A Yankee Apology for Reconstruction
The creators of Yale’s Civil War Memorial were more concerned with honoring “both sides” than with the true meaning of the war.
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Randy Duchaine / Alamy The Annotated Frederick Douglass
In 1866, the famous abolitionist laid out his vision for radically reshaping America in the pages of The Atlantic.
Photograph by Aaron Turner for The Atlantic Trust the Teachers
Here’s what parents need to understand about the teaching of history.
Bettmann / Getty; The Atlantic One Week to Save Democracy
Lessons from Frederick Douglass on the tortured relationship between protest and change
Getty / The Atlantic After the Flood Recedes
Like Frederick Douglass, we can find inspiration for this moment in the oldest story of rebirth and renewal.
Trent Parke / Magnum The United States Is Being Taught by Facts and Events
The pandemic is reminding Americans of the importance of government.
Leah Millis / Reuters A University’s Betrayal of Historical Truth
The University of North Carolina agreed to pay the Sons of Confederate Veterans $2.5 million—a sum that rivals the endowment of its history department.
Gerry Broome / AP Frederick Douglass’s Vision for a Reborn America
In the immediate aftermath of the Civil War, he dreamed of a pluralist utopia.
Diana Ejaita The Battle for Memorial Day in New Orleans
A century and a half after the Civil War, Mayor Mitch Landrieu asked his city to reexamine its past—and to wrestle with hard truths.
Library of Congress / Harper's Weekly Frederick Douglass, Refugee
Throughout modern history, the millions forced to flee as refugees and beg for asylum have felt Douglass’s agony, and thought his thoughts.
J.C. Buttre / Wikimedia
