AMERICAN HERITAGE

Featured Articles

Roosevelt felt the country needed “direct, vigorous action” to pull it out of the Depression.

Freedom of Religion: America’s Greatest Invention

While much of the world still faces restrictions on religion, America's unique approach brought about both religious freedom and spiritual vibrancy.

George Washington Invents the Presidency

by Joseph J. Ellis

The young nation was lucky to have the only candidate on earth who could do the job

A History of Gun Rights in America

by Patrick J. Charles

After ten years of research into the history of gun rights, it’s clear that most Americans' understanding of the “right to bear arms” is not consistent with historical facts.

Web Exclusive

Jefferson, Lafayette, and The Roads Taken and Untaken

by Tom Chaffin | Fri, 01/17/2020 - 09:56

The “Miracle Mets" of '69 Win the World Series

by Bruce Watson | Tue, 10/15/2019 - 17:07

Announcing a Major New Website on Colonial Taverns

by George Goss | Tue, 09/03/2019 - 15:21

The Real Woodstock

by Bruce Watson | Thu, 08/15/2019 - 10:51

The Woman Who Said “No” to War

by Bruce Watson | Wed, 01/09/2019 - 17:35

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History around the web

The AP's Secret Deal with the Nazis, by Michael S. Rosenwald Did the Associated Press violate the "Trading with the Enemy Act" to profit from selling Nazi propaganda photos, or was this an authorized effort to gain images with legitimate news value?

Frederick Douglass, Refugee, by David Blight Millions forced to flee as refugees and beg for asylum have felt Douglass’s agony, and thought his thoughts.

Gwen Ifill’s Clear-eyed Coverage of Bill Clinton, by David W. Dunlap This past year we lost a legend in the field of journalism. A look back at her coverage of Bill Clinton and the 1992 election and the journalist with the ability to bridge many gaps between race, gender and generations.

What Abraham Lincoln Can Teach Us About Ugly Politics, by Mark Tooley We should recall Lincoln's confidence in American democracy despite the perceived failure of the Washington Peace Conference of 1861.

Roosevelt Was Hardly Naive About Stalin, by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. When they met at Yalta, Roosevelt and Stalin had corresponded in more than 300 letters.

Today in History

Nixon announces peace in Vietnam

President Richard Nixon announces that National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger and North Vietnamese diplomat Lê Đức Thọ agreed upon a cease fire in Southeast Asia following the Paris Peace Talks.
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USS Pueblo incident

North Korean naval forces capture the USS Pueblo, a Naval intelligence ship performing a regular reconnaissance mission in the Sea of Japan. The North Koreans declared that the Pueblo was in territorial waters, and later tortured Commander Pete Bucher, the ship's captain. The crew was released across the "Bridge of No Return" on December 23, 1968, following an American apology.
John Hancock born

Patriot John Hancock is born in Braintree, now Quincy, Massachusetts. Hancock, a successful merchant who took control of the family company, the House of Hancock, gained popularity in Boston for protesting the British taxes. Elected President of the Second Continental Congress in 1775, Hancock was the first man to sign the Declaration of Independence the following year.
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