u.s. history
This July 4th, Let's Remember: America Was Never Great
"The Trump administration’s assaults are not a deviation, but essentially a more extreme version of the same old American story. Just ask Indigenous people."
By Joseph Lee
How This Trans Teen Found Support from Her Family in 1905
Emma Heinrich’s story shows us how young trans girls explored their identities before our modern concept of gender.
By Eli Erlick
Trump’s DEI Purge Is Erasing Civil Rights History Across the South
Museums are facing budget cuts and censorship.
By India Nye Wenner
The Trump Admin Wants to Confuse You About What Is and Isn’t Constitutional
But you don’t need to be a lawyer to know they're full of it.
By Molly Coleman
How the George Floyd Protests Prepared Us for This Moment of State Violence
Our collective actions are part of an ongoing struggle and resistance, not a final resting place.
By Olayemi Olurin
My Family Lived Through Mass Deportations in the 1950s. Now History Is Repeating Itself.
My grandpa, an American citizen of Mexican descent, was deported by Eisenhower.
By Santiago Campos
Why Our Nation’s Historic Places Mostly Commemorate ‘Rich Old White Men’
There are very few “historically significant” sites associated with Black, Latino, or Native American communities.
By Marianne Dhenin
UVA Tried To Shut Down Its Historical Tours Discussing Slavery. These Students Resisted.
A conservative alumni group took issue with the discussion of difficult parts of UVA’s history.
By Sophie Hayssen
The 37 Best Cult Documentaries, From Strange to Sinister
From utopian communes gone wrong to the true stories of megalomaniacal leaders.
By Sara Li and Liv McConnell
How One Biologist Raised the Alarm About Pesticides and Changed History
Rachel Carson highlighted the environmental consequences of our actions in a way that had never been done before.
By Lloyd Black
RFK Wants to Send People to ‘Wellness Farms.’ The US Already Tried That.
RFK said Americans “addicted” to opioids, antidepressants, and stimulants should be sent to “wellness farms."
By Kathryn Waring
The True Story of an Indiana Teen Barred From School Over His AIDS Diagnosis
Ryan White changed perceptions of the disease in the United States.
By Paul Renfro
Understanding MLK’s Deep Personal History With Police Brutality and Racism
Dr. King was arrested 29 times and assaulted by the police on many occasions.
By Jeanne Theoharis
100 Years Before Brown v. Board of Education, This 5-Year-Old Girl Resisted Segregation
Sarah Roberts had to walk past five white schools on her way to the one Black school every morning.
By Selvin Backert
What Is an Oligarchy, and Why Are People Worried the US Is Becoming One?
We break it down.
By Liv McConnell
5 Women Musicians Behind Legendary Protest Songs
From Joan Baez to Nina Simone.
By The Birthplace of Country Music Museum
How Racist Lawmakers Thwarted This Early Attempt at Reparations
The Freedmen’s Bureau was supposed to support formerly enslaved people.
By Jameelah Nasheed
How 4 Black Women Writers Shaped Black Feminism
These influential women used literature to challenge societal norms.
By Sakyra Abbitt
The Horrifying History Behind a Beloved Skin-Care Ingredient
Retin-A was developed through tests on incarcerated people.
By Kim Kelly