Film still of Hattie McDaniel as Mammy in "Gone with the Wind."

The Mammy Washington Almost Had

In 1923, the U.S. Senate approved a new monument in D.C. "in memory of the faithful slave mammies of the South."
Crowd in front of Washington Monument for presidential inauguration
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Monumental Disagreements

On America's iconic monuments and the idea of national remembrance.
Puritans drinking in a colonial pub.

Perry Miller and the Puritans: An Introduction

Historians often treat Miller as a foil, but the Father of American Intellectual history retains untapped potential to inspire new modes of inquiry.

History of Survivance: Upper Midwest 19th-Century Native American Narratives

A series of objects of both Native and non-Native origin that tell a story of extraordinary culture disruption.
Moore's Ford Lynching historical marker.
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Georgia On Our Mind

The story of a group of people who get together each year to reenact the notorious 1946 Moore’s Ford lynching in Georgia.
Poster for Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show.
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Where the Buffalo Roam

How Buffalo Bill’s Wild West brought scenes from the American West to audiences around the globe.
Civil War reenactors.
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Telling the Untold Story 1

Why Marvin Greer spends his weekends playing the part of a slave at Civil War reenactments.
Illustration of angry communist with caption "Primer for Free Men."

I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill

History books are rewritten to focus on the underdog. Surely that is a victory for the common people...or is it?
A photograph of a Pony Express employee riding a horse.
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Cowboys and Mailmen

Debunking myths about the Pony Express.

How Columbus Day Fell Victim to Its Own Success

It's worth remembering that the now-controversial holiday started as a way to empower immigrants and celebrate American diversity.
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Who Invented Memorial Day?

As Americans enjoy the holiday weekend, does anyone know how Memorial Day originated?
An illustration depicting the size of the Titanic in comparison to world wonders.

The Unsinkable Myth

Reflections on the various legends surrounding the world's most famous ship.
Paul Philippoteaux's cyclorama of the Battle of Gettysburg depicting the Union and Confederate armies fighting.

The Great Illusion of Gettysburg

How a re-creation of its most famous battle helped erase the meaning of the Civil War.
Ronald Reagan.

Conservatism: A State of the Field

Does recognizing the importance of conservatism in the twentieth century make us see the arc of American history in a new way?

What Became of the Taíno?

The Indians who greeted Columbus were believed to have died out. But a search for their descendants yielded surprising results.

Geronimo: The Warrior

Edward Rielly tells of the tragic massacre which underpinned the life of resistance fighter Geronimo.
Library card catalog card reading "Forgetfulness: see memory."

Historical Amnesias: An Interview with Paul Connerton

“The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting.”

Why Would Anyone Collect Nazi?

Neo-Nazis aren't the only ones collecting Nazi memorabilia.

Thanks a Lot, Ken Burns

Because of you, my Civil War lecture is always packed with students raised on your romantic, deeply misleading portrait of the conflict.

That World Is Gone: Race and Displacement in a Southern Town

The story of Vinegar Hill, a historically African American neighborhood in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Origins of Black History Month

Why did Carter G. Woodson choose February, and what was his vision for the annual commemoration?
Profile photograph of Jane Addams.

The Nancy Grace of Her Time?

Jane Addams was controversial and independent-minded.
Drawings of George Washington

His Highness

George Washington scales new heights.
The Pirates’ Ruse, early 19th century engraving, depicting people standing on deck in view of another ship pretend everything is normal, while armed pirates hide out of view of a nearby American vessel.

The Poetics of History from Below

All good storytellers tell a big story within a little story, and so do all good historians.
A man at a Tea Party rally in 2010, dressed in colonial clothes and standing in front of a Don't Treat On Me flag with his fist raised.
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Teed Off

Did the 2010 Tea Party Movement really have anything in common with 1773? What did the history of populism suggest about the Tea Party's future?
Bob Dylan.

Legacy of a Lonesome Death

Had Bob Dylan not written a song about it, the 1963 killing of a black servant by a white socialite’s cane might have been long forgotten.
Eagle on the front cover of Lynd's "Origins of American Radicalism" book
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The Return of Staughton Lynd

A look back at the historian's work suggests that contemporary radicals may be all too invested in the myth of American consensus.
Painting representing the Great Migration: African Americans going through gates to Chicago, New York, and St. Louis.

The Changing Definition of African-American

How the great influx of people from Africa and the Caribbean since 1965 is challenging what it means to be African-American.
Amelia Earhart wearing flight gear.

Amelia Earhart’s Last Flight

The aviation pioneer was many things before—and after—her career as a pilot was cut short.

Sarah Vowell's The Wordy Shipmates: The Problem With Popularization

Making history more appealing to the public may come at a cost.