Trusted Writing on History, Travel, and American Culture Since 1949
SEARCH OUR ARCHIVES!
Articles Recently Featured from Our Archives
Who Really Was FDR? | Summer 2023, Vol 68, No 4
He could be charming and witty, but also devious and cruel, said aides closest to Franklin Roosevelt.
Remembering Bruce Catton | September 2023, Vol 68, No 6
The founding editor of American Heritage was the preeminent Civil War historian of the last century, and taught generations of writers how to write narrative history.
De Soto Ravages the South | Summer 2023, Vol 68, No 4
Hernando de Soto marched across what is now eleven U.S. states, leaving a trail of destruction and disease.
Bringing Back the Buffalo | Summer 2023, Vol 68, No 4
Bison are returning to tribal lands under a conservation program launched by Deb Haaland, the first Native American Secretary of the Interior.
Alice in Autoland | May 2023, Vol 68, No 3
Few roads were even paved when Alice Ramsey and three friends became the first women to drive coast to coast in 1909.
Art Buchwald’s Funny Business | May 2023, Vol 68, No 3
His political satire made Buchwald one of America’s most widely read columnists.
I Was a Marine | May 2023, Vol 68, No 3
Art Buchwald recalled how the Marine Corps tried to make a man out of him during World War II. Years later, he poignantly reunited with the drill instructor who had disciplined him day and night.
Sam Adams or Sacred Cod? | May 2023, Vol 68, No 3
We debated whether to name our new beer for the state symbol of Massachusetts or a favorite Boston patriot.
Bank Failures: As American as Apple Pie | Spring 2023, Vol 68, No 2
Why have thousands of U.S. banks failed over the years? The answers are in our history and politics.
We Must Do A Better Job Teaching Civics | Spring 2023, Vol 68, No 2
Our classrooms are failing to pass down the essentials of what it means to be an American, a citizen of the United States.
Government Shutdowns: How We Got Here | May 2023, Vol 68, No 3
Today’s budget wars would be unrecognizable to earlier generations of Americans. A veteran reporter on government looks at the history of shutdowns and battles over the budget.
Marilyn Monroe Gets Down to Business | Spring 2023, Vol 68, No 2
The world’s most prominent actress risked her career by standing up to one of Hollywood’s mega-studios, proving that behind the beauty was also a very savvy businesswoman.
How the Cherry Blossoms Came to Washington | Spring 2023, Vol 68, No 2
Rarely has the full story been told about how a famed botanist, a pioneering female journalist, and First Lady Helen Taft battled reluctant bureaucrats to bring Japanese cherry trees to Washington.
Reconsidering Jimmy Carter | Spring 2023, Vol 68, No 2
Often thought to have been a weak president, Carter was strong-willed in doing what he thought was right, regardless of expediency or the political fallout.
Samuel Adams Starts a Revolution | May 2023, Vol 68, No 3
Enlisting an army of alter egos, Adams used the Boston press to make the case for American independence and to orchestrate a burgeoning rebellion.
What Were the Japanese Thinking? | August 2023, Vol 68, No 5
Leaders in Tokyo alone controlled when the war would end, but the regime's political structure was so complex that it crippled rational decision-making.
Counting All The Dead | August 2023, Vol 68, No 5
When judging the morality of the use of atomic weapons in World War II, observers typically focus on Japanese deaths, while ignoring the far-larger number of non-Japanese casualties.
Cities Reduced to Ashes | August 2023, Vol 68, No 5
In the spring of 1945, American bombing raids destroyed much of Tokyo and dozens of other Japanese cities, killing at least 200,000 people, without forcing a surrender.
John Hersey Uncovers the Horror | August 2023, Vol 68, No 5
The U.S. government managed to hide the magnitude of what happened in Hiroshima until John Hersey’s story appeared in the New Yorker, driving home the truth about America’s new mega-weapon.
“With Malice Toward None” | Winter 2023, Vol 68, No 1
In his Second Inaugural Address, Abraham Lincoln embodied leading in a time of polarization, political disagreement, and differing understandings of reality.
Saved by The Poison Squad | November/December 2024, Vol 69, No 5
Many of our first food-safety laws arose after healthy young volunteers became sick when they tried commercial foods containing toxic additives.
Ted Kennedy Passes the Torch | Winter 2023, Vol 68, No 1
In his last months, Ted Kennedy was inspired by passing the torch to a new generation.
“These Are No Ordinary Times” | Winter 2023, Vol 68, No 1
A hundred years ago, America was rocked by riots, repression, and racial violence.
The Ultimate Congressional Scandal | November/December 2022, Vol 68, No 6
Crédit Mobilier, one of the worst outrages in the history of Congress, affected national elections and gave “the Gilded Age” its name.
FDR Unites America for War | November/December 2022, Vol 68, No 6
Adding Republicans to key positions in his administration, Franklin Roosevelt created a unified effort to fight World War II.
Andrew Jackson: Our First Populist | November/December 2022, Vol 68, No 6
Was he the era’s greatest Democrat or its elected autocrat? A hero or a scoundrel? Balancing Andrew Jackson’s legacy is a problematic exercise, complicated by his many contradictions.
Buffalo Bill and the Duel at Warbonnet Creek | October 2022, Vol 67, No 5
William Cody established his reputation during a celebrated clash with Yellow Hair.
Jim Thorpe Finally Wins | October 2022, Vol 67, No 5
Considered by many to have been the world’s greatest athlete, Jim Thorpe persevered through triumphs and tragedy.
The Founders Warned Us Against Federal Debt | November/December 2022, Vol 68, No 6
Political leaders once agreed that the U.S. should borrow only for well-defined purposes. But, in the last 20 years, we’ve ignored their guidance and added a staggering $25 trillion to the federal debt.
Carving Up the Americas | September 2022, Vol 67, No 4
By artfully illustrating the boundaries of colonial powers, mapmakers in the 1700s helped define what our New World would become.