mystery in the digital age, and Amanda Chicago Lewis’s report on the United Nations’ aspirations and shortfalls. —Christopher Carroll, editor⁠ ⁠ The issue’s cover is an illustration by Armando Veve, based on the June 1850 cover of Harper’s, which was engraved by Benson J. Lossing. Tap the link in our bio to read the full issue. https://harpers.org/archive/2025/06/ (fb)