Motherhood in America: A Reading List
The experience and work of motherhood remained understudied for generations, but since the 1970s, scholars have engaged with the topic in diverse ways.
Power over Presidential Records
By law, all communications seen and/or touched by a United States president are supposed to be preserved. Reality—and executive privilege—is a lot messier.
Reading for Juneteenth
The JSTOR Daily editors have rounded up a collection of stories that discuss the origins, meaning, and legacy of Juneteenth.
Nellie Bly Experiences It All
One of the first female investigative reporters, Nellie Bly shone a light on the plight of American women by facing the world head on.
The Uneven Costs of Cross-Country Connectivity
Promoted as a social and economic savior, the US federal interstate highway system acted as a tool to promote racial injustices.
Who Took the Cocaine Out of Coca-Cola?
The medical profession saw nothing wrong with offering a cocaine-laced cola to white, middle-class consumers. Selling it to Black Americans was another matter.
The Great Dissenter’s Complications
Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan I argued the US Constitution was color-blind. He also believed it stood in defense of white supremacy.
The Federalist No. 1: Annotated
Alexander Hamilton’s anonymous essay challenged the voting citizens of New York to hold fast to the truth when deciding to ratify (or not) the US Constitution.
Ronald Reagan’s Library Legacy
Archival material shows the hefty and careful investment the president and his team put into crafting his image for perpetuity.
Finding Lucretia Howe Newman Coleman
Once a powerful voice in the Black press, Coleman all but disappeared from the literary landscape of the American Midwest after her death in 1948.