Illustration of Founders signing the Declaration of Independence.

How the Meaning of the Declaration of Independence Changed Over Time

When Thomas Jefferson penned ‘all men are created equal,’ he did not mean individual equality, says Stanford scholar.

The Confederates Loved America, and They’re Still Defining What Patriotism Means

The ideology of the men who celebrated the United States while fighting for its dissolution is still very much alive.
Robert E. Lee Memorial covered in graffiti and projections and surrounded by protesters.

The Racism of Confederate Monuments Extends to Voter Suppression

GOP-led state legislatures have not only prevented voters from exercising their rights as citizens, they have usurped local control to remove monuments legally.

The Past and Future of Latinx Politics

Two new books look at the history of Latinx Democrats and Republicans and the role each will play in the future.
Barry Goldwater speaking at a 1964 rally, placing his finger over his lips.

The Western Origins of the “Southern Strategy”

The untold story of the ideological realignment that upended the nation.

Confederate Battle Flag Comes Down in Mississippi; ‘Medgar’s Wings Must Be Clapping.’

Myrlie Evers began to weep when she heard the Mississippi Legislature vote to remove the Confederate battle emblem from the state flag.

The Republican Choice

How a party spent decades making itself white.
Toppled Howitzers Monument in Richmond, VA

American Oligarchy

A review of "How the South Won the Civil War: Oligarchy, Democracy, and the Continuing Fight for the Soul of America."
Youth members of a German-American Bund camp raising a flag, 1934.

American Fascism: It Has Happened Here

Americans of the interwar period were perfectly clear about one fact we have lost sight of today: all fascism is indigenous, by definition.

The Confederacy Was an Antidemocratic, Centralized State

The actual Confederate States of America was a repressive state devoted to white supremacy.

The Republican President who Called for Racial Justice in America After Tulsa Massacre

Warren G. Harding’s comments about race and equality were remarkable for 1921.
Lithograph of crowd gathering around a train.
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The Great Upheaval of 1877 Sheds Light on Today’s Protests

Spontaneous strikes led by the working class in 1877 resulted in violent clashes with police.
An illustration of a pilgrim looking toward the sky with a group of others gathered around kneeling.

What Liberty Meant to the Pilgrims

Most adult men could aspire to participation in the religious and political government of the colony. But this communal liberty did not imply personal liberty.
Painting of a sinking ship on fire, in which the fire looks like the American flag.

The Confederate Project

What the Confederacy actually was: a proslavery anti-democratic state, dedicated to the proposition that all men were not created equal.

The Real Story Behind “Because of Sex”

One of the most powerful phrases in the Civil Rights Act is often viewed as a malicious joke that backfired. But its entrance into law was far more savvy.
Man at Trump rally holding a "Latinos for Trump" sign.

On the Past and Future of Hispanic Republicans

“I was shocked to learn that Hispanic conservatives celebrate Cortes’s arrival in Mexico.”

The Unpresident and the Unredeemed Promise

A combination of historical surpluses—the afterlives of slavery, of the deranged presidency—has raised the stakes in the present struggle.

The Idea of a Nation

The idea of a modern nation is both confusing and conflicting. And as the world confronts the current global health crisis, its weaknesses become more apparent.
Police officer behind yellow police tape.

Police Reform Won’t Fix a System That Was Built to Abuse Power

The history of American policing shows that it was designed to eat up resources and subjugate the civilian population.
John Tyler.

Two on John Tyler: Tippecanoe and Tyler Too!

After the Whig president’s shocking death, his vice president and successor proved to be a Whig by expedience only

One Week to Save Democracy

Lessons from Frederick Douglass on the tortured relationship between protest and change.
Armed military police in riot gear blocking demonstrators near the White House, June 3, 2020.

When Police Treat Protesters Like Insurgents, Sending in Troops Seems Logical

Militarized police forces laid the groundwork for using troops to quell protest.
D.C. National Guard members stand on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
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President Trump Can Send the Military to Police Americans, but is Doing so Wise?

The history of using militarized force domestically.

A 'Hamilton'-esque Scandal Helped Give Trump his Cudgel

On the origins of the Insurrection Act, which allows the president to call on federal troops and state militias to put down insurrections.

If This Is Like 1968, Then Trump Is in Big Trouble

Trump campaigns like Richard Nixon and George Wallace, but in reality, he is Lyndon Johnson: a man who has lost control of the machine.
Black and white photo of three African-American men with signs that state, "I am a man," as a military tank rolls through the street

Insurrection in the Eye of the Beholder

The Insurrection Act of 1807, which Trump has threatened to invoke, is the linchpin of several iconic events in African American history.

George Washington Would Have So Worn a Mask

The father of the country was a team player who had no interest in displays of hyper-masculinity.
Book cover of "Republican Reversal."

Conservative Ideology and the Environment

“Big money alone does not fully explain the Republican embrace of the gospel of more.”

Will Urban Uprisings Help Trump? Actually, They Could Be His Undoing.

As a historian, I’ve spent a lot of time looking at the fallout from Watts and other rebellions.
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We’ve Forgotten the Worst President in American History

Could Donald Trump really rival James Buchanan?