History Now Essay The Battle of Antietam: A Turning Point in the Civil War James M. McPherson 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+ Four days after the battle of Antietam, which took place near Sharpsburg, Maryland, on September 17, 1862, Captain Robert Gould Shaw of the 2nd Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry wrote to his father: "Every battle makes me wish more and... Appears in: 31 | Perspectives on America’s Wars Spring 2012
History Now Essay Suggested Resources on the War of 1812 from the Archivist Mary-Jo Kline Prof. Taylor’s most recent book, the prizewinning The Civil War of 1812: American Citizens, British Subjects, Irish Rebels, and Indian Allies (New York: Knopf, 2010), focuses on the conflict along the US-Canadian border involving... Appears in: 31 | Perspectives on America’s Wars Spring 2012
History Now Essay The First Saddest Day of My Life: A Vietnam War Story Sharon D. Raynor World History 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+ What I know about the Vietnam War, I learned as a child from my father, Louis Raynor. At thirteen years old, I discovered an old, tattered, leather-bound diary in my parents’ chest of drawers. When I opened it, I immediately... Appears in: 43 | Wartime Memoirs and Letters from the American Revolution to Vietnam Fall 2015 57 | Black Voices in American Historiography Summer 2020
History Now Essay The William Shepp Diaries: Combat and Danger in World War I Michael S. Neiberg World History 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+ "Disappointments," wrote Private William Shepp, "are common in the army." At the time, Shepp, an aspiring teacher from a small community in West Virginia, was pondering the seemingly unrewarding and unending work that he and the men... Appears in: 43 | Wartime Memoirs and Letters from the American Revolution to Vietnam Fall 2015
History Now Essay Ely S. Parker (Donehogawa): Civil War Hero, Ethnologist, Political Leader Bruce E. Johansen After 1800, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, like most Native American tribes, faced a long struggle against destruction of their land bases, cultures, and livelihoods. These struggles also spawned revival movements, one of... Appears in: 59 | American Indians in Leadership Winter 2021
History Now Essay Patriotism Crosses the Color Line: African Americans in World War II Clarence Taylor Government and Civics 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+ Although African Americans have been the victims of racial oppression throughout the history of the United States, they have always supported the nation, especially during wartime. When World War II erupted, over 2.5 million black men... Appears in: 14 | World War II Winter 2007 57 | Black Voices in American Historiography Summer 2020
History Now Essay The Other Theater: The War for American Independence beyond the Colonies Patrick Spero Geography, World History After the British signed the peace treaty that ended the American War for Independence in 1783, the City of London decided to commission a work of art to commemorate the conflict. The city’s representatives approached John Singleton... Appears in: 34 | The Revolutionary Age Winter 2012
History Now Essay Fighting for Democracy in World War I—Overseas and Over Here Maurice Jackson Maurice Jackson is Associate Professor of History and African American Studies at Georgetown University. He is the author of Let This Voice Be Heard: Anthony Benezet, Father of Atlantic Abolitionism (2009), and the co-editor of... Appears in: 57 | Black Voices in American Historiography Summer 2020 46 | African American Soldiers Fall 2016
History Now Essay Fighting against the Odds: Black Soldiers in the Second World War John H. Morrow, Jr. John H. Morrow, Jr. , is Franklin Professor of History at the University of Georgia. He taught for seventeen years at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where, in 1971, he became the first African American faculty member in the... Appears in: 57 | Black Voices in American Historiography Summer 2020 46 | African American Soldiers Fall 2016
History Now Essay The Diary of Ella Jane Osborn, World War I US Army Nurse Susan F. Saidenberg World History 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+ The unpublished diary of Ella Jane Osborn (1881–1966) in the Gilder Lehrman Collection opens an extraordinary window into the daily experiences of one American woman stationed in a US Army hospital in a dangerous and contested battle... Appears in: 43 | Wartime Memoirs and Letters from the American Revolution to Vietnam Fall 2015
History Now Essay Women and Wagoners: Camp Followers in the American War for Independence Holly A. Mayer 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+ An old tune called "The Girl I Left Behind Me" tells of a lovelorn soldier yearning to return home to his waiting fair maid. Although there is a good chance that this song was fifed during the Revolutionary War, the earliest... Appears in: 21 | The American Revolution Fall 2009
Essay The Open Door Policy and the Boxer War: The US and China Warren I. Cohen By 1899, the United States had become a world power. It was not only the world’s greatest industrial nation, but in the war with Spain it had demonstrated a willingness to use its power militarily. It had acquired possessions near and...
Essay Suggested Resources on World War I and the Zimmermann Telegram from the Archivist Mary-Jo Kline Professor Neiberg has written extensively on World War I. Of his many books, Fighting the Great War: A Global History (Cambridge, MA: Harvard, 2006) will be most helpful in teaching the topics discussed in this essay. Although this...
History Now Essay Ronald Reagan and the End of the Cold War: The Debate Continues Michael Cox World History For a British professor with more than a passing interest in US foreign policy and the role of the United States in ending the Cold War, it is indeed fascinating to observe how deeply divided opinion still remains over the part played... Appears in: 27 | The Cold War Spring 2011
History Now Essay Every Citizen a Soldier: World War II Posters on the American Home Front William L. Bird Jr. and Harry Rubenstein Art, Government and Civics, World History 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+ World War II posters helped to mobilize a nation. Inexpensive, accessible, and ever-present, the poster was an ideal agent for making victory the personal mission of every citizen. Government agencies, businesses, and private... Appears in: World War II