In 1944, Imperial Japan attacked the West Coast of America with hundreds of balloon bombs flown 6,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean. They took the lives of five Oregon school children and their teacher – and remain a threat to this day.
America Explained
Exploring America’s history and how it impacts today’s society – from the Founding Mothers to what marijuana tells us about States’ rights
The Invisible Plight of Poor Southern Whites
For many poor White families in the Antebellum South, slavery did not pay – so why did the ruling elite erase their narrative from the history books?
Oneida Tribe: The First Allies of the Revolution
The United States’ first true allies, the Oneida Nation helped the Patriots to win the American Revolutionary War – but at what cost?
Women of the Civil War
Women weren’t just spectators of the American Civil War – they played a vital role in the home, the workplace, the battlefield and beyond.
Civil War Innovation and Technology
It was the most destructive conflict in US history – but the American Civil War also saw the emergence of new technologies and innovations born from a will to win.
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates
The Lincoln Douglas Debates of 1858 were some of the most controversial in US history. Having deepened the divide between North and South – they helped bring the nation to war.
War on the Water: Civil War Navies
The American Civil War wasn’t just fought on land – it took place on rivers and seas too. But the contrast between Union and Confederate navies could not have been more stark.
Civil War Hospitals
The medical hospitals established during the American Civil War helped save thousands of lives – and change how the US military cares for troops to this day.
The Bill of Rights: What is it and What Rights Does it Guarantee?
The right to stand up for what we believe in is as American as apple pie and is protected under US law by the Bill of Rights: a list of ten amendments to the US Constitution that almost never existed.
Common Sense: Democracy in Print
We’ve all seen our fair share of American political ads in recent years. But the very first? That could be Common Sense – written by Thomas Paine – an 18th century pamphlet designed to incite rebellion!