Abolitionist Brooklyn: A Sanctuary City Before Its Time
Separated from Southern-sympathizing Manhattan, Brooklyn had one of the largest and most politically aware Black communities in the U.S.
September 2020 Readers’ Letters
Readers sound off about the 1777 Battle of Paoli, Pennsylvania, and Patriot hero Colonel Jonathan Eddy (or is it him?)
End of an Army: Battle of the Wabash
Maj. Gen. Arthur St. Clair led the U.S. Army on a punitive expedition against Northwest Territory tribes in 1791—few of his troops would survive the campaign
American History Reviews: Thurgood Marshall’s Cunning Courtroom Defeat
On the surface, 1941 Oklahoma case was a painful shellacking, but it shocked the country and jumpstarted the civil rights movement
Sam Adams: Puritan, Patriot, Protestor
Founding Father Samuel Adams knew what it meant to take it to the streets
Shaved Heads and Syphilis: A Brief History of Wigs
As Coronavirus-induced shutdowns swept the nation and exposed cracks in many parts of our society, they also exposed another pressing desire—haircuts.
The Conventional, and Unconventional, U.S. Constitution
Oddities from the 1787 conclave that created the United States of America we know
Online Exclusive: How Collectivism Nearly Sunk Early Colonies
Only when settlers instituted private property rights did the New World thrive
A Virginia Slave Schooled in Scotland Made a Bravehearted Bid for His Freedom
Jamie Montgomery failed, but his case set a precedent that ended chattel bondage in Scotland 12 years later
Looking for Pandemic Leadership? George Washington Is the Best Example
The first president's cool head and respect for science helped a young America survive smallpox and yellow fever
Death Stalks the Capital
A deadly epidemic in Philadelphia shut down the nation’s business and taught Americans an important lesson: Good health is good policy
Online Exclusive: Scruffy Florida Seafarers Made Their Fortunes Salvaging Shipwrecks
Long before it became Margaritaville, Key West was a boom town built on bad news
American History Reviews: The King of Tin Pan Alley
Composer's greatest gift was an ear for the simple and the sweet
May 2020 Readers’ Letters
Readers sound off about World War II Japanese kamikazes and the (nearly) 14th colony of Nova Scotia
Jefferson’s Land Dispute with a Neighbor Got Personal
A civil case involving property lines finds a Founding Father battling a neighbor
Fort William Henry, 1757: A Fate Worse Than Surrender
On capturing Fort William Henry in 1757, the French commander offered his British prisoners safe passage—but his Indian allies weren’t feeling as magnanimous
