Topic: Slavery in History

Tax deadline: Why you get until April 17 this year to file your return

The tax deadline for filing 2011 federal income tax returns comes two days later than usual. For this, last-minute filers have President Lincoln to thank. 

Another anniversary for the overlooked Mrs. Dred Scott

April 6 marks a key date in one of the most divisive cases in the US Supreme Court's history. The Dred Scott vs. Sanford ruling led the nation into the Civil War. Dred’s name remains well known. Lost is the story of his wife, Harriet, whose cause gives the case its greater meaning.

Stephen King's 10 favorite books

Stephen King, author of 'Carrie' and 'The Shining,' reveals what he likes to read. 

Midnight Rising: John Brown and the Raid that Sparked the Civil War

Forgotten hero – or crazed fanatic? Journalist Tony Horwitz reexamines the story of John Brown and his raid on Harpers Ferry.

Fall books: 20 nonfiction titles you don't want to miss

From the energy crisis to The Doors, from Hitler’s Germany to Rin Tin Tin, here are the nonfiction titles that have readers buzzing this fall.

The little woman behind a very big war

A Q&A with David S. Reynolds, the author of "Mightier than the Sword: Uncle Tom’s Cabin and the Battle for America," about Harriet Beecher Stowe's influence on the Civil War.

Juneteenth: the oldest celebration of its kind

Juneteenth is celebrated today, but what does it celebrate?

The top 10 books of all time

Readers of books love lists. That's why book-review editor J. Peder Zane asked 125 writers – everyone from Norman Mailer to Jonathan Franzen to Margaret Drabble – to pick their very favorite books of all time. Out of all the books in the world, here are the 10 most selected by Zane's illustrious group.

(You can see this and other book lists in Zane's book "The Top Ten: Writers Pick Their Favorite Books.")

From 'Glory' to 'Gone With the Wind,' fascination with Civil War endures

The Civil War, which began 150 years ago Tuesday, has long been a potent theme in film – highlighted by the release of a new Civil War film by Robert Redford Friday.

America Aflame: How the Civil War Created a Nation

On the 150th anniversary of the onset of the US Civil War, a lively, compelling account of its roots.

For President's Day: A new look at Lincoln and slavery

Did the Great Emancipator always want to end slavery? Or did his thinking evolve on the job?

Five House controversies from Week 1: Did Republicans break promises?

Republicans returned to control of the House with grand promises of changing how the institution works. But Democrats are already crying foul. Here's a look at an eventful first week.

How Abraham Lincoln was like ... Hillary Clinton?

Historian Douglas R. Egerton, author of "Year of Meteors," talks about Abraham Lincoln and the tumultuous election of 1860.

Barack Obama speaks at Hampton University commencement

President Barack Obama spoke at the historically black Hampton University on Sunday, saying that education is the responsibility of all Americans.

McDonnell Confederate history storm: slavery, treason, and true Southern courage

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell’s controversial proclamation of Confederate History Month should help us remember the South’s rebellion for what it really was.

Pat Robertson Haiti comments: French view theory with disbelief

Pat Robertson said the Haiti earthquake was God's punishment for Haitian slaves' 'pact with the devil' to win freedom from France. But many French noted that Haiti's revolution was inspired by France's and considered an early exercise in self-determination.

Civil War Wives

The lives of three prominent Civil War-era women illustrate the drama that took place off the battlefield.

Should blacks get reparations?

The US senate's apology for slavery revives the debate. Compensation seems fair, but complications abound.

Be a fugitive slave for a night in “Escape on the Underground Railroad”

Cleveland offers the historically curious a sample of the heart-pounding panic, anger, and tears of escaped slaves making their way to freedom in Canada

Tales from America's past

A roundup review of four new fictional takes on the 18th and 19th centuries, from the French and Indian War to the trial of Henry Ward Beecher in 1872.

Lincoln's love for the law

I hope my students will follow his admonition: Be a lawyer only if you can be honest.

Lincoln at the intersection of principle and politics

Abraham Lincoln’s difficult passage through the politics of race

Abraham Lincoln at the intersection of principle and politics

Two new books document Lincoln's difficult passage through the politics of race.