Law professor and one-time presidential hopeful Lawrence Lessig on campaign finance, gerrymandering, and the electoral college.

In Theodor de Bry’s illustrations for Thomas Harriot’s Brief and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia, the Algonquin are made to look like the Irish. Surprise.

And it's unlikely to be the last. One scholar looks at the factors that contributed to the increase in childlessness at the turn of the twentieth century.

Lord Elgin went beyond his original mandate, amassing a vast store of treasures, one scholar notes.

Well-researched stories from The Atlantic, Public Books, and other great publications.

In 1790, U.S. men were about twice as likely as U.S. women to be literate. But by 1870, girls were surpassing boys in public schools.

Recent flooding in Venice has revived memories of a record-setting 1966 flood, which sparked an international rescue program for art and architecture.

The founder of cultural anthropology, Franz Boas challenged the reigning notions of race and culture.

A trial in the court of public opinion.

What does it really mean for a nation to be “in decline?” And why does it make for such appealing political rhetoric?