From Yosemite to Bears Ears, Erasing Native Americans From U.S. National Parks

150 years after Yosemite opened to the public, the park's indigenous inhabitants are still struggling for recognition.
Rosie the Riveter "We Can Do It" poster.

Everyone Was Wrong About the Real 'Rosie the Riveter’ for Decades

Here's how the mystery of her true identity was solved.

Restoring King

There is no figure in recent American history whose memory is more distorted than Martin Luther King Jr.

Interviews With Elderly People in 1929

The footage offers a riveting account of American history, in the voices of those who lived it.

Seeing Martin Luther King as a Human Being

King should be appreciated in his full complexity.
Martin Luther King Jr. speaking into news microphones.

Martin Luther King Jr. Spent the Last Year of His Life Detested by the Liberal Establishment

King was roundly denounced for his stances against the Vietnam War and injustices north of the Mason-Dixon line.

Inside the Weird World of Historical Re-enactors

From Civil War uniforms to Viking smelts, meet the people who bring history to life.
Drawing of soldiers in combat uniforms.

The Good War

How America’s infatuation with World War II has eroded our conscience.

The Impossibility of Knowing Mark Twain

Even Twain's own autobiography cannot reveal the whole truth of the literary legend.

R.I.P. Astronaut John Young, The First Man to Get Yelled at for Smuggling a Sandwich into Space

Remembering the life of astronaut John Young and the time he took an unauthorized corn beef sandwich into space.

The Ghosts of My Lai

In the hamlet where U.S. troops killed hundreds of civilians, survivors are ready to forgive the most infamous American soldier.

1968’s Chaos: The Assassinations, Riots and Protests that Defined Our World

On the 50th anniversary of that extraordinary year, historians consider 1968’s meaning and global context.

Writing History

On my transition from editor of terrible history books to a writer of mediocre ones.
Trump smirking.

Was 2017 the Craziest Year in U.S. Political History?

A dozen historians weigh in.

An Intimate History of America

A reminder of history's proximity is prompted by a visit to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Statues, National Monuments, and Settler-Colonialism

Connections between public history and policy in the wake of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante.

Columbus Circle Without Columbus?

New York's statue debate hits Italian-Americans hard.

On Eve of Trump Visit, Mississippi African Americans Say He’s Brought Back Past Troubles

The president’s decision to attend the opening of a new civil rights museum in Jackson has sparked protests.

Peggy Noonan’s Willful Blindness

Her latest column suggests that harassment is a product of the sexual revolution. She can’t possibly believe that.
original

The Future of our Confederate Monuments Rests With the Kids

The perspectives of older Americans have dominated the debate. It's time we pay more attention to what younger people have to say.
People gathered around the Arlington confederate monument

The History of the History of American Slavery

In an age when the White House is being asked if slavery was a good or bad thing, perhaps we should take a look at the history of the history of slavery.
Daniel Ellsberg

Daniel Ellsberg Is Still Thinking About the Papers He Didn’t Get to Leak

The man who leaked the Pentagon Papers is back with a new book, The Doomsday Machine.

Will the Real Pocahontas Please Stand Up?

We might be better off if we knew a little more – or a little less – about her actual life.

What to Do with Monuments Whose History We’ve Forgotten

Few who are memorialized in stone could fully pass moral muster today. Is that a problem?

Forgiving the Unforgivable: Geronimo’s Descendants Seek to Salve Generational Trauma

Traveling to the heart of Mexico for a Ceremonia del Perdón.

The Story Behind California's Unprecedented Textbooks

California Is adopting LGBT-Inclusive history textbooks. It's the latest chapter in a centuries-long fight.

Trump Sounds Ignorant of History. But Racist Ideas Often Masquerade as Ignorance.

The White House's fumbling about slavery and the Civil War fits a long pattern in American politics.
Indian bicycle troops at the battle of the Somme in 1916.

How Colonial Violence Came Home: The Ugly Truth of the First World War

We remember WWI as an unexpected catastrophe. But for the millions living under imperialist rule, terror and degradation were nothing new.

A Birthday Party for This Patsy?

Every year, a group in New Orleans gets together to celebrate the birthday of Lee Harvey Oswald, who they believe was framed.

Confederate Revisionist History

Americans should not honor a revolt to uphold slavery with monuments or florid displays.