Q&A | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/qa/RSS feed for Q&AenMon, 13 Apr 2026 11:45:00 +0000In 1776, the Declaration of Independence Was Breaking News. Here's How the Founding Document Reached the American Publichttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/in-1776-the-declaration-of-independence-was-breaking-news-heres-how-the-founding-document-reached-the-american-public-180988494/A new book by historian Emily Sneff records the journeys of the Declaration's first printed copies, tracking their reception in the Thirteen Colonies and overseasMon, 13 Apr 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/in-1776-the-declaration-of-independence-was-breaking-news-heres-how-the-founding-document-reached-the-american-public-180988494/The Reinvention of George Washington's Mother, From Paragon of Virtue to Greedy Shrew to Widow Striving for Independencehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-reinvention-of-george-washingtons-mother-from-paragon-of-virtue-to-greedy-shrew-to-widow-striving-for-independence-180987313/A new biography examines how 19th-century Americans remembered Mary Ball Washington, who raised the future president largely on her own after her husband’s death in 1743Thu, 11 Sep 2025 11:15:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-reinvention-of-george-washingtons-mother-from-paragon-of-virtue-to-greedy-shrew-to-widow-striving-for-independence-180987313/These Daring Revolutionary-Era Artists Promoted the Patriot Cause From the Heart of Enemy Territoryhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/these-daring-revolutionary-era-artists-promoted-the-patriot-cause-from-the-heart-of-enemy-territory-180986876/A new book explores how painters, sculptors and writers, especially women and people of color, used their craft to advocate for American independence while living in George III's capital cityTue, 01 Jul 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/these-daring-revolutionary-era-artists-promoted-the-patriot-cause-from-the-heart-of-enemy-territory-180986876/Newly Declassified Documents Reveal the Untold Stories of the Red Scare, a Hunt for Communists in Postwar Americahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/newly-declassified-documents-reveal-the-untold-stories-of-the-red-scare-a-hunt-for-communists-in-postwar-america-180986344/In his latest book, journalist and historian Clay Risen explores how the House Un-American Activities Committee and Senator Joseph McCarthy upended the nationTue, 01 Apr 2025 15:28:46 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/newly-declassified-documents-reveal-the-untold-stories-of-the-red-scare-a-hunt-for-communists-in-postwar-america-180986344/How a Leading Black Historian Uncovered Her Own Family's Painful Past—and Why Her Ancestors' Stories Give Her Hopehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-a-leading-black-historian-uncovered-her-own-familys-painful-past-and-why-her-ancestors-stories-give-her-hope-180986152/Martha S. Jones' new memoir draws on genealogical research and memories shared by relativesWed, 05 Mar 2025 11:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-a-leading-black-historian-uncovered-her-own-familys-painful-past-and-why-her-ancestors-stories-give-her-hope-180986152/How the Nation's First 'Madam Secretary' Fought to Save Jewish Refugees Fleeing From Nazi Germanyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-the-nations-first-madam-secretary-fought-to-save-jewish-refugees-fleeing-from-nazi-germany-180985850/A new book spotlights Frances Perkins' efforts to challenge the United States' restrictive immigration policies as President Franklin D. Roosevelt's secretary of laborTue, 21 Jan 2025 12:15:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-the-nations-first-madam-secretary-fought-to-save-jewish-refugees-fleeing-from-nazi-germany-180985850/The Roots of U.S. Work Culture—and Why the American Dream Is So Difficult to Achieve Todayhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-roots-of-us-work-culture-and-why-the-american-dream-is-so-difficult-to-achieve-today-180985767/A new book examines the evolution of the American workplace, interrogating the idea that hard work is enough to ensure successTue, 07 Jan 2025 12:15:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-roots-of-us-work-culture-and-why-the-american-dream-is-so-difficult-to-achieve-today-180985767/This Massive New Guidebook Will Forever Change the Way You Look at Treeshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/this-massive-new-guidebook-will-forever-change-the-way-you-look-at-trees-180985008/Written by Smithsonian botanist W. John Kress, the book details more than 300 North American tree species in words, maps and photographs—and why we shouldn't take them for grantedTue, 03 Sep 2024 15:15:08 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/this-massive-new-guidebook-will-forever-change-the-way-you-look-at-trees-180985008/What the American Revolution Taught the United States' First Presidentshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-american-revolution-taught-united-states-first-presidents-180984842/A new book by historian William E. Leuchtenburg examines how the first six commanders in chief embodied the revolutionary spirit and set precedents that shaped their successors' tenuresThu, 15 Aug 2024 11:15:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-american-revolution-taught-united-states-first-presidents-180984842/How a 1924 Immigration Act Laid the Groundwork for Japanese American Incarcerationhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-a-1924-immigration-act-laid-the-groundwork-for-japanese-american-incarceration-180983757/A Smithsonian curator and a historian discuss the links between the Johnson-Reed Act and Executive Order 9066, which rounded up 120,000 Japanese Americans in camps across the Western U.S.Fri, 16 Feb 2024 12:15:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-a-1924-immigration-act-laid-the-groundwork-for-japanese-american-incarceration-180983757/