Power

There have been at least eight provinces in British North America labeled the "fourteenth colony." They cannot all claim the same title.

Actions are more persuasive than words, and manipulating morale often dictates how commanders deploy their troops. Witness the American War of Independence.

On Akhil Reed Amar’s “The Words That Made Us,” a new history of America’s constitutional conversation.

How public interest groups inadvertently aided the right’s ascendency.

In a city of ambitious influencers, a shadow cabinet hopes it can summon a new New Deal.

Those who claim that vaccine resistance is an expression of liberty are historically illiterate.

Jefferson and his connection to partisanship in early America.

What do the two events really have in common?

How Hannah Arendt’s fans misread the post-truth presidency.

Even as the United States mobilized to defeat Nazi Germany, anti-democratic forces simmered at home.

How a book of essays from 1964 explains what happened at the Capitol.

Pulitzer-winning historian Annette Gordon-Reed reflects on the battle for the past and the fragile state of American democracy.

In the 19th century, freedom from government interference mapped onto opposition of women's rights.

Maritime workers who were basically kidnapped into the British Royal Navy were a key force in the War of Independence.

When African Americans allied themselves with the British, the Patriots were enraged, and they acted.

America’s worst secretary of defense never expressed a quiver of regret.

Late 1960s conflicts within the armed forces produced efforts to educate service members on racism.

Fearful of increasing participation, elites of the era attempted to rein in democracy.

An interview with Jesse Tarbert about the history of the American state, “big government,” and the legacy of government reform efforts.

A drama about an interracial uprising in colonial Virginia.

As a political reporter, I've seen four Republican revolutions — Reagan’s, Gingrich’s, the Tea Party’s and Trump’s — each of which took the party farther right.

Though the cruelties of the Trump administration’s “Zero Tolerance” policy were unique, they were part of an American tradition of taking children from parents.

People in the United States no longer agree on the nation’s purpose, values, history, or meaning. Is reconciliation possible?

The New York-to-Washington train had 21 cars, 700 passengers—and millions of trackside mourners.

In 1836, the House passed a resolution that automatically tabled all petitions on slavery without a hearing.

Bill Bleyer dives into the secret Culper Spy Ring during the American Revolution while disproving many of the urban myths surrounding the characters involved.

For decades, policymakers have debated who may access public education and the social safety net.

How the late 19th century’s raucous party system gave way to a sedate and exclusionary political culture that erected more and more barriers to participation.

Academic freedom can help universities flourish, while political compromises can hold them back.

How African Americans came to Indian Territory after the Civil War.