American History

“The Work of Art” at St. Louis Art Museum displays art made by people working for the Federal Art Project, a New Deal program better known for its grand, public murals. It includes the first works by African American artists to enter the museum’s collection. Many have never before been on view.

“The whole purpose of racism from the beginning was to divide poor black and poor whites (so they could not) unite and create inclusive prosperity,” said former NAACP President Benjamin Jealous.

Teachers PJ and Jamie Creek put their classroom knowledge to work creating posters, and now authoring a book, about American history.

Nineteenth-century Americans collected George Washington’s hair — a way of physicalizing their memory of the country’s first president, writes Keith Beutler.

Matt Meacham of Illinois Humanities delves into two exhibitions currently touring the state: the Smithsonian's “Voices and Votes: Democracy in America” and the “Illinois Freedom Project.”

There’s good reason the U.S. Treasury Department selected Harriet Tubman as the new face of its $20 bill. Tubman lived one of the nation’s most remarkable…

Growing up in the 1960s, Carolyn Kidd Royal experienced racist incidents that, combined with the way African American history was taught in schools,…

A Trenton man was killed during the attack on Pearl Harbor. After nearly 78 years, his remains are finally coming home.Navy electrician’s mate 3rd Class…

As the U.S. population grows more ethnically diverse, many historians and educators are becoming more aware of changing demographics and are keen on…

This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Aug. 27, 2013 - Bad enough that textbooks often fail to put a human face on the men – and women – who…