How Septima Poinsette Clark Spoke Up for Civil Rights
The daughter of a slave, Septima Clark graduated from college, became a teacher, and became a fierce advocate for social and cultural change.
The Love Birds of Valentine’s Day
A little history behind the love birds that inspired Chaucer to invent Valentine's Day, the well-known celebration of love.
A Formerly Enslaved Woman Successfully Won a Case for Reparations in 1783
In one of the earliest examples of reparations, an ex-slave named Belinda petitioned the government and was granted an annuity.
Understanding the Evangelical Vote
A look at what evangelical voters want and expect from major Presidential candidates.
If Inequality Is the Question, Is Social Democracy the Answer?
How do social democratic ideas work in other countries? And would those same policies reduce the wealth gap in the U.S.?
Civil Religion
The US has created its own "civil religion," a complex body of ambiguous public assertions of faith that obscure the varied, private beliefs of the populace.
What It Was Like To Be an African-American Soldier During the Civil War
What was it like to be one of the 186,017 African Americans who served in the Union Army during the Civil War?
From Home Births to Maternity Wards and Back Again
Once hospital deliveries became mainstream, mothers have had to make a choice: a home birth or go to the hospital?
Stranded on the Island of the Blue Dolphins: The True Story of Juana Maria
Juana Maria, the lost woman of San Nicolas island, is as famous for her namelessness as for the lonely adventure she endured.
Why Don’t Americans Eat Whale?
Whales have been used for everything but meat in this country. Why is that?