Louisiana Purchase
Source: HISTORY
In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson arranged to buy the Port of New Orleans and over 800,000 million square miles of land from France, which doubled the size of the country.
History
Finishing the Dream
Source: NBC Learn
Great civil rights advances have been achieved in the United States, but there is still much to be done for the full equality of all. Explore this NBC site to learn about how far we’ve come and how far we have to go.
Ferdinand Magellan
Source: Bio
Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan is credited with the first journey around the world. Learn about how he—and his crew after his death midway through the journey—achieved this incredible feat.
How the Vikings Worked
Source: How Stuff Works
Many people have heard of the Viking god Thor and his mighty hammer. But the Vikings worshiped many gods and goddesses, just like the ancient Greeks. Read about their gods, evil giants, Valhalla, and more of their mythology as told in their sagas.
Rosa Parks
Source: History
Rosa Parks is well known for her decision not to give up her seat to a white person on a segregated bus during a time when a racist law forced African Americans to do this. Learn more about the life and efforts of this unassuming hero.
Richmond will fall again for 150th anniversary
Source: The Washington Post
Read about a four-day commemoration in Richmond, V.A. which will mark the 150th anniversary of the fall of the Confederacy’s capital on April 3, 1865.
Gordon Parks exhibit offers intimate glimpse into segregation-era life for African Americans
Source: The Conversation
In 1950, just before the Civil Rights movement, Gordon Parks took a series of photographs of Fort Scott, Kansas, his hometown, for Life magazine. Now on display in an exhibit at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, art lecturer Toni Pepe Den reviews the images.
Congress Passes 13th Amendment, 150 Years Ago
Source: HISTORY
Read about the journey of the passage of the 13th Amendment, which ensured that slavery would not exist in the United States.
This Car Changed America
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Released in 1908, Ford’s Model T greatly influenced the country.
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Funny Civil War
Source: The New York Times
In the second year of the Civil War, Nathaniel Hawthorne published an article in Atlantic Monthly outlining his unconventional views on the war. American Studies professor Cynthia Wachtell offers her opinion about the piece.