U.S. History

Latino Educational Group Charges Dan Patrick With Limiting Ethnic, Gender Studies at Texas Universities

When representatives from Librotraficante, a Houston-based organization best-known for its work smuggling Latino texts into Arizona last year, visited Austin on Thursday, they met with one of Sen. Dan Patrick's aides. According to Tony Diaz, Librotraficante's lead organizer, Patrick's aide informed ... More >>

Confederate Lawyer Fights to Keep Confederate Memorial Plastered in Confederate Remembrance

The Texas Supreme Court building is the largest Confederate memorial in the world. Kirk Lyons, a lawyer with the Sons of Confederate Veterans, wants me to know this. He says it, repeats it. At the beginning of the conversation. In the middle. At the end, twice. "That building is still the largest C ... More >>

Lincoln: A Tall, Tall Film

Daniel Day-Lewis and Steven Spielberg ably fill the hat.

5 Bands Abraham Lincoln Would Have Been Into

If he had not been assassinated 147 years ago, Abraham Lincoln would be having a pretty good year. In an already rancorous election campaign, our 16th president remains the ideal of statesmanship, common sense and decency in the Oval Office, virtues all but alien in modern-day Washington. This Frida ... More >>

Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens 4th of July Celebration

''WAR/PHOTOGRAPHY''

Whitest Kids U Know

JFK At 95: What If He Lived?

Had he not been felled by assassins bullets back in 1963, President John F. Kennedy would have turned 95 years old this week. That's if old age and some tragic and wacky Kennedy curse accident wouldn't have done him in first. Would he and Jackie have spent their entire lives together, or would the ... More >>

For President's Day: The Best Movie Portrayals of 15 Presidents

Portraying presidents on screen is always tricky. Crass imitation makes the thing look like a comedy skit, but completely ignoring the mannerisms and voice that people know doesn't work either. There have been some laughingly inept acting jobs when it comes to the 44 people who have been the countr ... More >>

7 Little-Known (And Completely Unverified) Facts About U.S. Presidents

Today, the nation celebrates Presidents' Day, the most important holiday of all time. No other national holiday has such a clear purpose or overall popularity. Therefore, why not recognize this momentous occasion with a look back at some of our greatest presidents, and learn some facets of their bio ... More >>

Emancipation Proclamation

More Than a Month

Executive Entertainers: America's Most Musical Presidents

Big-money supporters were treated to the first indelible moment in Barack Obama's reelection campaign last Thursday when the President crooned the opening lyric from Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" from the stage of the Apollo Theater in Harlem. It was just the sort of off-the-cuff instance that c ... More >>

''Discovering the Civil War''

Rick Perry's Unique American Revolution Analysis: Best Twitter Responses, and Our Dumb-Quotes Random Generator Is Updated

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economyRick Perry last night did what most presidential candidates do after sucking again in a debate -- he went to a frat house. In explaining to the Beta Theta Pi boys his views of governance, Perry said that the American Revolutio ... More >>

10 Confederate Flag Bikinis And The Subtle Political Statements They Make

Despite Sam Houston's fervent wishes, Texas joined the Confederacy during the Civil War. Perhaps old Sam would have endorsed the move if he knew it would eventually lead to the phenomenon of confederate-flag bikinis. These bikinis, to be sure, do not promote slavery or racism. Instead they make a m ... More >>

Five Presidents Who Could Kick Chuck Norris's Ass

Abe Lincoln: Let's get rrrrready to rrrrumble​In our continuing series of scholarly meditations on the United States Presidency, we now bring you a list of five presidents who could kick the crap out of Chuck Norris. Of note: only one of the top five served after 1908, although two honorable m ... More >>

Presidential Offspring: Seven Very Odd Outcomes of White House Fathers

Chester Arthur III: Gay liberation leader and sex astrologer​Having a president for a father is not easy: The roster of children born to America's chief executives is rife with alcoholics, suicides and failures. Some, of course, thrive. But still, there are oddities. Here are five (Bonus: Two ... More >>

The Five Horniest Presidents America Has Produced

Warren G. Harding, sex machine​The Reelz channel finished up its Kennedys mini-series last night, the production that was chased from the History Channel because JFK fans hollered about inaccuracies or too many dramatic liberties. The series itself seemed rather rote, although Greg Kinnear wa ... More >>

