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Dive into columns, discoveries, and thoughtful and informative essays from the past and present, penned by Eli Lake, Niall Ferguson, and others.
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This Week in American History: Jefferson vs. the Barbary Pirates
Long before the fight over the Strait of Hormuz, Thomas Jefferson acted to defend American ships against the Barbary pirates.
Jonathan Horn
This Week in American History: Trump’s Overarching Problem
The president’s plan for a triumphal arch in Washington calls for something that would really be a tribute to America’s past: compromise.
Jonathan Horn
This Week in American History: When Germany Invaded America
In the spring of 1776, King George III turned to foreign troops in his quest to subdue the rebellious colonies.
Jonathan Horn
This Week in American History: The French Connection
In 1776, a great playwright created a fictitious trading company to hide the French government’s active support of the American rebellion.
Jonathan Horn
This Week in American History: John Adams’s Rage Bait
By April 1776, North Carolinians were resolved to separate from Great Britain.
Jonathan Horn
This Week in American History: The Other Manhattan Project
Two hundred fifty years ago this week, George Washington and his Continental Army set off for fortified New York City and prepared to repel a British…
Jonathan Horn
This Week in American History: Don’t Call Them Pirates
Driven by a restless, entrepreneurial spirit, more than a thousand American privateers took to the waves against the British.
Jonathan Horn
This Week in American History: Forged Letters, Fake Prisoners, and a High-Value Target
Long before the Maduro raid, a scrappy U.S. general ran a special operation to catch Philippine rebel leader Emilio Aguinaldo—a scheme so bold it still…
Jonathan Horn
You’re Not Protesting Like Dr. King
For my uncle, protest wasn’t a moral stance alone—it was a strategy, a discipline, and a craft. Today, we’ve lost all three.
Isaac Newton Farris Jr.
This Week in American History: The British Bang a U-ey
Two hundred fifty years ago this week, Washington and his Continentals liberated Boston.
Jonathan Horn
This Week in American History: Tariff Wars
One hundred ninety-three years ago this week, a truce of sorts on tariffs brought the country back from the brink of civil war.
Jonathan Horn
This Week in American History: The Fortress Washington Built Overnight
On this night 250 years ago, George Washington and his men ingeniously surprised the British in Boston—and paved the way for their first great victory…
Jonathan Horn
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