In 1806, William Hardy, a poor African American laborer living in Boston, was indicted for the murder of an infant.
Culture
Black History Month is American History Month
W.E.B. Du Bois’s magisterial book The Souls of Black Folk (1907) has left one particularly clear imprint on American conversations: its description of African Americans’ “double consciousness,” their sense of being both within and without American identity, insiders yet outsiders to this national community.
Bayard Rustin and the Hidden Story of Civil Rights
As children, most of us learned a very simple narrative of the Civil Rights Movement.
From Puritan to Patriot: John Adams and William Billings’ “Chester”
The 2008 HBO miniseries John Adams opens in 1770 with Adams’ defense of the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre: although he does not wholly approve of the actions of the British government in Massachusetts, he is cautious regarding revolutionary rhetoric.
The Temporary Insanity Defense Comes to America
Political sex scandals are as old as politics and so commonplace that even in the internet age we can barely keep up with developments in the latest salacious story.
Ridley Scott’s Exodus: What Happened to the Women?
In Exodus: Gods and Kings, producer and director Ridley Scott made many controversial interpretation decisions in his treatment of the story of Moses. Arguably, the most provocative choice was nearly to eliminate women from his narrative.
Christmas on a Slave Plantation
Ironically, occasionally affording slaves rest and freedom helped slave owners to maintain power.
American Popular Culture Embraces the Ku Klux Klan, 1877-1939
In the seven decades after the 1871-1872 trials of Ku Klux Klan leaders, mainstream American popular culture would reflect, extend, and greatly amplify sympathy for the Ku Klux Klan as a series of southern artists created successful works that featured increasingly idealized depictions of heroic Klan members and their actions.
Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel and Financing the Flamingo Hotel, 1946-1947
Las Vegas has become a favorite destination for American tourists, many of whom are attracted by the city’s connection to organized crime figures.
A Hungry Belly and Freedom
As Americans prepare for their annual Thanksgiving feast, few will stop to consider the holiday’s Civil War origins. Although George Washington declared the first national day of Thanksgiving in 1789, it wasn’t until 1863 that it became a formal federal holiday.