Excerpts

Off-year elections were meant to insulate states from federal trends. That still matters.

On Jean Craighead George’s most famous book, Walden’s legacy, and the dream of togetherness.

When the remains of prehistoric creatures were discovered in Europe and the U.S., it opened up a heated debate on the nature of time and the purpose of science.

Little Crow was one of the leaders of the Dakota Uprising of 1862, a conflict that began, as so many Indian wars did, because treaty rights were being ignored.

The zealot who oversaw the Salem Witch Trials initially voiced restraint—what changed?

On the exit ramps Evangelicals ignored.

How four presidential administrations managed to evade moral responsibility for the “war on terror” by hiding behind legality and process.

When the single was released in 1955, it was a big hit – but only after the original lyrics were changed.

The brevity of the Fifteenth Amendment of the US Constitution belies its impact on American voting rights.

On the hundredth anniversary of Tennessee v. Scopes.

The gunslinging mojo of a fitness craze.

Pancho Villa’s death reveals how the border blurs the relationship between Mexico and the United States.

A new book links the Pacific Northwest’s infamous serial killers to decades of toxic lead pollution, arguing that poison bred violence.

A common US-centric narrative holds that the crisis ended when Washington stood firm against the Soviets. But that story ignores a whole continent.

Israel has long relied on Western patrons for arms and backing—even as it has cast itself as a security “innovator” the West can’t afford to do without.

The last American crisis over civilian-military relations ended with a general’s historic choice.

On the inherent contradictions behind the American revolutionary dream.

How a son of European immigrants fought to keep Indian immigrants out of America.

A nuanced and historically informed analysis of the sudden sea change in US-China relations.

Chronicling the influence of the American Fund for Public Service.

The National Park Service announced its plan to return the refurbished statue of Confederate Gen. Albert Pike to a small federal park at Third and D streets NW.

The new Boss biopic robs his music of its mythic American qualities.

Contrary to the story being told in textbooks, media, and museums, the police were not neutral bystanders.

What the institutionalization of "public history" means.

Jane Fonda is reviving the Hollywood advocacy group to meet the high-stakes challenges to free expression in the Trump era.

The rise of remote work is only the latest in a long line of challenges that US business districts have faced. This time, cities have a chance to do it right.

There are parallels between the John Brown raid and the murder of Charlie Kirk. But only one man seized the moment to start changing the course of history.

The Erie Canal, dug by human muscle, aided by improvised cleverness, helped build a nation.

Blaming the British for the destruction helped persuade some colonists to back the fight for independence. But the source of the inferno was not what it seemed.

The story of how corruption became legal in America isn't just about memos, movements, and legal strategies.

The notion that democratic elections should allow voters to make a real choice between candidates sits uneasily with untrammeled redistricting power.

New fusionist intellectuals are the missing link between nineteenth-century race science, twentieth-century libertarianism, and the contemporary alt-right.

Lists of great artists say more about the list-maker than the artist.

If we want to understand how we arrived in this authoritarian moment in 2025, we need to understand one of the central pathways that brought us here.

Starbucks didn’t invent them. But it’s possible that Tori Amos or a Midwest grandma did.

It had been home to the Office of the First Lady since the 1970s.

A war photographer’s unflinching images break the idealism surrounding a young Civil War hero’s death.

The proliferation of privately held companies during the Reagan years laid the foundations for Trump’s approach to government.

How Amanda Vaill gave Eliza and Angelica Schuyler their due.

The Trump administration Is borrowing from a failed cold-war era playbook.

The history of a single photograph reveals how an atrocity in the Philippines was forgotten by its American perpetrators.

Charles Sumner's example reminds us that "with enough courage and drive, can alter the trajectory of American racial history."

Before there was Vegas, there was Elkton, Maryland. Let's take a trip to this tiny town and tell the story of its former life as elopement capital of the US.

How Hollywood killed celluloid.

A musician who released a tribute album of Joe Hill's songs discusses Hill's music, politics, and legacy.

MUDs, Usenet, and open source all play a part in 50 years of IF history.

The 1939 World’s Fair showcased a futuristic vision and pioneered public-private partnerships, shaping NYC’s urban planning and funding for decades to come.

Gordon, Peter, Vincent Colyer, and the story behind slavery's most famous photograph.

How Felix Moses, a Jewish Confederate soldier, was recast in a Lost Cause myth.

A review of Columbus's impact on the political, economic, and religious effects within the Renaissance period of Europe and the beginning of global exploration.