Robert E. Lee

Why was the Golden State once chock-full of memorials to the Southern rebels?

A proposal to follow the model several former Soviet States have pioneered, to deal with our own monuments to the Confederacy.

By naming a common enemy the Union Army was able to build and then steer a coalition of Americans toward the systematic destruction of slavery.

During the Civil War, surrendering was an honorable way of accepting defeat — under the right circumstances.

It's time to shift the social contract of education away from short-term job training toward long-term development.

Why Confederacy supporters erased the legacy of one its most accomplished soldiers.

The region was at the epicenter of eugenic policy-making in the first half of the 20th century.

While a far cry from full emancipation, it was an important step towards the abolition of slavery.

No other city has taken down a monument to a president for his misdeeds, but Arcata is poised to do just that with a statue of William McKinley.

America is covered in Confederate statues. We can do better — and here’s how.

How the state’s past spurred a racial reckoning.

Haunting archival footage of Stone Mountain's creation.

The perspectives of older Americans have dominated the debate. It's time we pay more attention to what younger people have to say.

Two writers — one black, one white — journey to Selma, Alabama, in search of "Southern heritage." This is their dialogue. 

On this episode of BackStory, Brian sits down with Ed to talk about a project of his that’s been twenty-five years in the making.

Americans should not honor a revolt to uphold slavery with monuments or florid displays.

How Miss Millie taught the Civil War.

John Kelly's statement about the Civil War is not surprising, but they are a reminder that we should still be worrying about the Civil War.

There can be no "compromise" with the false view of America's past from Trumpists and pop historians alike.

Yes, honorable men can fight for dishonorable causes.