American South | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/american-south-1/RSS feed for American SouthenThu, 18 Jun 2026 16:29:01 +0000By Signing His Name to Massive Jars, This Enslaved Artist Defied Literacy Bans in the South. Now, His Masterpiece Is on View With a Famed Paul Revere Bowlhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/by-signing-his-name-to-massive-jars-this-enslaved-artist-david-drake-defied-literacy-bans-in-the-south-now-his-masterpiece-is-on-view-with-a-famed-paul-revere-bowl-180988964/Born into slavery around 1800, David Drake was a skilled ceramicist. His work will be on display at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston as the institution marks America's 250th birthdayThu, 18 Jun 2026 16:29:01 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/by-signing-his-name-to-massive-jars-this-enslaved-artist-david-drake-defied-literacy-bans-in-the-south-now-his-masterpiece-is-on-view-with-a-famed-paul-revere-bowl-180988964/Workers Dredging the Savannah River Stumbled Upon 19 Cannons That Had Been Underwater Since the Revolutionary Warhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/workers-dredging-the-savannah-river-stumbled-upon-19-cannons-that-had-been-underwater-since-the-revolutionary-war-180988928/The centuries-old artifacts emerged from the riverbed between 2021 and 2022. Experts spent several years carefully restoring 17 of them, which will make their public debut in a new exhibitionWed, 10 Jun 2026 18:13:58 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/workers-dredging-the-savannah-river-stumbled-upon-19-cannons-that-had-been-underwater-since-the-revolutionary-war-180988928/Alan Lomax Spent Years Traveling the Country to Record the Sounds of America. The Legacy of His Obsession Will Live Foreverhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/alan-lomax-spent-years-traveling-country-record-sounds-america-legacy-obsession-live-forever-180988858/By letting Muddy Waters hear himself for the first time, he unlocked a new confidence that set the sharecropper on the path to superstardom. And that’s just the start of what he found in churches, prisons and even lumberjack campsWed, 10 Jun 2026 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/alan-lomax-spent-years-traveling-country-record-sounds-america-legacy-obsession-live-forever-180988858/One of the Quietest Leaders in the Civil Rights Movement, Ella Baker Led by Encouraging Everyone to Get Involvedhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/one-quietest-leaders-civil-rights-movement-ella-baker-led-encouraging-everyone-get-involved-180988846/Baker's work was instrumental in the success of the NAACP and other organizations, but she did it in a way that didn’t put herself in the spotlight. That was by designWed, 10 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/one-quietest-leaders-civil-rights-movement-ella-baker-led-encouraging-everyone-get-involved-180988846/