Prelude to War: Manifest Destiny
Source: PBS
Read this introduction of the standings of the United States and Mexico before the Mexican-American War. Click the different sections in the drop-down menu for more in-depth explanations and insights.
Historic Figures
Alabama Senate Passes Confederate Monuments Bill
Source: U.S. News & World Report
Should Confederate monuments be preserved? Some people believe they are important memorials to American history, while others find them offensive or see them as symbols of slavery. Read to learn how the governments of Alabama and other southern states have handled this issue.
7-Year-Old Aleppo Girl Who Tweeted City’s Ravages Is Safely Evacuated
Source: People
Using Twitter, Bana al-Abed has chronicled her experience of the war in Syria. For this reason, she has been called a modern-day Anne Frank. Read to learn more about this remarkable young girl and her evacuation from Aleppo.
Wangari Maathai
Source: Goldmanprize.org
One of Africa’s leading environmentalists and a political activist, Wangari Maathai was the first African woman (in East and Central Africa) to earn a doctorate degree. And, in 2004 she was the first African woman to receive a Nobel Peace Prize for her work on sustainable development in Kenya among other things.
King Philip’s War
Source: HISTORY
For 14 months from 1675 to 1676, Pokunoket chief Metacom, known as King Philip, led an unsuccessful effort to drive the English settlers from native land.
The Life and Legacy of Nelson Mandela: 1918-2013
Source: The New York Times
Follow this timeline of Nelson Mandela, whose protest of South African apartheid spanned decades. View the photos and videos and listen to the audio for more context.
Edgar Allan Poe–Cosmologist?
Source: Scientific American
In this blog post, literary scholar René van Slooten argues that Poe was ahead of his time in scientific thought.
Religion and the Founding of the American Republic
Source: Library of Congress
View these illustrations, photos, and objects collected by the Library of Congress to learn how the religious growth of the Great Awakening took shape in the 18th century.
Darwin’s Theory of Evolution Roiled U.S. on Eve of Civil War
Source: National Geographic
In his new book, author and professor Randall Fuller investigates how abolitionists and slaveholders reacted to Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. In this Q&A, he shares what he discovered.
Why You Should Be Reading Wislawa Szymborska
Source: Vogue
Vogue magazine book critic Megan O’Grady explains why Wislawa Szymborska’s poetry has been meaningful in her life.