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Featured Essays

As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence, our founding charter remains central to our national life, unifying us and paving the way for what we have long called “the American Dream.”

America’s extraordinary success is directly related to its unique form of government embodied in the Constitution.

American patriots began a conflict that spread around the globe.

The Rule of Law is the great foundation of our Constitution and our Nation. 

America 250!

For America’s 250th Birthday, Let’s Think Local | Summer 2023, Vol 68, No 4

By Hans Zeiger

Communities around the U.S. hope that the nation's upcoming 250th anniversary will inspire Americans to appreciate the importance of shared experience and preserving history.

think local

Drama on Dorchester Heights: Washington’s First Victory | Winter 2026, Vol 71, No 1

By Edward J. Larson

The American patriots came up with a bold plan to force the British out of Boston 250 years ago this month.

dorchester heights

Big Guns For Washington | April 1955, Vol 6, No 3

By Clay Perry

How tough Henry Knox hauled a train of cannon over wintry trails to help drive the British away from Boston

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“Boston Harbor a Tea-pot This Night!”  | Spring 2024, Vol 69, No 2

By Benjamin Carp

The dumping of tons of tea in protest set the stage for the American Revolution and was a window on the culture and attitudes of the time.

boston tea party

They Turned the World Upside Down | Winter 2026, Vol 71, No 1

By Richard Bell

American patriots began a conflict that spread around the globe.

declaration

Classic Essays from the Archives

Finding the Real Jamestown | Winter 2008, Summer 2025, Vol 70, No 3

By William M. Kelso

The archaeologist who discovered the real Jamestown debunks myths, and answers age-old mysteries about North America's first successful English colony.

jamestown

America: Experiment or Destiny? | June 1977, Summer 2025, Vol 28, No 4

By Arthur Schlesinger Jr.

We can take pride in our nation, not as we pretend to a commission from God and a sacred destiny, but as we struggle to fulfill our deepest values in an inscrutable world.

american destiny

The Man of the Century | May/June 1994, Vol 45, No 3

By Arthur Schlesinger Jr.

Of all the Allied leaders, argues FDR's biographer, only Roosevelt saw clearly the shape of the new world they were fighting to create.

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