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.
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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.
Lithograph by Winslow Homer titled "Thanksgiving Day in the Army" depicting soldiers pulling apart a wishbone.

A Confederate Curriculum

How Miss Millie taught the Civil War.

The Confederate General Who Became a 'Race Traitor'

Once General Robert E. Lee’s right-hand man, General Longstreet would become known as ‘the Judas of the Lost Cause.’

I Grew Up as a Black Southerner Idolizing Robert E. Lee

I didn't know the Confederate general owned slaves. I didn't even know he was part of the Confederacy.

Still Worrying about The Civil War

John Kelly's statement about the Civil War is not surprising, but they are a reminder that we should still be worrying about the Civil War.
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The North Tried Compromise. The South Chose War.

The South's insistence upon protecting and spreading slavery caused the Civil War.
Protester with a sign that reads "Save our Monuments"

Pondering the Question of Confederate Honor

Yes, honorable men can fight for dishonorable causes.

The South Only Embraced States' Rights as It Lost Control of the Federal Government

For decades, slaveholders were powerfully committed to the Union. That changed when Washington stopped protecting their interests.
George Washington statue at Federal Hall

The Next Lost Cause

Why the slope from toppling Confederate monuments to shunning the Founders is so slippery.

Let’s Relitigate the Civil War

There can be no "compromise" with the false view of America's past from Trumpists and pop historians alike.
Beginnning of the Constitution of the Confederate States of America.

The Decision to Secede and Establish the Confederacy

A selection of primary sources compiled by the American Historical Association.

John Kelly Calls Robert E. Lee An ‘Honorable Man’ and Says ‘Lack of Compromise’ Caused The Civil War

The White House chief of staff set off a firestorm Monday after his comments on the Confederate general.

Historic Alexandria Church Decides to Remove Plaques Honoring Washington, Lee

The memorials to the two parishioners will be relocated to a new place of “respectful prominence.”

Civil War Life in all its Day-to-Day Contrasts

In his latest work of history, Edward Ayers captures daily life along with the military and political moves.

Confronting the Legacy of the Civil War: The Forgotten Front

One thing united the warring factions of the civil war: the doctrine of white supremacy and violence against Indians.