The Untold History of Lynching in the American West
In the aftermath of the Mexican-American War, people of Mexican ancestry were the target of intense racist violence.
W.E.B. Du Bois Fought “Scientific” Racism
Early 20th century intellectual W.E.B. DuBois countered the then-popular idea that African-Americans could be scientifically proven to be inferior.
The Racism of 19th-Century Advertisements
Illustrated advertising cards invoked ethnic stereotypes, using black women as foils in order to appeal to white consumers.
What Sports Reveal about Society
Sociologists find that sports are inextricably intertwined with the people, countries, and politics surrounding them.
How Insurance Companies Used Bad Science to Discriminate
In 1881, Prudential announced that insurance policies held by black adults would be worth one-third less than the same plans held by whites.
BlacKkKlansman in Context
A new film tells the story of Ron Stallworth, a black police officer who infiltrated the KKK in 1972. What was the context for this odd moment in history?
How Global Colonialism Shaped Segregation
One of the first U.S. municipal laws demanding residential segregation, passed in 1910 in Baltimore, has roots in European colonial policies.
Revisiting Reconstruction
Reconstruction is one of the least-known periods of American history, and much of what people think they know about it may be wrong.
The People’s Grocery Lynching, Memphis, Tennessee
On March 2, 1892, in Memphis, Tennessee, a racially charged mob grew out of a fight between a black and a white youth near People’s Grocery.
Early America’s Troubled Relationship With Monkeys
The real and supposed resemblances between humans and non-human primates shaped American conversations about race and society.