Viewing the Vietnam War in Three Ways
The Vietnam War is one of the most controversial and traumatic events in American history. In the 21st century, Americans still bitterly argue about the war. For instance, in the 2004 presidential election [more…]
Midway: Naval Aviation's Finest Moment in World War II
The admirals in both the American and Japanese navies had grown up believing that the decisive naval action in the Pacific would be one straight out of the age of sail — two big battle fleets fighting [more…]
Placing Lewis and Clark in History
One of the ways that the Lewis and Clark journey stands out among all the other explorations of the Americas is the over one million words that Lewis and Clark wrote in their journals. Clark was the most [more…]
Americanizing the War in Vietnam
Because U.S. President Lyndon Johnson continued to expand U.S. support to South Vietnam, the U.S. military presence continued and took a more aggressive posture in 1964. The American advisory effort remained [more…]
Strategizing for Victory in Vietnam . . . Or at Least a Stalemate
When violence erupted in South Vietnam in the mid-1950s, the government under Ngo Dinh Diem initially faced an internal threat from VC guerrilla forces. [more…]
Pueblo: Indian Villages
There was no single tribe called the Pueblo. The word Pueblo, Spanish for "village," is cultural and describes how some of the tribes in the Southwest lived. The Pueblos live mainly in Arizona, New Mexico [more…]
Seminole: The Unconquered People
The Seminole people are the descendants of many Southeastern tribes who joined together in Florida. The formation of this North American tribe occurred over many decades. There were several significant [more…]
Developing Campaigns: The Art of War during the Civil War
Military commanders follow the principles of war to defeat an enemy in the best and quickest way possible. An army commander must first decide whether to conduct an offensive or defensive campaign. The [more…]
Geographical Expectations for Lewis and Clark
From the beginning of New World exploration, Europe's stubborn belief was that the world simply didn't have room for a continent between Europe and Asia. After they discovered that a continent did lie [more…]
Fighting Slavery with the Pen
At the beginning of the 19th century, many black abolitionists favored moderate and strategic action over violence to end slavery. Since white Americans outnumbered black Americans, violence just wasn't [more…]
Ushering in Racial Freedom in the U.S.
While the civil rights movement began in the 1950s, it reached full steam in the 1960s, marked by several new tactics that proved effective in breaking down discrimination. [more…]
Generals McClellan and Bragg: Civil War Washouts
Bad generals are dangerous. When they make poor decisions, people get killed. Every war has its successful and unsuccessful generals, but Confederate General Bragg and Union General McClellan were the [more…]
Navajo: A Language and People
The Navajo Nation is the second-largest tribal group in the United States. Their name for themselves is Ni'hookaa Diyan Diné, which translates as "Lords of the Earth [more…]
Analyzing the Causes of the Great Depression
America had gone through hard times before: a bank panic and depression in the early 1820s, other economic hard times in the late 1830s, the mid-1870s, and the early and mid-1890s. But never did it suffer [more…]
Analyzing the Consequences of the Great Depression
America had gone through hard times before: a bank panic and depression in the early 1820s, other economic hard times in the late 1830s, the mid-1870s, and the early and mid-1890s. But never did it suffer [more…]
A Timeline of U.S. Military History
U.S. military history closely follows the history of the country in general, starting with the Revolutionary War that was the military father of the county. The timeline here shows the significant military [more…]
U.S. Military History For Dummies Cheat Sheet
U.S. military history closely echoes the history of the country in general. From the military engagements that helped throw off the yoke of British rule, through two world wars that each changed military [more…]
Key Dates in U.S. History
You may think that U.S. history starts with the American Revolution, but before that pivotal event came the hunters who first explored the continent and the Europeans who tried to colonize it. Of course [more…]
U.S. History For Dummies Cheat Sheet
U.S. history is as complex and fascinating as the people who populate the country. A timeline of significant events in the life of the United States of America starts with hunters crossing the Bering Strait [more…]
The U.S. Constitution’s First Ten Amendments: The Bill of Rights
Some of the signers of the U.S. Constitution felt the need to spell out the rights of individual citizens in contrast to the establishment of the powers of the federal government enumerated in the Constitution [more…]
Who Signed the U.S. Constitution?
The 38 signers of the U.S. Constitution were delegates from the original states who gathered several times and in several places, first drafting the Declaration of Independence, and then, after the colonists [more…]
The U.S. Constitution and the Establishment of Government
The U.S. Constitution, as adopted by the Philadelphia Convention on September 17, 1787, sets out three distinct branches of national government and provides powers to each that serve as a check on the [more…]
Why Do We Observe Memorial Day?
Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, was first proclaimed by General John Logan, Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), on May 5, 1868, and was first observed on May 30 [more…]
The History of Mother's Day
Mother's Day as a national holiday in the United States is almost a century old, but its roots go back before the Civil War to a hard-working Virginian mother and activist named Anna Reeves Jarvis. [more…]
The History of Flag Day
"Resolved that the flag of the thirteen United States be Thirteen stripes alternate red and white: that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation. [more…]
