Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

American History

Parade with banner showing head and shoulder portraits of Grover Cleveland, Adlai E. Stevenson and Gov. John Peter Altgeld.

Musical Mudslinging on the Campaign Trail

Before TV came on the scene, presidential candidates relied on campaign songs for negative advertising

An undated rendering of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address

Ted Sorensen on Abraham Lincoln: A Man of His Words

Kennedy advisor Ted Sorensen found that of all the U.S. presidents, Lincoln had the best speechwriter—himself

At age 107, Frank Buckles proudly wears the French Legion of Honor medal, one of many honors to have come his way lately.

World War I: 100 Years Later

The Last Doughboy of World War I

Frank Buckles lied about his age to serve in World War I

None

Bill Viola: The Mind’s Eye

Douglas expected to crush his untried opponent in the enormously crowd-pleasing debates

How Lincoln Bested Douglas in Their Famous Debates

The 1858 debates reframed America’s argument about slavery and transformed Lincoln into a presidential contender

Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas debated in seven different locations in Illinois.

Lincoln-Douglas Debate Negotiations

Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas engaged in pre-debate negotiations in 1858

None

Fergus M. Bordewich on “Face the Nation”

Inside the convention hall, delegates battled over the Vietnam War and the power of the party establishment. Outside, Chicago police prepared for a parallel battle with antiwar protesters who flooded the city.

1968 Democratic Convention

The Bosses Strike Back

Truman committed the Democrats to civil rights. After the party splintered, Strom Thurmond ran as the candidate of the States’ Rights Party.

1948 Democratic Convention

The South Secedes Again

Theodore Roosevelt giving a campaign speech.

1912 Republican Convention

Return of the Rough Rider

Red, white and bruising: at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, conflicts within the hall were amplified in violence on Chicago’s streets.

Parties to History

Four Political Conventions That Changed America

The DefendantsNathan Leopold (left) and his lover Richard Loeb confessed that they had kidnapped and murdered Bobby Franks solely for the thrill of the experience.

Leopold and Loeb’s Criminal Minds

In defense of murderers Leopold and Loeb, attorney Clarence Darrow thwarted a nation’s call for vengeance

Frederick Douglass

Conventional Facts

Delegates to the Republican National Convention stage a huge demonstration for Senator Barry Goldwater, after his name was placed in nomination for the Presidency.

How the 1964 Republican Convention Sparked a Revolution From the Right

At the ugliest of Republican conventions since 1912, entrenched moderates faced off against conservative insurgents

Believe it: “The X-Files” are at the Smithsonian

“Everybody needs beauty... places to play and pray in, where Nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike,” wrote Muir (c. 1902).

John Muir’s Yosemite

The father of the conservation movement found his calling on a visit to the California wilderness

French and Indian War: "The Night Council at Fort Necessity." Ilustration

The First “Teflon” Hero

What July 4th, 1754 reveals about George Washington’s survival skills

Katrina Browne and a Ghanaian child on the ramparts of Cape Coast Castle slave fort.

A Northern Family Confronts Its Slaveholding Past

Filmmaker Katrina Browne discusses her family’s role in American slavery

On her final day as first lady, Betty Ford told Kennerly her idea for the Cabinet Room table.

Betty Ford’s Tabled Resolution

Betty Ford had a what-the-hell moment—and an accomplice in photographer David Hume Kennerly

A Mormon encampment in Provo, 1858

The Brink of War

One hundred fifty years ago, the U.S. Army marched into Utah prepared to battle Brigham Young and his Mormon militia

Page 202 of 208