December 2, 1823: The “Monroe Doctrine” Is Announced, Charting the Course of Future American Foreign Policy
Handwritten text of Monroe’s State of the Union Address, Dec. 2, 1823 It was called the “Era of Good Feelings.” The first term of the presidency of James Monroe was a period of economic growth,...
The 170th Anniversary of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854: Prelude to the American Civil War
Americans almost always view the Civil War of 1861-65 as a war between North and South, and specifically between the anti-slave states of New England and the mid-Atlantic, and the slave states of the...
Remembering James “Paddy” Graydon
Few Civil War officers were more colorful than Captain James (Paddy) Graydon. He was a hard drinking, daring and unconventional Union captain with a short fuse, particularly remembered for his...
Remembering Julia Ward Howe
The women’s suffrage movement in America culminated in 1920 with passage of the 19th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, giving women the right to vote. The movement began long before that,...
Remembering Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce, the 14th President of the United States, served from 1853 to 1857 during a period of growing sectional tension between the North and South. A native of New Hampshire and a Democrat,...
Remembering Robert E. Lee
The American Civil War was a watershed moment in American history, a four-year battle that was the culmination of decades of hostilities over the issue of slavery. In its final years, the War...
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850: A Dark Stain on 19th Century American History
A decade before the start of the Civil War, America was in the midst of a major political crisis, triggered by the passage in 1850 of the “Fugitive Slave Act.” Intended to be part of...
Remembering Philip Sheridan
Unless you’re a serious student of the American Civil War, you may not know much about one of the most important generals to lead Union Army troops during the war: General Philip Sheridan, who died...
Remembering Ulysses S. Grant
One of the greatest figures in American history is Ulysses S. Grant, the general who led the Union Army to victory in the Civil War, and who later served as a two-term president of the United States....
The Battle of Bull Run (First Manassas)
Background and Prelude to Battle The Battle of Bull Run, the first major land battle of the American Civil War, was fought in Prince William County, Virginia, near the small stream known as Bull Run,...