Memorial Day and Our African American Dead

Are we honoring all of our American heroes this Memorial Day?

After the Civil War, Robert E. Lee Led the Charge for Reconciliation

Lee should not be defined not only by his time as a Confederate general, but also by his actions after the war was over.
Nixon taking the oath of office.

Americans Aren't Just Divided Politically, They're Divided Over History Too

Underlying current debates, says Jill Lepore, are fundamental conflicts over the meanings of the past.

Trying to Remember J.F.K.

On the centenary of his birth, seeking the man behind the myth.

A Case for Reparations at the University of Chicago

What does the institution owe the descendants of slaves?
Mitch Landrieu

Address on Removal of Four Confederate Statues

Why New Orleans took down monuments that had been installed by supporters of the "Cult of the Lost Cause."

Robert E. Lee Topples From His Pedestal

The Confederate general has long been seen, in the South and beyond, as embodying the virtues of the ideal man.

What Richmond Has Gotten Right About Interpreting its Confederate History

Why hasn't Richmond faced the same controversies as New Orleans or Charlottesville?

Looking Back to Lincoln

During the Great Depression, Americans found solace in history.

Susan B. Anthony, Pro-Life Heroine?

Behind a quiet house museum are anti-abortion activists with a mission: to claim America’s most famous historical feminist as their own.

Mr. President, You're Right About Andrew Jackson

If Jackson's presidency had been later, he may have prevented the Civil War.

America’s Dangerously Shallow Understanding of the Holocaust

It’s treated as an all-purpose symbol of evil, not a series of historical events to be reckoned with.

The Battle Over Confederate Heritage Month

A Southern governor proclaimed April Confederate Heritage Month. Will slavery be mentioned?

Five Myths About World War I

The United States wasn't filled with isolationists, and it wasn't exactly neutral before 1917.

How Should World War I Be Taught in American Schools?

The two versions of WWI taught in most schools tell us as much about the present as they do about the past.

As God Is My Witness

A year-long series of photographs and stories that explain the struggle between the old South and the new.

Echoes of the Great War: American Experiences of World War I

An collection of primary sources exploring the causes, duration, and aftermath of America's involvement in World War I.
The Supreme Court building.

Knowing How vs. Knowing That: Navigating the Past

How should we interpret the United States Constitution?

Ben Carson, Donald Trump, and the Misuse of American History

The eliding of the ugliness of America's racial history is neither novel nor particularly surprising.

The Notorious Night Biggie Was Murdered in Los Angeles

Shaq, Baron Davis, and Nick Van Exel reflect on The Notorious B.I.G., his murder, and the city they called home.
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Black History Month

What does Black History Month leave out?

American History: Fake News That Never Goes Away — and Empowered the Trumpian Insurrection

Only if we face the painful lies we tell ourselves about the past can we hope to overcome what's happening now.

The Greatest Presidents

Historians agree on the top three. Below that, there are fascinating trends in opinion.
Flag of the President of the United States.

Presidential Historians Survey 2017

A survey of 91 presidential historians that ranks U.S. presidents based on ten qualities of presidential leadership.

The Lesser-Known History of African-American Cowboys

One in four cowboys was black. So why aren’t they more present in popular culture?

How Women's Studies Erased Black Women

The founders of Women’s Studies were overwhelmingly white, and focused on the experiences of white, heterosexual women.

Frederick Douglass, Refugee

Throughout modern history, the millions forced to flee as refugees have felt Douglass' agony, and thought his thoughts.

History and Its Limits Under Trump

A warning about the ways we compare Donald Trump to atrocities in history.

A Twitter Tribute to Holocaust Victims

A conversation with the creator of a new social-media project that commemorates refugees the United States turned away in 1939.
Left, a young Emmett Till. Right, Carolyn Bryant with her two young sons at Till's murder trial, 1955.

How Author Timothy Tyson Found the Woman at the Center of the Emmett Till Case

The woman whose testimony was central to the infamous case admits feeling 'tender sorrow.'