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Articles on US Civil War

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‘We did win this election,’ said then-President Donald Trump at the White House early on Nov. 4, 2020, on what was still election night. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump nearly derailed democracy once − here’s what to watch out for in reelection campaign

Donald Trump tried to overturn the 2020 election results. But the work of others, from lawmakers to judges to regular citizens, stopped him. There are cautionary lessons in that for the 2024 election.
The North Carolina memorial stands in Gettysburg National Military Park on Aug. 10, 2020. Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Gettysburg tells the story of more than a battle − the military park shows what national ‘reconciliation’ looked like for decades after the Civil War

How should opposing armies be commemorated on a battlefield? Gettysburg offers an especially interesting example of today’s debates over Confederate monuments.
Donald Trump may be barred from holding public office due to a constitutional amendment disqualifying those who have taken part in ‘insurrection or rebellion.’ Mike Stobe/Getty Images

Georgia indictment and post-Civil War history make it clear: Trump’s actions have already disqualified him from the presidency

US law actually bars former President Donald Trump from holding office ever again. The recent Georgia indictment of Trump helps make the case.
Demonstrators hold Confederate flags near the monument for Confederacy President Jefferson Davis on June 25, 2015, in Richmond, Va., after it was spray-painted with the phrase ‘Black Lives Matter.’ AP Photo/Steve Helber

When Confederate-glorifying monuments went up in the South, voting in Black areas went down

The drive to remove Confederate monuments links those monuments to modern racism. An economic historian shows that the intent and effect of those monuments from inception was to perpetuate racism.
Special counsel Jack Smith delivers remarks on an indictment against former U.S. President Donald Trump on Aug. 1, 2023. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

A brief history of the Ku Klux Klan Acts: 1870s laws to protect Black voters, ignored for decades, now being used against Trump

One of the charges against Donald Trump dates back to the 1870s and was designed to give the federal government the power to ensure states held free and fair elections.
(Clockwise from left): American civil war soldier Frances Hook; 19th century Dahomey women soldiers; defending a besieged German city in 1615; 18th century British soldier Hannah Snell and Union soldier Frances Clayton. Sources: Wikimedia Commons, Herzog August Bibliothek Wolfenbuettel

Friday essay: the forgotten female soldiers who fought long ago – and why their stories matter today

Fighting in sieges, an army of crack female troops, cross-dressing as male soldiers: women have survived and thrived as part of the war machine. But they’re rarely included in military histories.
A Black man holds up a sign during a Reparations Task Force meeting in Los Angeles, California on Sept. 22, 2022. Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Reparations over formerly enslaved people has a long history: 4 essential reads on why the idea remains unresolved

Former enslaved persons have never received a dime for their labor. Nor have their descendants received reparations for the legacy of slavery. Should the descendants be paid? By whom and how much?
Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas, who fought for the Union army during the Civil War, stands in uniform for a photo. Heritage Images/ Hulton Archive

US Army Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas’ journey from enslaver to Union officer to civil rights defender

A Southerner, Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas was a racist enslaver before the Civil War. But he fought for the Union because he prioritized his oath to defend the Constitution over state interests.
Turkeys have always been a fixture in the holiday’s marketing. Transcendental Graphics/Getty Images

Why is turkey the main dish on Thanksgiving?

A mix of New England and British traditions and historical events led to the particular poultry you’ll find on Thanksgiving tables everywhere.

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