Was the early United States a “Christian nation?” Did most of its citizenry accept God and the Bible as the moral authority that bound them together as one nation? Scholars have taken a binary stance on these questions. Some argue that early America...
The United States is in midst of a political and cultural divide. The last time the United States faced this deep of a division, the nation descended into Civil War. Can history help us solve our present-day political and cultural crisis? Today, we...
Do you have what it takes to be a pioneer? If offered the opportunity, would you undertake a journey across the Oregon Trail in a mule-pulled covered wagon? Today, we explore the Oregon Trail past and present with Rinker Buck, author of The Oregon...
The American Civil War took place over 150 years ago. The war claimed over 600,000 American lives and its legacy affects the way present-day Americans view civil rights and race relations. The Civil War stands as an important, watershed event in...
On February 12, 1809, Nancy Hanks Lincoln gave birth to her second child, a son that she and her husband Thomas Lincoln named Abraham. Abraham Lincoln grew up as the son of a poor farmer. Yet, he became the 16th President of the United States. How...
The American Civil War claimed more than 620,000 American lives. Did you know that it also cost American forests, landscapes, cities, and institutions? Today, we explore the different types of ruination wrought by the Civil War with Megan Kate...
Between the 1830s and 1860s, a clandestine communications and transportation network called the “Underground Railroad” helped thousands of slaves escape to freedom. Today, we investigate this secret network with Eric Foner, a Pulitzer Prize-winning...
Do you know which early American reform movement pushed for abolition, women’s rights, pacifism, and economic growth? Today, Adam Shprintzen, Assistant Professor of History at Marywood University and author of The Vegetarian Crusade: The Rise of an...
Is the Republican Party, the party of Abraham Lincoln? The United States has entered presidential primary season, which means it won’t be long before a Republican presidential candidate or a reporter mentions the birth of the ‘Grand Old Party’ in...