The Saratoga Campaign
The first years of the Revolutionary War were discouraging for Americans. British forces were larger, better trained, and better equipped. American victories were few, but in the fall of 1777,…
Lemonade Lucy Hayes
The press jokingly called her “Lemonade Lucy,” because no alcoholic beverages were served in the White House while she was First Lady. But Lucy Hayes, wife of the 19th President,…
The Camp David Accords
The presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland, was the setting for a historic moment in September, 1978. With the help of U.S. President Jimmy Carter, the leaders of Egypt and…
Fisk Jubilee Singers
“The magic of their song kept thrilling hearts,” the African-American leader W.E.B. Du Bois said of the Jubilee Singers of Fisk University. The “Jubilees” were the first choral group to…
African Americans
Unlike immigrants from other lands, ancestors of most African-Americans came to America by force rather than by choice. One million arrived aboard slave ships between 1619 and 1808. As slaves,…
Benjamin Banneker
The son of a freed slave, Benjamin Banneker spent only a few winters in school. But he overcame racial prejudice and lack of formal education to become a widely respected…
I.M. Pei
In Washington D.C., a bold structure in the shape of two connecting triangles makes a dramatic addition to the National Gallery of Art. In Boston, the green-glassed John Hancock Tower…
Mount Rushmore
Located in the Black Hills in southwestern South Dakota, Mount Rushmore National Memorial celebrates America with images of four of its great presidents. Carved from the granite summit of Mount…
The Log Cabin
When settlers arrived on the wild American frontier, their first task was to build a home. More often than not, they built a log cabin. These simple homes were common…
The Stamp Act
“No taxation without representation!” That cry rang out all through the 13 colonies in 1765. American colonists were furious over the Stamp Act, a new British law that taxed them…