Woman on a Mission
For pioneering journalist Bessie Beatty, women’s suffrage and the plight of labor were linked inextricably.
The Chinese Exclusion Act: Annotated
The passing of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882 marked the first time the United States prohibited immigration based on ethnicity and national origin.
1930s Filipinos Were Hip to American Style. There Was Backlash.
Filipinos, newly arrived to West Coast cities, displayed a mastery over American cultural life thanks to their knowledge of Hollywood films.
The Propaganda of World War II Comic Books
A government-funded group called the Writers' War Board got writers and illustrators to portray the United States positively—and its enemies as evil.
The Myth of Manifest Destiny
Not everyone in the nineteenth century was on board with expanding the territory of the US from coast to coast.
Slavery in a Free State: The Case of California
California came into the Union as a free state in 1850, but proslavery politicians held considerable sway there.
The Lettuce Workers Strike of 1930
Uniting for better wages and working conditions, a remarkably diverse coalition of laborers faced off against agribusiness.
The Stonewall Riots Didn’t Start the Gay Rights Movement
Giving Stonewall too much credit misses the movement’s growing strength in the 1960s, sociologists note.
When Buddhism Came to America
Buddhism was embraced by the Beats of 1950s America. But some Buddhists felt these converts were engaging with the practice in a shallow way.
Building Colonies for WWI Veterans
After World War I, policymakers seriously considered the idea of setting up farming colonies for returning veterans.