Close-up of the Vietnam Memorial

The Vietnam War: 50 Years (and More) Later

The fiftieth anniversary of the Vietnam War is somewhat misleading: The US had been involved in Vietnam for well over a decade already by 1965
Female prisoners at Parchman sewing, c. 1930 
By Mississippi Department of Archives and History [see page for license], via Wikimedia Commons

A History of Women’s Prisons

While women's prisons historically emphasized the virtues of traditional femininity, the conditions of these prisons were abominable.
Rows of marijuana plants

Legalizing Marijuana: Lessons from the Post-prohibition Era

The country's experience regulating alcohol after Prohibition may provide lessons regarding marijuana.
Close-up of "Just Married" sign attached on convertible car's trunk. Horizontal shot.

A Threat to “Traditional Marriage” in the 1920s

The view of "traditional marriage" has been under attack since long before anyone imagined state-sanctioned gay and lesbian unions
Globe showing area referred to as the Middle East

Making the Middle East

Two scholarly perspectives on the making of the Middle East.
A stamp commemorating the Lincoln-Douglas Debates

Recording History: The Lincoln-Douglas Debates

The Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858 are a touchstone of American history.

Carter G. Woodson, The Father of Black History Month

The origins of Black History Month date back to 1926, when a historian named Carter G. Woodson spearheaded “Negro History Week.”
Construction paper, scissors, a pen, and cut out hearts; everything necessary for homemade Valentine's day cards

The Origins of St. Valentine’s Day

The complicated origins of St. Valentine's Day.
A postcard of a Duluth lynching, June 15, 1920

Lynching in America

A new report called Lynching in America: Confronting the Legacy of Racial Terror," documents 3,959 African Americans lynched between 1877 and 1950.
Nelson Mandela with his right fist raised

Nelson Mandela’s Release

February 11th marks a quarter century since the release of Nelson Mandela (1918-2013)