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History, Arts and Literature

Covering topics of American history, including The Constitution, literature and various works of art.

Perhaps best remembered for the dam and institute named for him, the 31st president was known as a great humanitarian but had a low view of the role of government in improving people's lives.
The origins of the sixth president’s pathetic quest for greatness and his sacrifice of happiness during a lifetime of service.
The public expects better from the highest court in the land and has lost trust in the judicial branch as much as the others. Our resident humanities scholar asks, who will save us from our guardians?
A half-century ago, a Republican president moved to devolve power from Washington to states and local governments. Today it’s the right that’s trying to turn that around.
America’s intervention in the Russo-Japanese War a century ago cast Theodore Roosevelt as an unlikely but ultimately successful diplomat. Teddy would be surprised to see who is leading the diplomatic offensive this time.
The fifth president is best known for the doctrine named for him that helped keep European powers from further meddling in the New World. And given the political environment today, you would be excused for being envious of his Era of Good Feeling.
What we can learn from the tragedy and now vindication of the father of the atomic bomb.
The current detention of a young Wall Street Journal correspondent echoes a high-stakes game played by governments that dates back to the American Revolution.
Catholic Church doctrine was used to justify the world’s largest land grab and the resulting colonialism. It had an outsized role in shaping the United States and other countries of the New World.
The state’s Community Affairs Committee approved a bill that would allow people to file lawsuits if they believe they have “lost history” or the ability to teach about the past because of a monument’s removal or damage.
A statue long considered a Renaissance masterpiece in Florence (and the world over) has now been deemed pornographic in Florida. Such a stark contrast in points of view — here or there — has a long history.
Decades of underinvestment in streetcar, bus and train service coupled with an increase in public funding and planning priorities to make roads fast, smooth and far-reaching, help explain today's transit situation.
The project will focus mostly on digitizing items from the colonial and Revolutionary era, though documents from other time periods will be stored as well. The state’s Historical Society has amassed 3 million documents since 1838.
The forgotten legacy of President Benjamin Harrison, who paved the way for Teddy Roosevelt. His tenure was marked by a mix of contributions to civil rights and conservation even while making a naked grab on Indigenous land.
Fecklessness with limited water. Big land hustles. A lack of rootedness. The state has long been a geography of personal reinvention, ambitious schemes and glowing hype.
Our resident humanities scholar laments that we thought we were immune to the human condition. We were wrong.