Tyler Stovall writes white freedom is "the belief (and practice) that freedom is central to white racial identity, and that only white people can or should be free" — noting nations were built on it.
Large crowds and parades have become hallmarks of presidential inaugurations but will be absent this year because of the pandemic and security concerns. Here's a look back at earlier inaugural events.
Elizabeth Blackwell was the first woman in America to earn her medical degree. Her sister Emily followed in her footsteps. Janice Nimura tells the story of the "complicated, prickly" trailblazers.
The inauguration of President-elect Biden will look different from the past — with no crowds and troops guarding the Capitol. But the oath of office remains the same.
We talk with the authors of Why Nations Fail about whether the Capitol insurrection is a sign that our nation is failing and, if so, whether there's anything we can do about it.
Documentarian Ken Burns believed there were three major crises in the nation's past: The Civil War, the Depression and World War II. Now, he says, we are living through the fourth.
NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Michael Tubbs, Stockton, Calif., ex-mayor and founder of Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, on how Martin Luther King Jr. impacted the fight for universal basic income.
MLK/FBI director Sam Pollard chronicles the FBI's campaign against Martin Luther King Jr., which included sending King a letter suggesting that he kill himself.
Sadeqa Johnson's novel — inspired by a real historical figure — pulls no punches in its tale of an enslaved woman trying to survive and make a life for herself and her family.
With the country reeling from the pandemic, racial injustice and the Capitol riot, President-elect Joe Biden must transcend the "typical gauzy appeals to national unity" of past inaugural addresses.
Randi Pink's new novel follows a young couple, Angel and Isaiah, whose budding love is set against the backdrop of historical tragedy: the Tulsa race massacre of 1921.
The Trump administration has upended decades of diplomatic practice in U.S. relations with Taiwan. For the new president, "this is meant to be a trap," says a former Obama administration official.
Sheehan, who died Jan. 7, broke the story of the Pentagon Papers and wrote A Bright Shining Lie, a Pulitzer Prize-winning book about the Vietnam War. Originally broadcast in 1988.
Each day, we breathe about 22,000 times--and all that time we smell. Scent historian Caro Verbeek recreates scents of the past. She says, just like music and art, smell is a part of our heritage.
Clara Jean Ester was a college student in 1968 when she saw Martin Luther King Jr. give his final speech. A day later, Ester was at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn., when he was assassinated.
Trotter was a Black newspaper editor in the early 20th century who advocated for civil rights by organizing mass protests. Historian Kerri Greenidge tells his story in her new book.
Since 2019, NPR's podcast and radio show Throughline has been putting events into historical context. Here are some episodes we think might help us better understand this moment.
NPR's Scott Simon reflects on the life and work of famed reporter Neil Sheehan who obtained the Pentagon Papers. Sheehan died this week at the age of 84.
Neal was Nevada’s first Black state senator, serving for eight terms. He was the first Black major party candidate for governor. He died on New Year’s Eve at age eighty-five..
Harvard University's Daniel Lieberman looks at exercise from an evolutionary point of view, concluding that we evolved to limit our physical activity where possible, saving it for survival activities.
Meda Nix, 72, is one of the Cherokee speakers who's received a dose of coronavirus vaccine. She says vaccinating Cherokee speakers early helps to preserve "Our culture. Our beliefs. Our ways."
A nonprofit has identified 2,000 works by women artists that had been stashed in Italy's public museums and damp churches. It's also supported restoration of 70 works from the 16th to 20th centuries.
