American History

George Washington, shown here in an 1853 lithograph, oversees his slaves at Mount Vernon.

Founding Fathers and Slaveholders

To what degree do the attitudes of Washington and Jefferson toward slavery diminish their achievements?

During the Cuban Missile Crisis, Soviet warheads on Cuban soil could have attacked many major U.S. cities.

Learning from the Missile Crisis

What Really Happened on Those Thirteen Fateful Days in October

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Joyous View

A biographer and his subject, William Clark, meet in St. Louis

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Gods and Moguls

After the events of September 11, even historical fiction takes on new meaning. Just ask Ted Turner

Norman Rockwell's "Four Freedoms" theme was rejected at first, but the posters became classics.

Any Bonds Today?

When Uncle Sam passed the hat in World War II, Americans came up with $185 billion to buy U.S. bonds

Alexander Mitchell Palmer

Crackdown!

When bombs terrorized America, the Attorney General launched the "Palmer Raids"

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Martin as Muse

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Fresh Eyes

It turns out the America portrayed by printmakers Currier and Ives was not all sleigh rides in the snow

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Mongrel Nation

Time and again, America has demonstrated a resilience that is rooted in the remarkable diversity of her people

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Hallowed Ground

An investigation of old grave sites in New England is unearthing hard truths about yankees and slavery

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Mamie's Purse

For an inaugural ball, a victim of war created an evening bag for the First Lady of a war hero

Stuart's Lansdowne portrait of George Washington

A Gift to the Nation

Benjamin Franklin

Dr. Franklin's Plan

This printer, scientist and ambassador early formed a plan for himself —and for the country he helped to found

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The Hungry Years by T. H. Watkins

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Our Flag Was Still There

It's the star-spangled banner; the anthem it inspired plays on as a musical salute to the stars and stripes

Capturing America's Fight for Freedom

Smithsonian experts help the makers of Mel Gibson's new movie, The Patriot, create scenes and bring the conflict's many factions into sharper focus

George Mason

George Mason: Forgotten Founder, He Conceived the Bill of Rights

This wise Virginian was a friend to four future presidents, yet he refused to sign the Constitution

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Myles and Me

The author, who according to family legend is a direct descendant of Myles Standish, surveys the checkered career of his pugnacious Pilgrim ancestor

The Hatfield clan in 1897

A Tale of Fatal Feuds and Futile Forensics

A Smithsonian anthropologist digs for victims of a West Virginia mob murder

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Picturing the American Century

As the 1900s slip away, New York's Whitney Museum recalls the artists and images that made these years uniquely ours

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