Civil War

Charleston, South Carolina, was founded in 1670 and is the state's oldest city. The drawing depicts it in 1860.

What Did Independence Day Mean to Southerners About to Secede?

As secession loomed, the Fourth of July took on new significance

The proposal would have seen a racetrack and casino built three miles away from the now-grassy slopes of Gettysburg National Military Park.

Someone Was Actually Trying to Build a Casino Three Miles From the Gettysburg Battle Site

A local businessman said the casino would bring jobs and money to the historic region–but other locals said gaming would irrevocably change Gettysburg

The only way Robert Smalls could ensure that his family would stay together was to escape.

The Thrilling Tale of How Robert Smalls Seized a Confederate Ship and Sailed it to Freedom

He risked his life to liberate his family and became a legend in the process

Howard in 1893 at Governor's Island

The Namesake of Howard University Spent Years Kicking Native Americans Off of Their Land

Oliver Otis Howard was a revered Civil War general—but his career had a dark postscript

An infantry unit with bayonets marched down Pennsylvania Avenue in May 1865. They are followed by three ambulances.

See the Civil War Through the Lens of Its First Photographer

Mathew Brady and the photographers he hired were the first to photograph a war zone

Monument Avenue In Richmond, Virginia

What Richmond Has Gotten Right About Interpreting Its Confederate History

And why it hasn't faced the same controversy as New Orleans or Charlottesville

Savannah, Georgia during the Civil War. The southern landscape is often a key element of southern gothic fiction.

Why People Love Southern Gothic

From the 19th century to S-Town, it’s a compelling genre that’s as flawed as its most grotesque characters

Belle Boyd in an image taken between 1855 and 1865.

Belle Boyd, Civil War Spy

The so-called “Siren of Shenandoah” stole weapons and carried letters in service to the Confederacy

A field hospital in Virginia, photographed in 1862, shows the grim conditions during the Civil War.

Fearing a Smallpox Epidemic, Civil War Troops Tried to Self-Vaccinate

People knew that inoculation could prevent you from catching smallpox. It was how Civil War soldiers did it that caused problems

The Mississippi was in its high season, and the water was fast and cold.

This Civil War Boat Explosion Killed More People Than the 'Titanic'

The 'Sultana' was only legally allowed to carry 376 people. When its boilers exploded, it was carrying 2,300

This New Orleans monument to a white supremacist riot no longer exists.

New Orleans Tears Down Controversial Confederate Monuments

A 35-foot obelisk in memory of a white supremacist uprising is no more

Though there were two different buildings called the "White House of the Confederacy," the White House–pictured here in 1905–has always remained the White House.

A Tale of Two White Houses

The Confederacy had its own White House—two, actually

Jefferson Davis

The Trial of the Century That Wasn't

The case against Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy, would have been a legal showdown of the ages

A Paean to PBS’ “Mercy Street”: The One Show That Got the Civil War Right

The short-lived show offered the best screen portrayal of the war the country has ever seen

This illustration, depicting Uncle Tom's Cabin antagonist Simon Legree looming over, and perhaps preparing to beat, Tom, appeared in the 1853 edition of the book. Pro-slavery Southerners argued that the book misrepresented slavery by cherry-picking the worst examples.

White Southerners Said “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” Was Fake News

So its author published a “key” to what’s true in the novel

President James Buchanan thought that a binding Supreme Court decision legitimizing slavery would bring the country together.

President James Buchanan Directly Influenced the Outcome of the Dred Scott Decision

He's remembered as a president who tried to unify a fractured nation with little success, doing damage along the way

Over 400 men, women and children were sold on this day in 1859. It was the largest single sale of enslaved people in U.S. history but is barely talked about today.

The Horrors of the 'Great Slave Auction'

The largest sale of enslaved people ever to take place in the U.S. tore families apart

An 1851 map of the United States shows Texas and the New Mexico, Utah and Indian Territories.

For More Than 150 Years, Texas Has Had the Power to Secede…From Itself

A quirk of a 19th-century Congressional resolution could allow Texas to split up into five states

The cartoon by Thomas Nast shows the battles between President Johnson and Congress over Reconstruction.

The Political Cartoon That Explains the Battle Over Reconstruction

Take a deep dive into this drawing by famed illustrator Thomas Nast

Lincoln and Jefferson Davis were often portrayed together. Here, Davis is drawn as a Confederate general.

The Illustrator of Alice in Wonderland Also Drew Abraham Lincoln. A Lot

John Tenniel was a well-known editorial cartoonist as well as the man who gave Lewis Carroll’s books their visual charm

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