AMERICAN HERITAGE

Featured Articles

A preeminent author recalls his experience as one of America's first combat historians, among a handful of men who accompanied soldiers into the bloodiest battles to write history as it was being made

A Comedy of Errors at the Nobel Prize

by Ann Crittenden

We've gotten one farce after another from the secretive judges at the Swedish Academy who confer the world's most prestigious prize for literature

Blackface: the Sad History of Minstrel Shows

by Edwin S. Grosvenor

For most of the 1800s, whites in blackface performed in widely popular minstrel shows, creating racist stereotypes that endured for more than a century.

The Importance of Mill Springs

by Jack Hurst

The first significant Union victory in the Civil War is now honored at one of the newest National Monuments. It was a battle too often ignored by historians and the public.

Web Exclusive

The Woman Who Said “No” to War

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

Why Today Is an Anti-American Holiday in Panama

by Jack Kelly | Wed, 01/09/2019 - 17:35

The "Wild West" Division Fights in Germany

by Edward G. Lengel | Wed, 01/09/2019 - 17:12

The Gentle Wit of Robert Benchley

by Bruce Watson | Thu, 02/15/2018 - 13:07

The First Washington Monument Is Threatened

by Edward G. Lengel | Thu, 02/15/2018 - 11:52

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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

Residence Act signed, making Washington D.C capital

President George Washington signs the Residence Act into law, officially designating Washington, D.C. as the future capital of the United States. Washington D.C. was chosen during a compromise between Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison, as Jefferson and Madison wanted a southern capital close to Virginia while Hamilton sought their political support for the Assumption bill.
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Mary Todd Lincoln dies

Former First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln passes away in Springfield, Illinois, 17 years after her husband was assassinated. Lincoln suffered from severe depression, having buried her husband and all but one of her children, and was confined to an asylum by her eldest son, Robert.
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