The Continuing Relevance of Frederick Douglass
Douglass is best-known for his role in the abolitionist movement that helped end slavery. But much of his thought is also relevant to contemporary issues.
Civil War
Hulu's 1619 Project Docuseries Peddles False History
The first episode paints an enslaver, plantation master, and Royalist autocrat as a leading and even celebrated agent of emancipation.
How the U.S. Paid for the Civil War
Lincoln's wartime governance had dire, and longstanding, economic consequences.
How George Dawes Greene's The Moth Reinvented Storytelling
The novelist talks about The Kingdoms of Savannah and creating The Moth.
What the Methodist Split Tells Us About American Political Polarization
However this denominational divorce plays out, theology around same-sex relationships isn’t the only thing driving Methodists apart.
George Dawes Green: Why the Past—and Storytelling—Is Never Dead
The creator of The Moth talks about why the past is never dead, especially in his new novel The Kingdoms of Savannah.
The 1619 Project Unrepentantly Pushes Junk History
Nikole Hannah-Jones' new book sidesteps scholarly critics while quietly deleting previous factual errors.
Are We Always on the Verge of Civil War?
All that Civil War II talk is overblown—but that isn't the only sort of political violence to worry about.
Was the Capitol Riot Really the Opening Battle of a Civil War?
There are good reasons to think polls grossly exaggerate the number of Americans who support political violence.
America's Divisions May Have Passed the Tipping Point
If we can’t learn to leave each other alone, the country may have a violent meltdown.
Juneteenth Is a Good Holiday. Of Course the Government Is Screwing It Up.
Yet more evidence that we are ruled by incompetents.
Autonomous 'Slaughterbot' Drones Reportedly Attack Libyans Using Facial Recognition Tech
Should they be banned?
Kenosha Doesn't Have To Be a Vision of America's Future
Neither does Portland. But the fact that the violence is continuous and seems to be escalating is cause for concern.
Let's Have Fewer Public Statues
Those smitten by John Wayne, Robert E. Lee, or even Joseph Stalin should commission statues on their own property. The rest of us have more important issues to debate.
The Rights and Wrongs of Taking Down Monuments
There is good reason to take down Confederate monuments. But rioting and vandalism are the wrong way to go about it.
Both Left and Right Should Stop Blithely Wishing for a New Civil War
All that accomplishes is encouraging us to view our fellow Americans as enemies, to see ourselves as members of warring tribes rather than citizens of a nation.
She Came To Slay
The deeply human Harriet Tubman who emerges in Dunbar's book was exhausted, frustrated—and heroic.
Trump's Civil War Tweet Is Bad. This Other Tweet May Be Unconstitutional.
Plus: newspapers vs. Google, The Federalist vs. the National Labor Relations Board, and more...
Cynthia Nicoletti's Secession on Trial: The Treason Prosecution of Jefferson Davis
Constitutional theory meets criminal defense meets Civil War history.
UNC's Century-Old Confederate Monument Takes a Tumble
Silent Sam was erected in 1913 to honor UNC students who fought and died for the south. Critics say it is a symbol of white supremacy.
The Answer Trump Needs in Syria
Withdrawal and diplomacy is the most prudent path forward in Syria. Not military escalation.
Woman Still Getting Civil-War Survivor Benefits Shows How Federal Policies Mortgage the Future
Abraham Lincoln couldn't have dreamed that 21st-century Americans would still be paying for pensions created under him.
Abe Lincoln's Visit to Richmond, Va. Caused Controversy, Back in 2002
Monuments do not merely signify the existence of historical facts; they pass judgment upon them.
Virginia Governor Responds to Violence with Temporary Protest Ban in Richmond
No more public gathering around a handful of Confederate monuments until the government can make more rules.
Trump's Idea of Uniting the Country: Complaining About Removal of Confederate Memorials
But guess what happens whenever art gets in the way of one of his developments?
Despite the President's Pandering, White Nationalists Are Still Losing
As Trump learned this week, pandering to white nationalists means alienating most other Americans.
Charlottesville's Legacy Shaping Up As Exact Opposite of What Alt-Right Wanted
After this weekend's white-supremacist rally in Virginia, more Southern cities announce plans to take down Confederate monuments.
Confederate Monuments Deserve to Go
Taking them down and putting up different statues is a reminder that in understanding the past, we shape the future.
Old Times There Are Best Forgotten
Why government-funded agencies should display Confederate symbols only at historic sites or museums
The Last Consolation of Jefferson Davis
A few years ago, Congress pardoned the Confederate president but his statues and namesakes may be starting to come down.
Civil War Games and Apps Return Online
Anti-Confederate flag push led to some absurd outcomes that are being rolled back.
South Carolina Should Dump the Confederate Flag
In 2015, it's an expression of hostility, not only toward black people, but to broader ideals of how the nation should come to terms with the legacy of racism.
Venerating Lincoln
A history of Abraham Lincoln's critics would be improved if the author weren't so smitten with Lincoln himself.
Tonight on The Independents: A Very Special Presidents' Day Episode
It's a Fox Business presidentapalooza.
US Intel: Syrian Chemical Weapons Deal Has Strengthened Assad
Less likely that rebels will force him out
Russia Tells US It Will Continue Supporting Assad in Syria
Regardless of scheduled peace talks
Social Media Part of the Battlefield in Syria
Malware and exploits used to gather intelligence