The Mystery of the Missing European Colonies
The stories of settlements that briefly claimed toeholds in North America before vanishing
Songs of 1865: How the Various Parties to the Civil War Saw the Struggle’s End
Historian S.C. (Sam) Gwynne's "Hymns of the Republic" looks at the Civil War's final year from multiple perspectives.
Northern New Englanders’ Maine Chance to Break Away From Massachusetts
After 35-year fight, Maine's abolitionist leadership accepted statehood with a condition—the proslavery Missouri Compromise
An Economist Repudiates Slavery With Dollars and Sense Arguments
John Elliott Cairnes' devastating critique of Southern society sinks the Confederacy's campaign to bond with Britain
Exploring Gettysburg Through the Eyes of its Black Citizens
In Gettysburg, black citizens found fragile freedom.
Collegiate Conundrum
For its faults, the Electoral College has endured because it has fulfilled its main purpose—preventing stolen elections
Civil War Times Reviews: Lincoln’s Antagonists
Radicals in Congress—Black Republicans and a belligerent Copperhead—played a central role in prosecuting the war and impeaching Andrew Johnson
Abolitionist Brooklyn: A Sanctuary City Before Its Time
Separated from Southern-sympathizing Manhattan, Brooklyn had one of the largest and most politically aware Black communities in the U.S.
America’s Civil War Reviews: Close Quarters, Profound Trauma
The effects of imprisonment on the senses scarred prisoners for the rest of their lives
Vicksburg: Where Grant Learned How to Win the War
An little-discussed factor was the social revolution that preceded Vicksburg's surrender—the destruction of the plantation oligarchy and the liberation of 100,000 slaves
How Politics Affect The Way We Teach the Past
Textbooks in Blue California explain history one way while red Texas takes an opposite tack
Insight: How Hollywood Portrays Lincoln and His Commitment to Emancipation
Films from 2012 are relevant to continuing conceptions of the Civil War
Interview with Edward L. Ayers, Civil War Historian
Ayers argues that America should acknowledge the importance of emancipation with a national holiday.
A Virginia Slave Schooled in Scotland Made a Bravehearted Bid for His Freedom
Jamie Montgomery failed, but his case set a precedent that ended chattel bondage in Scotland 12 years later