Houston's Six Best Archeological Sites

Where's Indy when you need him?​We were intrigued by Brittanie Shey's visit to the Camp Logan ruins in Memorial Park last month, so we wondered: Where are the best spots in the Houston area to do some archeological exploring? We asked Louis Aulbach, one of the best Houston historians, for som ... More >>

President's Day List: Five Biographies You Need to Read

Dutch received undeserved scorn​President's Day is a time to reflect on the people who've lived in the White House, and how best to learn more about them. Presidential biographies have always been a huge industry, with a staggering amount of trees felled for books both incredibly dense and an ... More >>

Top 10 Musical U.S. Presidents

"The future of our nation depends on providing our children with a complete education that includes music." - Gerald Ford gwu.eduWhen else are we going to use this picture?​Today is President's Day, and if you'll think back to high-school U.S. History, you'll remember that potential Commande ... More >>

Texas Seceded 150 Years Ago Today: Five Reasons It Was a Great Idea

Sam Houston said no to this​On this day 150 years ago, the Texas legislature voted to secede from the Union and join the Confederacy. Nowadays, of course, we have a governor who daydreams about the seceding, if not (necessarily) the Confederacy part. So it makes sense to look at how things w ... More >>

The Complete History of America (Abridged)

See the story of the U.S. smashed into just 90 minutes

The General

Buster Keaton goes a little locomotive loco in this silent film

The South's Gonna Do It Again In Galveston

​We're coming up on the anniversary of the Battle of Galveston. Each January 1 Americans all over the nation celebrate the day by watching football and gorging themselves on leftover party snacks, in memory of the Union and Confederate soldiers who lost their lives.It wasn't exactly Gettysburg out ... More >>

Texas Traveler: The Battle of Galveston

The destruction of U.S.S. Westfield during the Battle of Galveston.​As you're nursing your New Year's Hangover, take a moment to think about the soldiers who, 147 years previous, were fighting their brethren on both land and sea in the early part of the Civil War. The Galveston Historical F ... More >>

Texas Traveler: Houston Haunts

Photos by Brittanie SheyEntrance to the Donnellan vault below the Franklin Street Bridge​Texas Traveler has spent the better part of the month checking out some of the creepiest, oldest, most interesting parts of Houston and it's neighboring cities, and to wrap up the month we have a few more ... More >>

Now You Can Watch The State Board Of Education Hijinks Live!! On Your Computer

​Television just got a lot more entertaining this week. And we're not talking about the Jay Leno show.The State Board of Education announced today that it will be televising its committee meetings for the world to see. (A new law requires them to do so, but we like to think it's just civic-mindedn ... More >>

Houston 101: The Short Happy Life of Dick Dowling

​Aside from the city's namesake, no 19th-Century Houstonian was more famous than Dick Dowling, the Irish-born saloonkeeper/businessman and Confederate war hero. In fact, when city leaders commissioned Houston's very first public monument in 1905, it was Dowling and not Sam Houston who got the hono ... More >>

Life in 1860 Houston: the Civil War and Reconstruction

Web exclusive!

Seen and Unseen

The Sandra Organ Dance Company celebrates black history, and black present

Big, Big Upset Coming Tomorrow, Says Possibly Untrustworthy Source

"American Civil War Field Notes: Sketches from Cairo to Columbia"

Embedded Illustrators on display at O'Kane Gallery

“African American Battlefields of the Civil War: Contemporary Photography by William Earle Williams”

The MFAH hosts an exhibit of more than 50 photographs of the remains of black colonial sites

Absolut Apologizes for Ad Depicting the Americas Before America Invaded Mexico

Black History Month Retrospective

Celebrate the contributions of African-Americans with the Sandra Organ Dance Company

Museum District Day

Explore 18 museums for free!

"Waves" of Destruction

One More for Freedom

Cage Death Match

National Treasure makes one long for good Nic Cage movies -- like Con Air

In the Name of...

These Generals speak the name of the Lord, but is it in vain?

Her-story Lessons

The Delany sisters recount 100 years of American history in the compelling Having Our Say

The Spirit of '76

A musical history lesson

Renovated Out of Existance

The First Ward never had much in the way of worldly goods. But it had a rich history. Now, even that is disappearing.

The South Will Re-enact Again!

A Winning War

Alley production richly captures spirit of the strife

Blue and Gray Musical

Press Picks

Mickey and Minnie, the Robber Barons