American History
The Devastating Effects of Diseases on the Civil War Battlefield
The Civil War represented the first time in history that black soldiers entered military service en masse in the United States of America. […]
Military History
American History
Black Soldiers in the American Civil War
The Civil War represented the first time in history that black soldiers entered military service en masse in the United States of America. […]
American History
Common Soldiers of the American Civil War
By Gary Gallagher, Ph.D., University of Virginia Too often history textbooks focus on the grandiose paradigm shifts that emanate from wartime instead of shedding light […]
American History
North vs. South: Prelude to the American Civil War
The Anerican Civil War is so vast, complex, important, and engaging, that it has inspired literature that conservatively runs to more than 50,000 books and pamphlets. More than one book or pamphlet a day has been published about the conflict since April 1861, when the firing on Fort Sumter helped precipitate it. Review the background of the war, and learn what was happening in the North and South before the first shots were fired. […]
American History
Politics before the American Civil War
Slavery may have been the key issue that ignited the American Civil War, but a series of political battle lines, compromises, negotiations, and institutional challenges all served as catalysts for war. Take a look at the political storms of the mid-19th century and examine the politics of the American Civil War. […]
American History
The Shock of John Brown’s Raid
The presidential election of 1860 was the most momentous presidential election in the history of the United States. More was at stake than at any other time in U.S. history. Investigate the opening scene of the crisis: John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry. […]
European History
The Ottoman Empire at War
In November 1914, the Ottoman Empire was ill-prepared to enter a total modern war. This was a war that would be waged primarily against the British Empire and the Russian Empire at the same time. Yet, war is more than just a matter of numbers and statistics. Sometimes, one can beat the odds. Discover the circumstances the Ottoman Empire was up against and why it’s extraordinary they did as well as they did.
American History
Famous Battles of The American Revolution: The Second Victory at Trenton
Washington’s surprise at Trenton threw the British occupation of New Jersey into a panic. Carl von Donop—who was in command of the outposts at Trenton, Burlington, and Bordentown—now imagined himself outmaneuvered and cut off by unseen Americans, and he ordered a pullback to Princeton, where he furiously began throwing up entrenchments. […]
European History
The Spanish Civil War and Franco’s Reign
By Joyce Salisbury, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin–Green Bay In 1931, Spain had become a democracy, the Second Republic, when King Alfonso had gone into exile. […]
History
The Democratization of the Hundred Years War
During the first phase of the Hundred Years War, the kings of France and England tended to hire lots of mercenaries who were paid by campaign. When there was no fighting, the pay stopped. This caused serious societal difficulties because one of the last things you want is a lot of unemployed armed individuals. […]