U.S. History

Puerto Ricans were granted U.S. citizenship on the eve of America's entry into the First World War. This picture comes from 1906 and shows the officer staff of the Regiment of Infantry.

Puerto Ricans Got U.S. Citizenship 100 Years Ago—But Their Identity Remains Fraught

Even a century later, those who live in the U.S. territory have little autonomy

An 1851 map of the United States shows Texas and the New Mexico, Utah and Indian Territories.

History of Now

For More Than 150 Years, Texas Has Had the Power to Secede…From Itself

A quirk of a 19th-century Congressional resolution could allow Texas to split up into five states

The cartoon by Thomas Nast shows the battles between President Johnson and Congress over Reconstruction.

Document Deep Dive

The Political Cartoon That Explains the Battle Over Reconstruction

Take a deep dive into this drawing by famed illustrator Thomas Nast

Susan, far left, with her husband (seated with puppy) at their Bancroft, Nebraska, home.

The Incredible Legacy of Susan La Flesche, the First Native American to Earn a Medical Degree

With few rights as a woman and as an Indian, the pioneering doctor provided valuable health care and resources to her Omaha community

Follow the Path of the Freedom Riders in This Interactive Map

These civil rights activists showed true courage in telling the nation about the segregated South

Ace Harlyn (active ca. 1930–40), Charlie Wagner tattooing Millie Hull, 1939, oil on canvas

Tattooing Was Illegal in New York City Until 1997

The New-York Historical Society's newest exhibit delves into the history of the city's once-turbulent ink scene

Obama's Powerful Tribute to a Defining Civil Rights Moment

On the 50th anniversary of the march from Selma to Montgomery, the first African American president paid tribute to an event in civil rights history

The Watanabe family brought this suitcase with them to Idaho's Minidoka camp. Evacuees were allowed to bring only what they could carry.

What's Changed in the 30 Years Since the Smithsonian Opened an Exhibition on Japanese Internment

A new display at the American History Museum marks the 75th Anniversary of Executive Order 9066

How Obama's Historic 2008 DNC Speech Came Together

Presidential candidate Barack Obama's scheduled speech to the Democratic National Convention fell on the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech

Children have been crippled by land mines in Cambodia.

The Historic Innovation of Land Mines—And Why We've Struggled to Get Rid of Them

A number of researchers are developing tools to defuse or detonate land mines without harming civilians

Abraham Lincoln Rocks in Tijuana

Why Abraham Lincoln Was Revered in Mexico

As a young Congressman and later as the nation’s leader, the first Republican president proved to be a true friend to America’s neighbor to the south

Joan Crawford in Letty Lynton (1932)

When Hollywood Glamour Was Sold at the Local Department Store

During the 1930s, the world’s most fashionable looks came not from Paris, but from La-La Land

Seward paid $200,000 extra to get the territory “free and clear.”

The Everlasting, Awe-Inspiring Power of Alaska

For 150 years, Alaska has been a part of the United States, and it's never ceased to amaze

Misty Copeland sees dance as a “language and a culture that people from everywhere, all over the world, can relate to and understand and come together for.”

In the Footsteps of Three Modern American Prima Ballerinas

A new exhibition shows that classical ballet and the role of the ballerina are rapidly changing

Andrew Jackson's sarcophagus

Andrew Jackson Was a Populist Even on His Deathbed

This lavishly decorated crypt was considered too ornate for the American president

Joshua Speed found his BFF in Abraham Lincoln.

The True Friendship That Saved Abraham Lincoln's Life

Before he was president, Lincoln's lasting relationship with Joshua Speed brought him out of the doldrums of despair

Benjamin Montgomery succeeded despite being refused a patent.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

With Patents or Without, Black Inventors Reshaped American Industry

American slaves couldn't hold property, including patents on their own inventions. But that didn't stop black Americans from innovating in our country

Abraham Lincoln photographed shortly after the presidential election in November 1860, by Alex Hesler of Chicago, at Lincoln's home in Springfield, Illinois.

When Lincoln Was More a Politician Than an "Honest Abe"

He resorted to a dirty trick to embarrass a rival

At the National Women's Conference in Houston, Texas, 20,000 women convened to debate the issues that affected them. Here, Congresswoman Bella Abzug (D-N.Y.), wearing her trademark hat, and Betty Friedan (left, in red coat).

The 1977 Conference on Women's Rights That Split America in Two

Feminism and the conservative movement clashed over issues such as abortion and LGBTQ rights

A segregated bus stop in North Carolina.

The Complicated Racial Politics of Going “Undercover” to Report on the Jim Crow South

How one journalist became black to investigate segregation and what that means today

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