Click to subscribe to American History magazine.The Confederacy: America's Worst Idea
On the 150th anniversary of secession, can we finally admit the truth about why the South lost the Civil War?
by Stephanie McCurry
Patrick Henry vs. Big Government
The fiery patriot orator also led the battle against the U.S. Constitution
by Harlow Giles Unger
FDR's Loyal Mistress
A letter sheds new light on the star-crossed love of Franklin Roosevelt and Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd
by Peter Carlson
National Portraitist
Feast your eyes on rare gems by Norman Rockwell, the artist who made Americans feel good about themselves
by Claudia Glenn Dowling
Dreamweaver
How Chief Joseph, a gifted Nez Perce leader, mesmerized his enemies
by Elliott West
Salem Witch House
The ghosts in a hanging judge's home are not the ones you'd expect
by Robert Strauss
DEPARTMENTS
Gazette
Battle looms over Jim Thorpe's remains; Civil War prison ruins unearthed; Little Bighorn flag up for grabs; nuclear test site gets landmark status; and more
Interview
U.S. Archivist David Ferriero, America's collector in chief
The First
Point-and-shoot camera
Encounter
Franklin Roosevelt dines with King Ibn Saud
Details
Racial stereotyping and anti-immigration fervor, circa 1889
Books the President Should Read
Can Big Oil be kept in line?
The Big Picture
How did we end up with so many federal bureaucrats?
Letter From American History
Reviews
True-to-life Lego skyscraper exhibit; an epic saga of the Liberty Bell; the intertwined lives of Thomas Jefferson's women; and more
Save This Old Barn
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