Civil War
Why Descendants Are Returning to the Plantations Where Their Ancestors Were Enslaved
Some Black Americans are reclaiming antebellum estates as part of their family legacy, reflecting the power and possibility of these historic sites
How Coffee Helped the Union Caffeinate Their Way to Victory in the Civil War
The North’s fruitful partnership with Liberian farmers fueled a steady supply of an essential beverage
Why Juneteenth, the U.S.'s Second Independence Day, Is a Federal Holiday
The celebration commemorates June 19, 1865, when a military decree informed the people of Texas that all enslaved people were free
How Jewish Soldiers Celebrated Passover in the Midst of the Civil War
A group of Union men from Ohio held a makeshift Seder in the western Virginia woods in 1862
The Club of Cape-Wearing Activists Who Helped Elect Lincoln—and Spark the Civil War
The untold story of the Wide Awakes, the young Americans who took up the torch for their antislavery cause and stirred the nation
The Man Behind 'Manhunt,' the New Apple TV+ Show About the Lincoln Assassination
Meet James Swanson, the lifelong Abraham Lincoln obsessive who wrote the nonfiction thriller that inspired the acclaimed miniseries
The Real History Behind Apple TV+'s 'Manhunt' and the Search for Abraham Lincoln's Killer
A new series dramatizes Edwin Stanton's hunt for John Wilkes Booth and his co-conspirators in the aftermath of the president’s 1865 assassination
How a Century of Black Westerns Shaped Movie History
Mario Van Peebles' "Outlaw Posse" is the latest attempt to correct the erasure of people of color from the classic cinema genre
How the Memory of a Song Reunited Two Women Separated by the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade
In 1990, scholars found a Sierra Leonean woman who remembered a nearly identical version of a tune passed down by a Georgia woman’s enslaved ancestors
Abraham Lincoln Pardoned Joe Biden's Great-Great-Grandfather, 160-Year-Old Records Reveal
Historian David J. Gerleman discovered the link between the two presidents while reviewing historic documents at the National Archives
Near the Site of the Gettysburg Address, These Black Civil War Veterans Remain Segregated, Even in Death
Denied burial alongside Union soldiers killed during the Battle of Gettysburg, the 30 or so men were instead buried in the all-Black Lincoln Cemetery
What a Teacher's Letters Reveal About Robert Smalls, Who Stole a Confederate Ship to Secure His Freedom From Slavery
Harriet M. Buss' missives home detail the future congressman's candid views on race and the complicity of Confederate women
Abraham Lincoln's Oft-Overlooked Campaign to Promote Immigration to the U.S.
A few weeks after the president delivered the Gettysburg Address, he called on Congress to welcome immigrants as a "source of national wealth and strength"
How the Smithsonian Is Helping Black Americans Trace Their Roots
Free sessions hosted by the National Museum of African American History and Culture offer visitors advice on researching their genealogy
117 Fascinating Finds Revealed in 2023
The year's most exciting discoveries included a stolen Vincent van Gogh painting, a hidden medieval crypt and a gold-covered mummy
Federal Judge Allows Removal of Confederate Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery
The Defense Department had mandated that the monument be dismantled by January 1, 2024
When Your Great-Great-Great-Grandfather Is a Civil War Hero
Can recreating photographs from the 19th century connect a family to its lost heritage?
Descendants of Black Civil War Heroes Wear Their Heritage With Pride
A bold new photographic project asks modern-day Americans to recreate portraits of their 19th-century ancestors in painstakingly accurate fashion
Unraveling Ulysses S. Grant's Complex Relationship With Slavery
The Union general directly benefited from the brutal institution before and during the Civil War
The Formerly Enslaved Black Bordello Queen Who Built a Notorious Business Empire
In 19th-century St. Louis, Madam Priscilla Henry earned a life-changing fortune—and scores of enemies vying for her crown
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