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Black and white headshot of author Matthew Wills

Matthew Wills

Matthew Wills has advanced degrees in library science and film studies and is lapsed in both fields. He has published in Poetry, Huffington Post, and Nature Conservancy Magazine, among other places, and blogs regularly about urban natural history at matthewwills.com.

Going through the storm of Universal suffrage...

The Golden Age of Political Cartoons

Does it sometimes seem as if our political culture is a political cartoon?
Presidential Candidates Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, Marco Rubio, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.

How Important is the New Hampshire Primary Anyway?

Once considered essential, winning the New Hampshire primary is no longer indicative of who will become the next President.
A man stands guard after members of the "3% of Idaho" group along with several other organizations arrived at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Ore., on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016. A small, armed group has been occupying the remote national wildlife refuge in Oregon for a week to protest federal land use policies. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Where the “Well Regulated Militia” Clause Came From

The ideological roots of the concept of militias in America stretch back into English history.
Katma Airfield Sandplain Grasslands. Photo courtesy of Christopher Neill/MBL

Why the Sandplain Grasslands Are So Special

Sandplain grasslands, a kind of East Coast prairie, are some of the rarest habitats in the world, and sheep-grazing may be key to their survival.
Portrait of Aaron Burr, 1802

Aaron Burr: Most Hated Man in American History

A more sympathetic look at Aaron Burr, the man who killed Alexander Hamilton.
Powerball Lottery Ticket

Who Buys Lottery Tickets?

Buying lottery tickets is a desperate measure when you are poor.
David Bowie AP Photo/Marty Lederhandler

The Science Fiction of David Bowie

David Bowie died January 10th, two days after his 69th birthday and the release of his album Blackstar. 
Mug shot taken in 1901 when Goldman was implicated in the assassination of President McKinley

From Enemy to Icon: The Life of Emma Goldman

While alive, Emma Goldman was considered an enemy of the state. In death, she became a celebrated American icon. 
Uncle Sam holding paper "Protest against Russian exclusion of Jewish Americans" and looking in shock at Chinese skeleton labeled "American exclusion of Chinese" in closet.

How the Chinese Fought Discrimination in 19th Century Arizona

Chinese immigrants in the American West faced legal discrimination and fought back against it using other laws.
Julius Caesar

Why New Years Falls on January 1st

Why do we celebrate the beginning of the New Year on the first of January? Julius Caesar, mostly.
John Hope Franklin, who heads President Clinton's Commission on Race Relations, works with orchids in his backyard greenhouse, in Durham, N.C., on Aug. 25, 1997. (AP Photo/Grant Halverson)

Remembering Historian John Hope Franklin

Franklin helped to change the way we think about slavery and Reconstruction.
Terrorism definition

How Do You Define Terrorism?

The definition of terrorism, which has been with us for a long time, is being debated domestically and internationally.
Soldiers relaxing

A Glossary of WWI Soldier Slang

A glossary of slang used by U.S. servicemen in World War 1.
Civil War Attire

How the Word “Shoddy” Became an Anti-Semitic Slur

Shoddy came to have anti-Semitic overtones during the American Civil War.
Deborah Eisenberg, short story writer, New York, NY.

The Stories of Deborah Eisenberg

Two short stories by Deborah Eisenberg.
Cover of "Akenfield: Portrait of an English Village" by Ronald Blythe

The Re-Release of a Classic

A new American edition of Ronald Blythe's Akenfield reminds us why it became one of the founding texts of oral history.
George Kennan 1885

The American Who Exposed the Tsar

American supporters of revolutionaries in Russia in the late 19th century contributed to the downfall of the Tsarism.
Frank Sinatra was arrested when he was 19 years old for the crime of "seduction" in New Jersey.

Frank Sinatra’s Radical Past

On the occaision of Frank Sinatra's centennial, we look into his radical past.
Sperm whale

What Is Ambergris and Where Does It Come From?

Ambergris, a waxy-like substance found in perfumes, has a unique origin.
Thomé de Gamond's plan of 1856 for a cross-Channel link, with a port/airshaft on the Varne sandbank mid-Channel

The Channel Tunnel Is a Product of Politics, Not Engineering

The history of the Channel Tunnel is the really the contentious history between France and England.
The Statue of Liberty.

The Poem at the Foot of Lady Liberty

Emma Lazarus's famous poem welcoming refugees to America was written during a period of nativist backlash against immigrants.
Presidential portrait of Woodrow Wilson

Understanding Woodrow Wilson’s Racism

Woodrow Wilson's racism was of its time, and so were critiques of it by the likes of political ally turned critic, W.E.B. Du Bois.
Farm workers harvesting vegetable crop.

Deportation: A History

Operation Wetback was another example of deportation being used as a social and political method of control.
From left: Star Wars movie poster 1977, Star Wars: Phantom Menace movie poster 1999, Star Wars: The Force Awakens movie poster 2015

The War On Star Wars

The force isn't for everyone.
Mandarin orange

Ignoring the Cure for Scurvy

It may have altered the outcome of the Revolutionary War.