U.S. National Archives Unearths Original Juneteenth Order
"The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free," states General Order No. 3.
Civil War
Pressure Mounts To Rename Army Bases That Honor Confederate Officers
Many U.S. military bases in the South are named after Confederate officers. Now protests over treatment of African Americans are prompting a new call to change those names.
Voters Face A Big Decision In 2020: Could A Lesson From Frederick Douglass Help?
In 1856, Frederick Douglass had a choice to make: support the big change he believed in — abolition of slavery — or settle for a less sweeping shift from a candidate better positioned to win.
In An Election Year, Reflecting On A Political Power Couple From The 1800s
NPR's Steve Inskeep, discussing his book Imperfect Union: How Jesse and John Fremont Mapped the West, Invented Celebrity and Helped Cause the Civil War, touches on parallels to U.S. politics in 2020.
New Statue Unveiled In Response To Richmond's Confederate Monuments
Kehinde Wiley's new sculpture mimics one of Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart. The new work stands in front of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, a mile from its inspiration.
Elon Poll: Majority Wants Confederate Monuments To Remain In Place
A new poll from Elon University finds most people surveyed want to keep Confederate monum
In Virginia, 2 Churches Feel The Aftermath Of Trump's Racist Rhetoric
Two small-town Virginia churches with the same name, but very different congregations, recently found themselves tangled in controversy related to the president's tweets.
With Latest Nativist Rhetoric, Trump Takes America Back To Where It Came From
By repeating that these immigrants are "not ... you," the president defined them as "the other" in stark terms. The battle lines could not be more clear in a conflict nearly as old as America itself.
In 'Freedom's Detective,' A Flawed But Remarkable Hiram Whitley Infiltrates The KKK
Journalist Charles Lane's account is endlessly gripping — and he does an excellent job of placing the operation in historical context, chronicling racism and resentment in the South post-Civil War.
In 'What You Have Heard Is True,' A Poet Bears Witness To Devastating Civil War
Though it took poet Carolyn Forché half a lifetime to fully share in a memoir what she saw during her time in El Salvador in the 1970s and the lessons learned, now is precisely when we need to see it.