Residents of Montgomery, Alabama elected the first black mayor in 200 years. Read about why it’s so important.
Tag Archives: History
Fairy Tales Are Over 6,000 Years Old
Researchers have tracked fairy tales back thousands of years.
LIBERTY! The American Revolution
The struggle for liberty is at the heart of the United States’ founding. Learn more about what led to the American Revolution and how it was won by exploring this interactive site.
A Free Man’s Letter to A Former Slaveowner in 1865
In 1865, former slave Jourdon Anderson was asked to return to the farm where he had been held captive for 32 years. Read this article to learn more about Anderson’s witty, sarcastic response and to read excerpts from his letter.
4 Bloody Family Feuds in American History
Think it’s crazy that the Capulets and Montagues got so carried away with the feud between their families? Here are some examples of long-running and deadly family feuds closer to home.
Anne Frank, and America’s dangerously shallow understanding of the Holocaust
The horrors perpetrated by the Nazis during World War II may be familiar to most of us, but one writer argues that we don’t really understand them.
Not So Fast, Jamestown: St. Augustine Was Here First
Historians and locals celebrate the settlement of St. Augustine, which was founded 450 years ago and is the oldest city in the United States.
Annual event pays tribute to proclamation
In Beaufort, South Carolina, people come together every year to remember the day President Lincoln read the Emancipation Proclamation. Read this brief article to see how they celebrate.
Anne Frank was captured 70 years ago today. But what if she had escaped the Nazis?
Although she died in a concentration camp when she was 15, Anne Frank’s thoughts and feelings are alive and influence many writers today. Learn about the contemporary play and the novels that are part of Anne’s legacy.
How Hate Works
Hatred is borne from many factors, both neurological and sociological; it can lead people to seek vengeance and leaders to implement large-scale atrocities such as the Holocaust.
Shakespeare’s Sources for Macbeth
Where did Shakespeare get his ideas? This essay by Amanda Mabillard analyzes the sources and motivations underlying Shakespeare’s writing of The Tragedy of Macbeth.
Women Spies of the Civil War
Most people think of armies of men fighting each other during the Civil War, but women also served in various ways. Read about six female spies who worked for the Union or Confederacy.
Environmental Justice History
Read about the start of the environmental justice movement, when activists protested the location of hazardous waste sites in low-income and minority communities.
Jefferson Davis Statue Comes Down at University of Texas
Jefferson Davis never asked for a pardon for leading the government of the Confederacy in its rebellion against the United States. Statues of the Confederate president have become increasingly controversial in recent years, including one that was removed from the campus of the University of Texas in 2015.
Cyclops Myth Spurred by “One-Eyed” Fossils?
Greek mythology is filled with impossible events and bizarre creatures, but where did the idea of a one-eyed giant come from? Archaeologists have a theory.
Christmas Truce of 1914
World War I is remembered as the first modern war, a devastating conflict that forced people to abandon sentimentality. But early in that conflict, an amazing thing happened: soldiers on opposing sides of battlefields across Europe spontaneously set down their weapons to celebrate Christmas together.
James Madison
James Madison played many important roles in the founding of the nation. Explore this site to learn more about his contributions.
Jacob Riis: Shedding Light On NYC’s ‘Other Half’
This segment discusses the work Jacob Riis did, the tactics he used to communicate his message, and the books others have written about him. View the images Riis took and choose a book excerpt to read.
A Cutting-Edge Second Look at the Battle of Gettysburg
Using modern-day technologies, a team of historians and mapmakers put together a new, interactive view of the Battle of Gettysburg. Explore the maps to get a better idea of what happened.
How to Talk About America’s Newest Arrivals
In this article, Damon Darlin uses the New York Times’ word usage tool to measure the language used about immigrants during different times in history. Look at the charts to see the United States’ immigration rates and the terms used to describe the people who came to the country.