Ralph Ellison on Race
Ralph Ellison believed fiercely in the American project and in the centrality of black people to it.
What’s So Bad About A Monopoly?
Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods has drawn the ire of a new antitrust movement, which argues against the dangers of industry monopoly.
A Precedent for Today’s Political Violence
Illegal violence has always been a political tool, often serving the interests of the powerful. A historian looks at the case of 1930s Birmingham, Alabama.
Automation in the 1940s Cotton Fields
Automation is a bit of a Rorschach test for anyone interested in workers’ rights. In the 1940s, the mechanization of cotton farming changed the US economy.
Slavery and the Church
It wasn't just educational institutions like Georgetown University that profited off of slavery; churches, too, were complicit in the system.
The First Ugly Election: America, 1800
The 1800 election saw America's first contested presidential campaigns: Thomas Jefferson vs. John Adams.
Racism, the South, and Helen Keller
As one of her day’s most famous Southerners, Helen Keller was uniquely poised to point out—and challenge—that troubled racial heritage.
America’s Workforce Runs on Uppers
Uppers like Benzedrine and cocaine provided a willing workforce for our capitalist economy. Now, Americans are turning to ADHD medications.
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.