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America Explained

Who was Daniel Webster?

Lawyer, orator and politician, Daniel Webster was one of the United States’ most famous and accomplished people in the 19th century. But what made him so special and how did he help change America?

What is the Mayflower Compact?

A short agreement by the Pilgrims and other colonists on board the Mayflower set in motion a system of government that inspired our country’s founding documents.

Muckrakers… or Investigative Journalists?

An essential part of any functioning democracy – the press helps to make governments accountable for their actions; but when the first investigative reporters started working in the United States, not everyone saw them as a good thing.

Museum of Artifacts That Made America

Madeleine Albright’s Brooches

The U.S.’s first female Secretary of State used her collection of brooches to get her point across when meeting with foreign leaders, a practice that became known as “Pin Diplomacy.”

Lunch Counter Stools

In 1960, four Black students staged a sit-in in Greensboro, North Carolina to protest against racial segregation in the United States. The stools they sat on are the most visited artifacts at the International Civil Rights Center and Museum.

Hidden Figures

Yarrow Mamout: From Slavery to Financier

African Muslim Yarrow Mamout rose from a life of slavery to become a popular businessman in Washington, D.C. Artist Charles Willson Peale painted his portrait and discovered his incredible story.

Women and the American Story

Patsy Mink: Groundbreaking Congresswoman

What do you think of when you picture Title IX? Inequality has plagued America’s youth for generations. Patsy Mink, a then young Japanese-American, vowed to change the system forever.

Pauli Murray: Breaking Barriers of Race and Gender

As a queer Black lawyer, poet and civil rights activist, Pauli Murray understood how our different identities can overlap to create multiple levels of discrimination. Her groundbreaking work in championing equality for all helped change America for the better.

David Pharaoh Asserts Indigenous Rights

Montaukett leader David Pharaoh fought for indigenous land rights – and established a lasting legacy as the founder of America’s first Montaukett school.

Wong Kim Ark’s Fight for Birthright Citizenship

By taking on the US government and winning, Wong Kim Ark ensured that the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution granted citizenship to every American by birth, regardless of their race or ethnicity.

Art That Changed America

Indigenous North American Tattoos

To Indigenous North Americans, tattoos aren’t just decorative, they’re also sacred, rich in artistry and meaning, and of huge social, cultural and religious significance.

How Art Saved Yellowstone National Park

The first dedicated National Park anywhere in the world, Yellowstone attracts millions of visitors every year. It was saved for posterity by the work of two pioneering artists.

Wild Wild West

John Wesley Powell: Wild West Explorer

Despite losing an arm in the US Civil War, John Wesley Powell was one of the great explorers of the American West, and made history as the man who mapped the Grand Canyon.

Remember the Alamo

The Battle of the Alamo has become the stuff of legend – when 200 brave Texan fighters took a stand against a Mexican force of thousands. But there’s more to the story than meets the eye.

Power to the People

The Explosive Story of Dynamite Hill

When Black residents moved into one neighborhood in Birmingham, Alabama, White supremacists unleashed a wave of terror against the community.

The Birmingham Childrens’ Crusade

In 1963, school children from Birmingham, Alabama skipped class to demonstrate for racial equality. Met with police violence, they helped to bring about significant change.

Slavery in the Presidents’ Neighborhood

Things You Didn’t Know

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Constructed after the First World War, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier stands as a memorial to all those U.S. service members whose remains were never identified.

Native American Code Talkers

Native American Code Talkers used their own indigenous dialects to bamboozle enemy code breakers and help Allied forces to win two World Wars.

Academy of American Democracy

Voting in Ancient Athens

The United States is a representative democracy where people vote for politicians to govern on their behalf – but voting in the direct democracy of ancient Athens was a very different process.

Race in Ancient Greece

We often think of ancient Greek society as White, but it was a lot more diverse than we give it credit for.

Speeches That Changed America

Shirley Chisholm – Equal Rights for Women Speech

Shirley Chisholm, the first African American Woman elected to Congress, addresses the US House of Representatives to argue in support of a controversial women’s rights bill; the Equal Rights Amendment.