FEATURESThomas Jefferson, Slave Master
What was Jefferson’s real reason for owning more than 600 slaves?
by Henry Wiencek
Oil Rush
The country’s first oil boom almost turned western Pennsylvania into a wasteland
by William Wright
As American as Modern Architecture
Why Columbus, Ind., is home to a collection of architectural gems by modern masters
by William L. Hamilton
The Wild Ones
A 1906 excursion to the Florida Everglades revealed a long-hidden treasure: the culture of the Seminole Indians
by Claudia Glenn Dowling
Sen. Harry S. Truman gave wasteful war contractors hell—and made Congress admirable
by Robert M. Poole
6 Million Mules
The lowly mule is actually a venerable character in the American story
by Verlyn Klinkenborg
DEPARTMENTS
Gazette
Old map yields new clues about the Lost Colony; National Trust’s annual list of endangered historic sites; groundbreaking World War II documentary restored
The Big Picture
America’s growth still depends on immigrants
We’ve Been Here Before
The first Mormon to run for president was the first Mormon
Encounter
Helen Keller tied Mark Twain around her finger
The First
Gold Star Mother
Details
Puritan gravestone
Jonathan Haidt explains the psychology behind our polarized politics
A true place
Reviews
The world Strom Thurmond made; Peggy Shippen’s deceitful ways; Jewish soldiers in the Civil War
From America’s Attic
Edison’s light bulb
