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.
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
October 16, 1940—Uncle Sam’s Got Your Number, Guys
With war in the wings, the United States began calling men into service in 1940
A Slender Reed of Jurisprudence Changed American Society Forever
Idaho mother's inconsequential lawsuit challenging gender discrimination forced a rewrite of the entire U.S. code
How Politics Affect The Way We Teach the Past
Textbooks in Blue California explain history one way while red Texas takes an opposite tack
Insight: How Hollywood Portrays Lincoln and His Commitment to Emancipation
Films from 2012 are relevant to continuing conceptions of the Civil War
The Man Behind the Double V Campaign
Many may be aware of the Double V campaign, but few know of the 26-year-old who ignited the campaign.
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
1937 Labor Board Case Upheld Workers’ Right to Organize
The court expanded the Gibbons standard to include labor relations and other activities with even an indirect effect on interstate commerce.
Zephaniah Kingsley: Champion of Free Blacks
Roving merchant and slave trader approved of bondage system but saw freedmen as linchpin
When Truth Spoke to Power
Freedom Rider Jerome Smith stood up to Robert Kennedy with shocking candor about violence against black Americans
Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address Is a Speech for the Ages
With malice toward none, with charity toward all, the president seeks to binds the wounds of the nation
Tuskegee Airman Charles McGee: ‘Do While You Can’
Charles McGee never thought much of flying until he started training at Tuskegee. When he finally left the U.S. Air Force, he had 30 years and three wars behind him.
