https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/westward-expansion/RSS feed for Westward ExpansionenWed, 24 Jun 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-century-and-a-half-after-custers-last-stand-the-battle-of-little-bighorn-continues-to-mystify-180988984/The June 1876 firefight resulted in the deaths of George Armstrong Custer and 267 of his men. Historians continue to debate exactly how the Lakota Sioux and the Northern Cheyenne secured their victory over the U.S. ArmyWed, 24 Jun 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-century-and-a-half-after-custers-last-stand-the-battle-of-little-bighorn-continues-to-mystify-180988984/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/these-ten-remarkable-objects-from-the-smithsonian-collections-make-the-case-for-americas-status-as-the-innovation-nation-180988874/An encouragement for invention was written right into the Constitution, and whatever the task at hand, someone is always up for the challengeTue, 09 Jun 2026 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/these-ten-remarkable-objects-from-the-smithsonian-collections-make-the-case-for-americas-status-as-the-innovation-nation-180988874/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/native-nations-fought-in-the-american-revolution-to-protect-their-ancestral-lands-after-the-war-settlers-seized-their-territory-anyway-180988435/The conflict divided the six tribes of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, most of whom decided to join the British. The former allies clashed at the Battle of Oriskany in New York in 1777Fri, 03 Apr 2026 11:15:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/native-nations-fought-in-the-american-revolution-to-protect-their-ancestral-lands-after-the-war-settlers-seized-their-territory-anyway-180988435/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-fire-ravaged-a-historic-200-year-old-tavern-in-ohio-these-are-the-artifacts-archaeologists-found-in-the-wreckage-180987651/Excavations at the Overfield Tavern Museum revealed a treasure trove of objects, including jewelry, dishware, a bottle cork, a smoking pipe and early American currencyFri, 14 Nov 2025 15:21:14 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-fire-ravaged-a-historic-200-year-old-tavern-in-ohio-these-are-the-artifacts-archaeologists-found-in-the-wreckage-180987651/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/return-plundered-heirlooms-offers-chance-healing-grieving-lakota-community-170-after-long-forgotten-massacre-180987246/In the conclusion of a long-awaited turn of events, the Great Plains tribe has now reclaimed cherished items stolen from their ancestors by the U.S. ArmyWed, 27 Aug 2025 17:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/return-plundered-heirlooms-offers-chance-healing-grieving-lakota-community-170-after-long-forgotten-massacre-180987246/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-davy-crockett-the-rugged-frontiersman-killed-at-the-alamo-became-an-unlikely-american-hero-180987140/During his lifetime, Crockett—who went by David, not Davy—shaped his own myth. In the 20th century, his legacy got a boost from none other than Walt DisneyMon, 18 Aug 2025 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-davy-crockett-the-rugged-frontiersman-killed-at-the-alamo-became-an-unlikely-american-hero-180987140/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-visionary-african-american-politician-dreamed-of-creating-an-all-black-state-in-oklahoma-territory-180987093/Edward P. McCabe petitioned Benjamin Harrison for an opportunity to show him that Black people "are men and women capable of self‑government." When the president was unmoved, McCabe and his followers went west anywayTue, 12 Aug 2025 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-visionary-african-american-politician-dreamed-of-creating-an-all-black-state-in-oklahoma-territory-180987093/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-real-history-of-the-complex-relationship-between-chinese-and-black-americans-in-the-mississippi-delta-180986615/The remarkable success of the movie “Sinners” has sparked a renewed interest in how the two communities wrestled with life under Jim CrowTue, 13 May 2025 19:29:16 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-real-history-of-the-complex-relationship-between-chinese-and-black-americans-in-the-mississippi-delta-180986615/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-a-historian-saw-this-haunting-photograph-of-a-nameless-native-girl-she-decided-she-had-to-identify-her-180986496/In 1868, Sophie Mousseau was photographed at Fort Laramie alongside six white Army officers. But her identity—and her life story—remained unknown for more than a centuryTue, 29 Apr 2025 10:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-a-historian-saw-this-haunting-photograph-of-a-nameless-native-girl-she-decided-she-had-to-identify-her-180986496/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/dramatic-photos-its-always-high-noon-in-tombstone-arizona-180986231/Saddle up for a visit to the most notorious town in the West, where a certain infamous showdown happens day after dayMon, 31 Mar 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/dramatic-photos-its-always-high-noon-in-tombstone-arizona-180986231/