History

Our Fragile Optimism

And how to cultivate hope in the face of ugly facts

Dr. Martin Luther King with his mother Alberta and his wife, Coretta, smiling and cheerful during a press conference at Harlem Hospital, N.Y., in 1958.

Alberta King, Martin Luther King Jr.'s Mother, Made Her Own Contributions to Civil Rights

On a hot, humid September day, I walked into Martin Luther King Jr.’s birth...

On a hot, humid September day, I walked into Martin Luther King Jr.’s birth home, a two-story Queen Anne style house on Auburn Avenue in Atlanta, entering with a group of visitors from all over...

An illustration of American President-elect Abraham Lincoln walking near a railroad engine in Washington, D.C., on February 23, 1861, with detective Allan Pinkerton, who foiled a plot to assassinate Lincoln ahead of his inauguration that year.

'Alarmingly Similar.' What the Chaos Around Lincoln's First Inauguration Can Tell Us About Today, According to Historians

The walk-up to Lincoln's first inauguration was also dramatic, and much of ...

The walk-up to Lincoln's first inauguration was also dramatic, and much of it will sound familiar to Americans today

Civil Rights activist Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. standing at pulpit delivering a sermon as a white-robed choir listens in the background at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia.

How One Atlanta Church Impacted Martin Luther King, Jr., the Civil Rights Movement and Incoming Sen. Raphael Warnock

King, like Warnock, was a pastor at Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church.

Demonstrators attempt to breach the U.S. Capitol after they stormed past barricades on Jan. 6

What Impeachment Won't Change: How the GOP Became the Party of Trump Over Several Decades

The modern Republican Party doesn’t end on January 20, 2021. The grand fina...

The modern Republican Party doesn’t end on January 20, 2021. The grand finale of Donald J. Trump’s tumultuous presidency won’t fundamentally change the nature of the GOP. While many Republicans were shocked and scared by...

How America's ‘First Female Cryptanalyst’ Cracked the Code of Nazi Spies in World War II—and Never Lived to See the Credit

Elizebeth S. Friedman was one of the brightest codebreakers of her generati...

Elizebeth S. Friedman was one of the brightest codebreakers of her generation. But her biggest achievement was kept secret her whole life

Rev. Raphael Warnock speaks on Jan. 5, 2021, in Marietta, Georgia.

'Another Milestone in the Long, Long Road.' Rev. Raphael Warnock's Georgia Senate Victory Made History in Multiple Ways

While Warnock's win is historic, it's also an important moment to learn fro...

While Warnock's win is historic, it's also an important moment to learn from history