From H.L. Mencken's "The American Language," this site examines Webster's contribution to the study of language and spelling in the United States. Covers the history of Webster's works and summarizes his philosophy and advocacy for...

This article focuses on the study of immigrants in the early 19th century before the Civil War. Migration policy was primarily under state rather than federal control, and as long as slavery existed, there was no national definition of...

A digital collection of advertisements for runaway and captured slaves in the period before the American Civil War. In addition, there are historical documents related to slavery. Gives the option of browsing or doing a detailed search....

Several chapters taken from General Sherman's memoirs covering the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862. He provides a leadership view of the actions of General Ulysses S. Grant before, during and after the battle.

A detailed biography of the life of Leon Trotsky. Discusses his life before the Russian Revolution, his political accomplishments afterwards, his opposition to Stalinism, his exile and his assassination.

The ritual grew as ownership of automobiles and then mass production of portable grills and plastic coolers soared. Tailgating before college and professional football games is an American tradition. Temporary tent cities pop up in...

This website was created by faculty, students, and staff to publicly present information about Columbia's historical connections to the institution of slavery. In the decades before the Civil War, Columbia produced only two graduates who...

Young scholars will examine a variety of documents that reference reasons why Americans living in the East migrated west of the Mississippi immediately before, during, and right after the Civil War. Documents cover the mining industry,...

Song sheets, which containedonly lyrics, were a popular form of printed music. The Library of Congress holds over 4,000 of these from the 1800s that can be viewed online.