Missouri Compromise of 1820: Annotated
The “compromise” attempted to answer the question of whether the Missouri territory would be admitted to the Union as a “slave” or “free” state.
Does Adultery Justify Murder?
There’s a popular (mis)perception that, prior to the rise of modern legal systems, a husband was considered justified in killing a straying wife.
Searching for Home in Hmong American Writing
Two significant poetry anthologies deterritorialize home, showing that for Hmong Americans, home can be a process of moving and running despite living in a place.
Reporting Atrocity—Or Not—In Postwar Britain
Or, what metropolitan Britons could know about the colonies.
Why Not Just Be a Nurse?
To be taken seriously as physicians, women doctors in nineteenth-century Britain felt the need to distinguish themselves from others of their gender.
Meet Saint Wilgefortis, the Bearded Virgin
A Christian martyr, Wilgefortis was divinely gifted with a sudden growth of facial hair to escape forced marriage, only to be crucified by her father.
The Art of Renaissance Clothes
While Spanish Catholicism and reformatory Protestantism favored black clothing, much of the Renaissance happened in an explosion of color.
The Ocean Vents Where Life on Earth Likely Began
In a recent paper, biologists outlined a three-part hypothesis for how all life as we know it began.
The Accordion Blues
Though many associate the accordion with polkas and klezmer, the instrument played an important role in Black music after its arrival in the United States.
The International History of “Indigenous” Malay Healers
The origins of Malay and Indonesian dukun healers are intertwined with the history of Persian involvement in the region.