Benjamin N. Lawrance— March 9 marks the 174th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision U.S. v Amistad, one of the most celebrated U.S. “freedom suits.” Since the case’s conclusion in 1841, the charismatic leadership of Cinqué (Sengbe Pieh) and the rhetorical prowess of former President John Quincy Adams and others
With the end of February marking the end of Black History Month, it’s time for a little pop quiz. Carla L. Peterson, author of Black Gotham, has put together a quiz on black history in New York. Let’see what we’ve all learned this month! [bs_collapse id=”collapse_968c-3e48″][bs_citem title=”1. Describe New York’s antebellum
Lorri Glover— A cold northwestern wind blew across the clear skies of the Virginia Chesapeake on February 22, 1799. Unlike so many frigid birthdays before, this one George Washington spent at home, happy and at peace. As with so much else in his adult life, Washington was usually too busy
Julius Getman— February 11 is a date with special significance for union leaders, members, and supporters. On that date in 1937, the General Motors Flint facility ended its sit-down strike with a dynamic and long-lasting union victory. General Motors was forced to recognize and bargain with the UAW—something it vowed not
February is Black History Month! It’s a time, as President Ford put it, to “honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” Here are ten books to check out this month, each of which contributes to a fuller articulation of African American
Michael Wayne— On the anniversary of Martin Luther King’s birthday, media outlets across the country will be running excerpts from his famous “I Have a Dream” speech delivered at the March on Washington. Let’s look at a somewhat different version of his dream, this one presented at the annual convention
Wendy Hamand Venet— One hundred fifty years ago today, General William T. Sherman arrived in Savannah at the conclusion of his March to the Sea. In a telegram sent on December 22, 1864, Sherman presented the city to President Abraham Lincoln as a Christmas gift. Because Savannah had little military
In the harsh winter of 1944-45, the month-long battle for Bastogne, a town with a peacetime population of 4,000 and seven roads, claimed 23,000 American and 25,000 German lives. To commemorate the seventieth anniversary of the siege, which was part of the larger Battle of the Bulge, historian Peter Schrijvers, author of
Susan Hardman Moore— Thanksgiving, turkey, the last Thursday in November. By tradition, this national holiday replays the Pilgrims’ celebration of their first New World harvest. But arguably it owes as much to nineteenth-century patriotism as to anything that happened in Plymouth in 1621. Evidence about the “First Thanksgiving” is
Nigel Hamilton— Nixon’s emotional outburst, claiming at a press conference in Florida that he was not a crook, forty-one years ago today, gave Freudian psychologists their best insight into the mind of a most complicated president—both then and a year later, when he became only the second president to be