By spring 1864, victory in the Civil War depended on which side could endure longest.
Heather Cox Richardson
Reconstructing the American Tradition of Domestic Terrorism
Yesterday’s horrific murder of nine people worshipping at Charleston’s Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church replayed a central theme in American history. It is the question, fought for centuries with both words and weapons: to whom does this country belong?
Remembering Our First Female Soldiers on Memorial Day
There is a group of soldiers that often gets forgotten when we remember our troops on Memorial Day: the WACs, the more than 150,000 women who served in the U.S. Army during World War II.
Mother’s Day or Mothers’ Day
Mothers’ Day did not start as a way to encourage people to be nice to their mothers, but as an impassioned effort by women to end war forever.
Rioting: An American Tradition
Looking at the rioters in Baltimore, or any other place, in isolation misses the point.
The Day After: Andrew Johnson Sworn in as President
President Lincoln’s death meant that Vice President Andrew Johnson had to be sworn in as the nation’s new president. And the transition from Lincoln’s presidency to Johnson’s provided a retrospective of Lincoln’s life.
We Are All Americans: Ely Parker at Appomattox
“I am glad to see one real American here,” General Robert E. Lee said to one of the somber men gathered in the parlor of Wilmer McLean’s home in Appomattox Court House, Virginia, on April 9, 1865.
The Medal of Honor and the Wounded Knee Massacre
The odd circumstances of the history of the Medal of Honor mean that there are twenty medals that have been contested almost since the day they were awarded. These are the medals awarded to soldiers who participated in the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre.
The Largest Mass Execution in American History
December 26 is the anniversary of the largest mass execution in American history.
John Brown: The First American to Hang for Treason
On the clear, windy morning of December 2, 1859, just before 11:00, the jail doors opened and guards moved John Brown to his funeral cortege.