The history of Arlington National Cemetery
Learn who owned Arlington before the Civil War and how it came to be known as Arlington National Cemetery.
Kanagawa Treaty initiated a new era in the Far East
Kanagawa Treaty marked the end of Japan's 220-year-old policy of national seclusion by opening the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to American vessels.
The long history of the Fourth of July
Hugh Earnhart details the long history of the Fourth of July — the birthday of the United States of America.
Formation of the Confederacy preceded American Civil War
Discontent grew in the South until southern states began seceding and eventually formed the Confederacy to oppose the Union army in the American Civil War.
When Lincoln was thanked by Sojourner Truth
Learn more about the life and work of Sojourner Truth and the time she visited Abraham Lincoln to thank him for issuing the Emancipation Proclamation.
Spies played important role in Civil War
During the Civil War, there were spies who gathered information for the Union and Confederate causes. Hugh Earnhart details the big five.
Foolhardy Custer longed for a feat of valor
Learn more about the Battle of the Little Bighorn and Col. George A. Custer.
Puritans paved the way for American way of life
The Plymouth colony was never large, but it played a significant role in pointing other dissenters the way to the New World.
Corps of Discovery paved the way west
Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and the rest of the Corps of Discovery were the first white men to cross the western half of the U.S. in 1804.
Morrill Acts created land-grant colleges
The land grant colleges teach agriculture, mechanics and military science. Learn how the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890.
