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Articles on Reconstruction

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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.
A Black man and his son leave a polling location in Atlanta after casting a vote in the Georgia primary election on May 24, 2022. Jessica McGowan/Getty Images

Georgia’s GOP overhauled the state’s election laws in 2021 – and critics argue the target was Black voter turnout, not election fraud

In a state where elections have turned on Black voters, the recent GOP overhaul of Georgia election laws has many voting rights activists and Democrats concerned that turnout may be affected.
Former Vice President Mike Pence is seen presiding over the counting of the votes on Jan. 6, 2021, during a hearing of the House January 6 committee in Washington, D.C., on June 16, 2022. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Jan. 6 hearings highlight problems with certification of presidential elections and potential ways to fix them

The attempt by Donald Trump’s supporters to reverse the 2020 presidential election results shows the need to update the nation’s landmark law for counting presidential votes.
Emancipation Day celebration, June 19, 1900, held in ‘East Woods’ on East 24th St. in Austin, Texas. Austin History Center

Juneteenth celebrates just one of the United States’ 20 emancipation days – and the history of how emancipated people were kept unfree needs to be remembered, too

Known as Juneteenth in Texas, Emancipation Days symbolized America’s attempt to free the enslaved across the nation. But those days were unable to prevent new forms of economic slavery.
Vice President Mike Pence reads the final electoral vote counts declaring Joe Biden the next U.S. president during a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 7, 2021. Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

The Electoral Count Act of 1887 is showing its age – here’s how to help Congress certify a presidential election with more certainty

Concerned about problems in counting Electoral College votes that determine the next president, lawmakers are considering changes to the Electoral Count Act. What is the act, and what’s wrong with it?
A caricaturist for The Bystander captures the captain of the Oxford men’s hockey team during a match in Kent, in 1923 Smith Archive / Alamy Stock Photo

Housing shortages and crowded classes: how life on campus changed after the first world war

Post-war government support saw ex-servicemen head to university by the tens of thousands. Their distinct perspective – and their numbers – shaped 1920s student life
The Proud Boys outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, January 6, 2021. (Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/For The Washington Post via Getty Images

US Capitol protesters, egged on by Trump, are part of a long history of white supremacists hearing politicians’ words as encouragement

The protests that ended in the storming of the US Capitol included members of white supremacy groups, the latest example of such groups being encouraged by politicians to challenge government.
Supporters cheer as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a Nevada rally on Sept. 13. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Why hard-core Trump supporters ignore his lies

Who are Donald Trump’s hard-core supporters and why do they pose an increasing threat of violence in the coming U.S. elections — and after?
Unveiling of a statue of Richard T. Greener, the first Black professor at the University of South Carolina, in 2018. Jason Ayer

What should replace Confederate statues?

As momentum builds to remove statutes that pay homage to Confederates and others who sought to uphold white supremacy, a historian explores questions about what should be erected in their place.
Johnstone Shire Hall was the birthplace of an ambitious partnership between 11 local governments in 1944. Together, they led a regional post-war reconstruction agenda in North Queensland. State Library of Queensland

Lessons from history point to local councils’ role in Australia’s recovery

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, regional Australia needs local government to emulate the example of the local councils that brought prosperity to North Queensland after the second world war.
President Donald Trump makes a statement to the press in the Rose Garden about restoring “law and order” in the wake of protests. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Can the president really order the military to occupy US cities and states?

President Trump has warned that he will send the military into states to curb protests. Is Trump’s warning bluster? Or does the president have the authority to send the military into American cities?
The Proud Boys outside the US Capitol in Washington, DC on Wednesday, January 6, 2021. Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/For The Washington Post via Getty Images

There’s a history of white supremacists interpreting government leaders’ words as encouragement

White supremacists’ protests against COVID-19 lockdowns reflect the US history of political leaders encouraging white supremacist groups to challenge or overthrow democratic governments.

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