American Historical Association
Non-profit OrganizationsDistrict of Columbia, United States51-200 Employees
The American Historical Association is a nonprofit membership organization founded in 1884 and incorporated by Congress in 1889 to promote historical studies and support the discipline through leadership, academic freedom, professional standards, and scholarship. It serves historians across a wide range of professions and disciplines, representing every historical period and geographical area, with about 12,000 members. The association aims to sustain and enhance historical work and to support innovative teaching and scholarly research. Based in Washington, District of Columbia, the AHA is the largest organization of professional historians and connects teachers, researchers, librarians, museums professionals, and policymakers who share an interest in history. Its activities address the needs of K–12 educators, college and university scholars, graduate and undergraduate students, and historians working in museums, libraries, archives, government, and business, by defending academic freedom and setting professional standards. In May 2026, the organization joined a coalition in filing suit against the White House over a memorandum related to the Presidential Records Act, reflecting its engagement in policy matters affecting historical work.