When a Battle to Ban Textbooks Became Violent
In 1974, the culture wars came to Kanawha County, West Virginia, inciting protests over school curriculum.
Introducing American Prison Newspapers, 1800-2020: Voices from the Inside
This overlooked corner of the press provided news by and for people who were incarcerated. A newly available archive shows it worked hard to reach outside audiences too.
The Native American Roots of the US Constitution
The Iroquois, Shawnee, Cherokee, and other political formations generally separated military and civil leadership and guarded certain personal freedoms.
Woodrow Wilson and American Empire
After World War I, it looked like President Wilson's ideas about preserving democracy would mean decolonization. But the age of empires wasn't quite over.
The Serpents of Liberty
From the colonial period to the end of the US Civil War, the rattlesnake sssssssymbolized everything from evil to unity and power.
Richard Nixon’s Fantasy Baseball Team
It might have been a ploy to garner Democratic votes, but the president took his dream team seriously.
How a Southern College Tried to Resist Segregation
The founder of Kentucky's Berea College was an abolitionist. While he was alive, the school offered a free education for both Black and white students.
Do Schools Make Good Vaccination Sites?
The influenza virus is a problem student, but vaccinations get extra credit.
For James McCune Smith, Racism Was All Over Anthropology
What if the creation story of anthropology isn't exclusively about white men classifying people as primitive?
How Blind Activists Fought for Blind Workers
The National Federation of the Blind was the first major group of its kind to be led by visually impaired people.