Henry Tonks is a historian of the postwar United States. He joined the Center for the Study of American Democracy (CSAD) and the History Department as a Postdoctoral Fellow in 2025.

Henry’s research explores how modern American liberalism was reshaped at the intersection of globalization, national industrial decline, class and racial politics, and electoral realignment. His dissertation, “Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow: Remaking American Liberalism in an Age of Crisis, 1972-1992,” focused especially on debates over industrial policy among a disparate group of Democratic Party politicians, policy intellectuals, and activists labeled “New Liberals.” Henry’s work appears in publications including Modern American History, American Affairs, Time, and the Los Angeles Review of Books.

Born and raised in the United Kingdom, Henry’s interest in American politics arose from a close attachment to his maternal family’s roots in the industrial Midwest. Prior to attending graduate school, Henry worked in politics in London, UK, and in local government in his hometown of Birmingham.

Areas of Expertise

Political history, liberalism, history of capitalism, modern United States  

Education

2025 — Doctor of Philosophy from Boston University

2019 — Master of Arts from University of Missouri

2014 — Bachelor of Arts from Oxford University

Courses Recently Taught

This course is the same as HIST 101D. This course must be taken as HIST 101D to count toward the social science diversification requirement. The purpose of this course is to introduce students to United States history from the 12th century to the mid-19th century. Students will gain a more developed understanding of American history by examining the interactions among diverse cultures and people; the formation and use of power structures and institutions throughout the Colonial, Revolutionary and Antebellum eras; and the processes behind the "Americanization" of the North American continent. Central to this course is a comparison between two interpretations of American history: a Whiggish, or great American history, and the more conflict-centered Progressive interpretation. Not only will students gain a general knowledge of this time period, they also will understand the ways in which the past can be contextualized. Students are expected to understand both the factual basis of American history as well as the general interpretive frameworks underlying historical arguments. This counts toward the history requirement for the major. No prerequisite.

This course is the same as AMST 101D. This course must be taken as HIST 101D to count toward the social science requirement. The purpose of this course is to introduce students to United States history from the 12th century to the mid-19th century. Students gain a more developed understanding of American history by examining the interactions among diverse cultures and people; the formation and use of power structures and institutions throughout the colonial, Revolutionary and antebellum eras; and the processes behind the "Americanization" of the North American continent. Central to this course is a comparison between two interpretations of American history: a Whiggish, or great American history, and the more conflict-centered Progressive interpretation. Students not only gain a general knowledge of this time period, but also understand the ways in which the past can be contextualized. Students are expected to understand both the factual basis of American history and the general interpretive frameworks underlying historical arguments. This counts toward the premodern and Europe/Americas requirements for the major. No prerequisite.