American history

Woman in crowd looking at camera

Liberia was founded by people enslaved in the US. Advocates say the US should not end an immigration program that helps them.

A small immigration program for Liberians in the US will expire at the end of March. Minnesota economists and health care companies say their losing immigration status will have an outsized effect.

Liberia was founded by people enslaved in the US. Advocates say the US should not end an immigration program that helps them.
Boxes on tables with labels: "Safety pin box," "More than a safety pin," "Effective measurable allyship"

Before taking action against hate, white people should look inward

Before taking action against hate, white people should look inward

Taylor Mac’s History of American Pop Music in 24 Hours

Taylor Mac’s History of American Pop Music in 24 Hours

Cakewalk

Cakewalk
The British attack on Ft McHenry, 1814

Historians disagree on whether 'The Star-Spangled Banner' is racist

Historians disagree on whether 'The Star-Spangled Banner' is racist
Candidates for citizenship in the United States

The US has come a long way since its first, highly restrictive naturalization law

If left unchanged, the country’s first law regulating the naturalization of foreign-born Americans would have made it illegal for nearly all of today’s immigrants to become American citizens. Here’s how that changed.

The US has come a long way since its first, highly restrictive naturalization law

“The Boys of the Lough”

In the 1920s, you had to know an Irish person to hear Irish music. Michael Coleman’s “The Boys of the Lough” came along, and we’re still hearing the reverberations.

“The Boys of the Lough”

American Icons: "Spoon River Anthology"

A landmark in American poetry, Edgar Lee Masters’ “Spoon River Anthology” shocked readers when it came out in 1915 by tackling subjects like suicide and sex.

American Icons: "Spoon River Anthology"
World War II veterans walk to a wreath laying ceremony at the National World War II Memorial on Veteran's Day to pay tribute to the more than 16 million men and women who served with U.S. armed forces during World War II.

A new book that debunks myths of World War II

It's been 70 years since the end of World War II. Author and historian James Holland says we've got the story of what happened all wrong.

A new book that debunks myths of World War II

Does the South Even Need Its Own Flag?

We asked you to suggest a new icon for the South to replace the Confederate flag — and we got lots of reactions. 

Does the South Even Need Its Own Flag?

Taylor Mac’s History of American Pop Music in 24 Hours

Taylor Mac isn’t your typical drag performer. For one thing, he’s working on a 24-hour revue of American pop music that goes all the way back to the Revolutionary War.

Taylor Mac’s History of American Pop Music in 24 Hours
A late-19th century print that called Noah Webster the "Schoolmaster of the Republic."

Four things you never knew about Noah Webster, the 'forgotten man' of American history

To 19th century Americans, Noah Webster was one of the country's greatest figures. Today, the man who defined American English for generations of schoolkids is barely remembered. Here are some reasons to bring his memory back.

Four things you never knew about Noah Webster, the 'forgotten man' of American history
Model-maker Michael Paul Smith poses with a model of a passenger train.

These men bring America's past to life — just on a much smaller scale

Hobbyists like Michael Paul Smith and Alan Wolfson specialize in making stunningly details models of America's past, from small-town scenes to the gritty, sometimes obscene streets of 1980s New York.

These men bring America's past to life — just on a much smaller scale
John Smith and part of his famous 1616 map of New England

Here's the story of Captain John Smith you didn't get from the Disney flick

Explorer and mercenary Captain John Smith shaped modern America in many ways, spurring its colonization by the English. And his story goes far beyond his friendship with Native Americans like Pocahontas. A new biography argues that this cruel and heroic former mercenary was also the first to formulate the American Dream.

Here's the story of Captain John Smith you didn't get from the Disney flick
The US Capitol building is shown under construction in 1860. President Abraham Lincoln directed that work continue through the Civil War.

Washington was once quite literally a 'cesspool'

The history of Washington features plenty of mudslinging, fighting and division, and that's without even going inside Congress. Here's how the capital developed from the small, dirty, disorganized town it was in the 19th century into today's capital — and how that history still shapes the city.

Washington was once quite literally a 'cesspool'