History
She Came To Slay
The deeply human Harriet Tubman who emerges in Dunbar's book was exhausted, frustrated—and heroic.
Why LBJ's Great Society Flopped—and What It Means for the 2020 Election
Amity Shlaes's new history of the late 1960s explains the failure of the last time the federal government tried to fix all that was wrong with America.
Here's the One Book All the Democratic Candidates (and President Trump) Should Read
Amity Shlaes' Great Society: A New History details the failure of massive governmental attempts to remake society.
The Autobiography of an Ex-Black Man: Thomas Chatterton Williams
The new memoir Self-Portrait in Black and White: Unlearning Race is a powerful personal statement and national call to arms.
Forgotten Workers
The National Museum of American History display recognizes the throngs who helped enable America's westward expansion.
Jonah Goldberg on Why He Left National Review, Dislikes Sean Hannity and Seb Gorka, and Is Inching Toward Libertarianism
The conservative critic of Donald Trump and author of Liberal Fascism and Suicide of the West is launching The Dispatch, a site for principled conservatism.
The Myth of the 'Opium War'
The vast majority of opium users in China were not the desperate addicts portrayed by proponents of prohibition.
Escape from Earth
Was rocketry pioneer Frank Malina written out of some histories of space exploration for his political sins?
On Thanksgiving, Be Grateful for Property Rights
When people respect private property, they interact more peacefully.
The First Presidential Debates Featured Wax Dummies and Phonograph Records
Friday A/V Club: Long before Kennedy and Nixon, there were Bryan and Taft.
Hardcore History's Dan Carlin on Why The End Is Always Near
The podcast superstar talks about how media gatekeepers have been mostly vanquished and his deep interest in liberty and freedom.
"I Don't Think We've Had Any [Constitutional] Crises in My Lifetime": Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg
The legendary jurist and champion of "originalism" who withdrew his name from Supreme Court consideration weighs in on Donald Trump's impeachment, Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch, and his upcoming PBS series on the Constitution.
Oscar-Winner Errol Morris on American Dharma, Steve Bannon, and Cancel Culture
"They wanted to deplatform me," says the legendary filmmaker, for the mortal sin of engaging former Trump adviser and Breitbart.com head.
A German Museum Tried To Hide This Stunning 3D Scan of an Iconic Egyptian Artifact. Today You Can See It for the First Time
After a three-year freedom of information campaign, everyone can finally see the Egyptian Museum of Berlin’s official scan of the Bust of Nefertiti.
Is Socialism Preferable To Capitalism? A Soho Forum Debate
Richard D. Wolff squares off against Gene Epstein on which system better promotes freedom, equality, and prosperity.
The Apollo Documents the Making (and Breaking) of Many an Entertainer
Harlem’s famous incubator of black performers gets a closer look on HBO.
The Medal of Honor Recipient vs. The Historian, and the Right of Publicity
"The more research Mr. Rigg did for the book, the more discrepancies appeared."
Justice Story on Originalism and Judicial Independence
An old argument against "flexible and changeable interpretation."
The Creek Nation and the Culture of Consent
Under threat from the United States, Creek people replaced consent with coercion. Then they lost everything.
HBO's Catherine The Great Is All Glamour, Little Substance
Screenwriter Nigel Williams seems to have thought he was working on Fast Times At Moscow High.
The Possibly Pending Death of a Legendary Radio Station
Friday A/V Club: When Timothy Leary, Ayn Rand, and Big Mama Thornton shared a microphone
Trump Does Not Need Alligators in Moats for a Draconian Anti-Immigration Crackdown—He's Already Outdoing Ike's Harsh 'Operation Wetback'
Trump admires one of the darkest chapters in America's deportation history.
Occult Features of Anarchism
An anthropologist examines secret societies, revolutionary movements, and esoteric ideas.
Abortion Bans Failed in the 19th Century. They'll Also Fail in the 21st.
History provides a window into how abortion bans will play out if re-instituted.
Ken Burns Delves into the Hardscrabble History of Country Music
You don’t have to enjoy the genre to find this 16-hour PBS docuseries fascinating.
Teen Witnesses to 9/11 Reminisce About the Horrors They Saw That Day
New HBO documentary is moving … until it wanders into our current politics.
The Peace-Loving Military Robots' Plot
Friday A/V Club: That time NBC broadcast a radical Philip K. Dick fable to a 1950s audience
The 80th Anniversary of the Nazi-Soviet Pact
Today is the anniversary of perhaps the most awful international agreement in all of world history.
The Founders Were Flawed. The Nation Is Imperfect. The Constitution Is Still a 'Glorious Liberty Document.'
As part of its ambitious “1619” inquiry into the legacy of slavery, The New York Times revives false 19th century revisionist history about the American founding.
My Review of an Important New Book on the Supreme Court's Impact on American Federalism
The book by political scientist Michael Dichio argues that the Court has done more to promote centralization than protect states, and is the most thorough analysis to date, of this longstanding issue..
New Woodstock Documentary Should Make Boomers Question Their Accomplishments
If a chaotic concert that nearly failed "defined a generation," what does that actually mean?
Neighborhood Activists Would Rather Preserve Tom's Diner Than Let Its Owner Retire in Peace
Denver NIMBYs are using historic preservation laws to stop a restaurant owner from selling his diner to a developer so he can retire.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Calls Court Packing a 'Bad Idea'
The liberal jurist puts judicial integrity before partisan politics.
The Horror of War and the Thrill of Horror
A new book explores the First World War's role in creating the horror genre.
Paul Krassner: The Lost Interview
A previously unpublished conversation with “investigative satirist” Paul Krassner, who just died at age 87.
Politics, Bar Brawls, and the Law of the Past
What makes history constitutionally relevant?
The Apollo Missions Were Cool, But Private Enterprise Has Been Better for Innovation
People are happier, healthier, and wealthier because freer markets have opened the floodgates of innovation, research, and development.
Renegade University's Thaddeus Russell Wants To Blow Your Mind
This historian and online-education entrepreneur says runaway slaves, ladies of the evening, bootleggers, and other dropouts and discontents made America free.
Marianne Williamson Wants To Win the Presidency With the Power of Love and Miracles
The long American spiritual tradition that gave us Marianne Williamson—and Donald Trump
'Killer' Walkman, 'Insane' Bicycles, and Novels Will Rot Your Brain: Pessimist Archive's Jason Feifer on 'Why We Resist New Things'
Jason Feifer's podcast explores "why we resist new things" and tells great stories about panics over the novel, the elevator, the waltz, margarine, and more.
