History News Network

Charles Sumner seated with cane, circa early 1870's.

150 Years Ago, the Senate Chose Not to Equalize Access to U.S. Citizenship. The Consequences Were Dire

Senator Charles Sumner lost his battle on the Fourth of July 1870, with dir...

Senator Charles Sumner lost his battle on the Fourth of July 1870, with dire consequences for both Asian immigrant communities and the prospects of a more racially egalitarian America

College professors join with students in picketing the office of State Colleges Chancellor Glen Dumke in Los Angeles on Jan. 15, 1967. Some 300 demonstrated against proposed budget cuts and increased tuition fees.

The Historical Origins of Today's Campaign Proposals for 'Free College'

One intriguing clue comes from a 1947 report commissioned by then-President...

One intriguing clue comes from a 1947 report commissioned by then-President Harry Truman

Warren G. Harding and his wife Florence on the front porch of the Harding house in Marion, Ohio, from which Harding conducted his successful campaign for the Presidency.

Today's Presidential Candidates Go Where the Voters Are—But These Past Campaigns Succeeded by Bringing the Voters to the Candidates

No presidential electioneering technique has ever been so successful while ...

No presidential electioneering technique has ever been so successful while so short-lived

Activists draw the planet earth on the ground during a demonstration in Madrid during COP25, on Dec. 6, 2019.

Scientists Have Been Talking About Climate Change for More Than a Century. Here's Why It Took So Long for the World to Listen

The scientific consensus on climate change is far older than many people th...

The scientific consensus on climate change is far older than many people think

Illustration of Alexander Hamilton, first United States Secretary of the Treasury 1789-1795, appointed by George Washington.

What Alexander Hamilton Would Have Thought About a Wealth Tax

All taxation was on the framers’ table as they considered a new constitutio...

All taxation was on the framers’ table as they considered a new constitution. What would they make of the measures we are considering now?

A prisoner's hands inside a punishment cell wing at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in 2013

The History of Modern Mass Incarceration of African Americans Goes Deeper Than You May Think

A Louisiana law of 1848 declared that children born to enslaved female pris...

A Louisiana law of 1848 declared that children born to enslaved female prisoners confined in the penitentiary belonged to the state

Inaugural ceremony of the Suez Canal on Nov. 17, 1869.

When the Suez Canal Opened 150 Years Ago, It Helped Connect the World—And Heralded the Climate Crisis

The largest infrastructural project of the 19th century annexed the Middle ...

The largest infrastructural project of the 19th century annexed the Middle East into the fossil-fuels complex