The reality of James Madison’s involvement in slavery is clear; the constitutional framer was no antislavery hero.
September, 2015
The Pope Comes to Washington
The greetings accorded Pope Francis are a measure of how far the American tradition of anti-Catholicism has come.
The Peculiar Institution Expands: Slavery and the Constitution
The landscape of slavery and the number of people imprisoned expanded because structurally and politically the Constitution encouraged it.
Racist Principles: Slavery and the Constitution
Wilentz is wrong. The Constitution incorporated slavery into our national system of governance.
Bernie Sanders, Eugene Debs, and American Inequality
The newfound appeal of Sanders’s economic populism recalls the last time a socialist candidate for president had even modest success.
Black Politics and Global Struggles for Racial Justice
Why are some black activists and political leaders far less vocal about racial injustices outside U.S. borders? It wasn’t always the case.
Taking Women Seriously: Putting a Woman on U.S. Currency
Last night, some GOP presidential candidates struggled to name a single important American woman (besides their wives and mothers). Here are ten suggestions.
Seven National Parks Interpreting Difficult American History
Little Rock Central High, Trail of Tears, Manzanar, Flight 93…Several national parks force us to confront some of the ugliest episodes in our national history.
“A Troubled Past” and the Meanings of Breaking the Law
Black people have always lived in a nation of unequal laws, and the meanings of lawbreaking are different in particular contexts.
A Perfect Game and A Perfect Account: Koufax and Scully
Fifty years later, one baseball game still resonates, both for the game itself and for the media’s relationship to it.