Portrait of Frederick Douglass

Some Facts About Frederick Douglass

President Trump praised abolitionist Frederick Douglass in his first remarks on Black History Month.
Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson vs Paul Robeson: A Double Play for the Ages

In 1949, Jackie Robinson testified in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee against Paul Robeson.
KKK members parade in Virginia, 1922

The History of the KKK in American Politics

In the 1920s, during what historians call the KKK's “second wave,” Klan members served in all levels of American government.
Joyce Appleby

Historian Joyce Appleby Remembered

Historian Joyce Appleby, a major contributor to our understanding of early American history, passed away last month. We remember her.
Berkeley mural

The Fight for People’s Park

Fifty years ago, tens of thousands of people converged on San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park for the “Human ...
Benedict Arnold

How Benedict Arnold Helped Win the Revolution

Some historians think Benedict Arnold's treason may well have aided the American cause in the Revolutionary War.
Thomas Paine and Common Sense

How Thomas Paine Marketed the Revolution

Thomas Paine's Common Sense presented the case for American independence in a way that spoke to the average person.
Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition logo

Cosmopolitanism (and Racism) at the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition

Seattle's Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition celebrated intercultural connections, but also reduced non-white cultures to quaint attractions.
LBJ and Civil Rights Leaders

How Great Was the Great Society?

Lyndon B. Johnson called upon the wealthiest nation in the world to do something for those left behind.
Pocahontas and John Smith

The Real Pocahontas

Pocahontas, Matoaka, and Lady Rebecca Rolfe were all the same young woman, who died in 1617, a long way from home.