American History Stories

Stories from U.S. history covering remarkable people and cultural movements from the Revolutionary War to the 1980s.

River pirates Sadie the Goat crew

The Legend Of Sadie The Goat in New York City

Gallus Mag New York bouncer 1860s

Gallus Mag, The Most Brutal Bouncer in 1860s New York

Yuri Kochiyama at Vietnam War protest

Yuri Kochiyama At The Intersection of Black Power & Asian Movements

The Richmond Planet front page paper

John Mitchell Jr.’s Relentless Fight For Justice At The Richmond Planet

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Hell-Cat Maggie in Gangs of New York movie

The Mayhem of Hell-Cat Maggie In New York City

Martha Mitchell at a press conference in 1973

When Martha Mitchell Was Right About Watergate

Constance Kopp in 1916 newspaper article.

How Constance Kopp Became First Female Sheriff’s Deputy

1st MN private Marshall Sherman with Confederate battle flag

Marshall Sherman’s Capture of Virginia Battle Flag at Gettysburg

Filipinos stand in front of the bombed Filipino Federation of America in 1930

The Anti-Filipino Watsonville Riots of 1930

Newspaper cartoon against smallpox inoculation

George Washington’s Fight for Smallpox Inoculation in Revolutionary War

Black ultramarathoner Edward Gardner at start of the Bunion Derby race in Los Angeles

The Triumphs of Edward Gardner at the 1928 Bunion Derby

Zazu Nova at New York's Gay Youth meeting in 1970.

Why Zazu Nova’s Legacy at Stonewall Deserves More Recognition

Hiding rice in braided hair during slavery.

How Enslaved Africans Braided Rice Seeds Into Their Hair & Changed the World

Woman holding hat pins, ready to stab.

Hatpin Panic: How Hat Pins Upended Gender Politics in 20th Century America

Alvin Shipwreck Kelly flagpole sitting in 1928.

Alvin “Shipwreck” Kelly & Flagpole Sitting in the 1920s

FDA protests for HIV cure and research

Silence = Death: The AIDS Crisis Was So Much Worse Than We Talk About

Women working in piecework factory in 1909.

The Power of a 20th Century Spinster

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