CATEGORIES

Celebrating Our Southwest Heritage

A talk with Khristaan Villela

Getting Started

Did you know that the Spanish arrived in North America more than 100 years before the English settled their first colonies in Virginia and Massachusetts?

From Tejas To Texas

The republic of Mexico—newly independent from Spain—faced some big problems in the early 1820s.

The Final Piece

The dark green color in the map depicts the land that was the Gadsden Purchase.

The Promise Of Gold And A Sea Route To India

The promise of gold and a sea route to India.

Neighbors North And South

Refugees from the Mexican Revolution in the 1910s head for Marfa, Texas.

Alta California Becomes A State

This 1750 map captures the Spanish belief—based on the Baja Peninsula—that California was an island.

A Democratic Influence

Look on the back of a one-dollar bill, and you will find the Great Seal of the United States.

Keeping The Culture Alive

A Talk with Mike Tarbell

Friends And Enemies In Times Of War

Long before the first European settlers arrived in North America, the Haudenosaunee formed their confederacy. Joining together allowed them to establish themselves as a dominant native force.

Meet The Haudenosaunee

Thousands of years ago, five distinct Native American nations—the Mohawks, the Oneidas, the Onondagas, the Cayugas, and the Senecas engaged in constant war with one another.

The Peacemaker Story

Most historians say that the Haudenosaunee Confederacy came together during the 15th century.

A Variety Of Whales

Whales are members of a scientific order known as Cetacea. Cetaceans are found in every ocean and consist of two main suborders: baleen whales (or Mysticeti) and toothed whales (Odontoceti), which also include dolphins and porpoises.

Slang From The Sea

Have you ever felt startled or “taken aback” about the turn of certain events? Or have you ever gone from feeling great to feeling disappointment when someone or something “took the wind out of your sails”? Those phrases are examples of sailing-related sayings.

On Behalf Of Whales

Meet WDC’s Regina Asmutis-silvia

Working On The Railroad

The transcontinental railroad was the greatest engineering feat of its time. Nothing like it had been attempted before. The project required massive amounts of material and money, and it required the labor of thousands of men working six days a week. Finding enough workers was initially difficult for both companies.

MIdwest Hub

Almost as soon as Chicago was established in 1833, it went through a remarkable transformation.

Gangsters!

A dark side of Chicago’s history has been glamorized in movies and television.

A Deep Divide

Long before fighting with guns started in the Civil War (1861–1865), Americans fought with words and ideas. As this issue shows, nearly all the disagreements involved slavery, and efforts to compromise never permanently eliminated the threat that slavery presented to the nation’s united future.

The Call to Fight SLAVE REBELLIONS

To Nat Turner, the unusual bluish-green sun that dawned one morning was a sign.

Unlikely Election

When seven southern states seceded from the Union over the winter of 1860– 61, they did so mainly as a result of the election of Abraham Lincoln as president. Lincoln was an unlikely winner from an unlikely party in an unlikely year.

A Failed Experiment

This 1846 print warns of the evils of alcohol by showing the stages of a man going from social drinker to death, while his family cries under the archway.

Women on the Rise

The activism of women was impossible to miss during the Progressive Era. From labor strikes and grassroots campaigns to the crusade for the vote, women mobilized in large numbers.

What The Camera Captured - Indoors

The photographs on the following pages are part of the collection of the National Child Labor Committee (NCLC) and are attributed to Lewis W. Hine.

It's The Law

By 1910, about 2 million children under the age of 15 worked in industry, according to National Archives and Records Administration data.

Dr. D's Mystery Hero - Child Star

Child labor often brings to mind terrible conditions for poor wages, but this month’s mystery hero’s story was different.

Mr. Lincoln's Reelection

Mr. Lincoln's Reelection

A Visit To Ivy Green

In northwestern Alabama, the simple white clapboard house known as Ivy Green has been preserved as a museum dedicated to Helen Keller’s life and work.

The Great War - An Overview

World War I—or the “Great War,” as it was called—was truly a world war. An estimated 65 million soldiers representing more than 30 countries from six continents took part.

The End of the War to End All Wars

All was quiet on the Western Front at 11:00 a.m. on November 11, 1918.