The Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965 eliminated the existing quota system and resulted in an increasingly diverse demographic.
Tag Archives: History
The Sharpened Quill
An outcast among the other Founding Fathers, Thomas Paine lived a fascinating life and sought to reach a wide audience through his writing.
Nellie Bly: Google Doodle’s 1st original song (Karen O) salutes an American original
In the late 1800s, investigative journalist Nellie Bly reported on issues that shed light on people who were disadvantaged and voiceless. Recently Google paid tribute to her by featuring an original song about her contributions as its daily Google Doodle.
Genghis Khan
The Mongol ruler Genghis Khan, who lived during the time of Macbeth, could have taught Shakespeare’s Scot a few things about ruthlessness. Get the full picture of one of the most powerful men in history.
Stanley Meets Livingstone
Nineteenth-century Scottish missionary and abolitionist David Livingstone gained fame by trekking across Africa and becoming the first European to see many of its sights. When he went missing, the intrepid Henry Morton Stanley was sent to find him.
Harriet Tubman Wins Unofficial Vote to Be on $20 Bill
With more than 33 percent of ballots cast in an online poll, Harriet Tubman emerged as the face that people want to see on a new $20 bill.
The Hatfield & McCoy Feud
Like the Capulets and Montagues, the legendary Hatfield and McCoy feud featured long-standing and sometimes deadly conflict between families . . . and love between members of the feuding clans.
Who Was Edmund Pettus?
Just who was Edmund Pettus, and why was the famous bridge in Selma named for him? Find out here.
How Technology Shaped the Civil War
Besides weapon technology, other innovations, such as newspapers and prosthetics, flourished in the Civil War era.
Emancipation Proclamation
For many Americans during the Civil War, freedom began with the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. View and explore the Emancipation Proclamation at the National Archives.
Elizabethan Playhouses, Actors, and Audiences
The subject matter of Shakespeare’s plays ranges from the violent to the sublime, and that’s no accident. This article explores the reasons behind this seeming contradiction.
Running for His Life
The 1990s genocide in Rwanda and Burundi turned classmates into adversaries overnight. Learn about how one teen escaped the carnage and made a new life for himself in the United States.
Why Your Family Name Was Not Changed at Ellis Island
One of America’s strengths is the way its people have come together from all over the world, many of them through Ellis Island. But the persistent myth that immigrant’s names were “Americanized” by officials at Ellis Island is false.
Odysseus’ Ship
In 1988, an ancient ship was found in the sea near the coast of southern Sicily. Learn how scientists and scholars decided that this old vessel could possibly be of the same time period as one of Odysseus’ ships.
Flight 93
On September 11, 2001, the passengers and crew of Flight 93 decided to fight their plane’s hijackers rather than let them keep control of the plane. Read about how their decision changed what might have happened.
Mystery of Anne Frank’s informer revealed by Dutch author
A newly published book adds another suspect to the list of people who might have betrayed the Frank family.
World War II in a New ‘Light’: Empathy Found in Surprising Places
Author Anthony Doerr discusses his new award-winning book, All the Light We Cannot See.
The Long History of Olympic Boycotts, Protests and Demonstrations
Throughout history, nations have boycotted and people have protested the Olympic Games for various political and social reasons.
World War II: The Fall of Nazi Germany
Explore World War II through 45 photographs taken during the last few months of the war in Europe.
Building the First Slavery Museum in America
In December 2014, a museum dedicated to the story of slavery in the United States opened on the grounds of the Whitney Plantation in Louisiana.