http://americanhistory.about.com/ Get the latest headlines from the About.com http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hh http://www.about.com/ 118 20 en-us 2013-04-30T10:59:16Z Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:59:16 +0000 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 http://americanhistory.about.com/b/2013/05/03/old-kinderhook.htm <p><img class="alignright" src="http://0.tqn.com/h/americanhistory/1/6/e/9/8_van_buren_1.jpg" alt="Martin Van Buren, Eighth President of the United States" />Martin Van Buren, "Old Kinderhook," served as the eighth president of the United States. Heavily involved in the Democratic Party, he helped form one of the first political machines. He was also part of Andrew Jackson's famed Kitchen Cabinet. Learn more about this president whose only major foreign policy issue was the anticlimactic&#160;"Aroostook War."</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://americanhistory.about.com/b/2013/05/03/old-kinderhook.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://americanhistory.about.com/b/2013/05/03/old-kinderhook.htm Fri, 03 May 2013 09:26:00 +0000 2013-05-03T09:26:00Z http://americanhistory.about.com/b/2013/04/30/john-quincy-adams-world-traveller.htm <p><img class="alignright" src="http://0.tqn.com/h/americanhistory/1/6/d/9/6_john_q_adams_1.jpg" alt="John Quincy Adams" />John Quincy Adams is a fascinating figure. He had travelled more than most in the world by the age of 17. He was quite a talented diplomat whose skills did not quite translate well in domestic politics. He was a staunch defender of the universal and inalienable rights of man, slave or free, as evidenced by his role on the defense team in the <em>Amistad</em> case. Learn more about this man who would only serve one term as president due to the backlash from the 'Corrupt Bargain'.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://americanhistory.about.com/b/2013/04/30/john-quincy-adams-world-traveller.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://americanhistory.about.com/b/2013/04/30/john-quincy-adams-world-traveller.htm Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:59:16 +0000 2013-04-30T10:59:16Z http://americanhistory.about.com/b/2013/04/30/10-things-to-know-about-james-monroe.htm <p><img class="alignright" src="http://0.tqn.com/h/americanhistory/1/6/c/9/5_monroe.jpg" alt="James Monroe, Fifth President of the United States" />Many people may not realize how much James Monroe was involved in the American Revolution. He was the son of a patriot who fought against British colonial policy. In 1775, he was one of 24 students who stormed the governor's palace in Williamsburg to seize weapons. He not only crossed the Delaware with Washington and stayed at Valley Forge, but also fought in the Battles of Trenton, Germantown, Brandywine, and Monmouth. Learn more about our fifth president who was reelected unopposed gathering all but one of the electoral votes in the Election of 1820:</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://americanhistory.about.com/b/2013/04/30/10-things-to-know-about-james-monroe.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://americanhistory.about.com/b/2013/04/30/10-things-to-know-about-james-monroe.htm Tue, 30 Apr 2013 07:13:37 +0000 2013-04-30T07:13:37Z http://americanhistory.about.com/b/2013/04/15/schenck-v-united-states.htm <p>Charles Schenck was arrested and convicted of violating the Espionage Act of 1917 by advocating individuals to speak out and sign a petition against the Conscription Act during <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://americanhistory.about.com/od/worldwari/World_War_I.htm">World War I</a>. He appealed to the <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://americanhistory.about.com/od/judicialbranch/a/supreme_court.htm">Supreme Court</a>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://americanhistory.about.com/b/2013/04/15/schenck-v-united-states.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://americanhistory.about.com/b/2013/04/15/schenck-v-united-states.htm Mon, 15 Apr 2013 06:42:40 +0000 2013-04-15T06:42:40Z http://americanhistory.about.com/b/2013/04/14/lincoln-shot.htm <p>April 14, 1865, while watching a performance of "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theater with his wife, <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://americanhistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa040701a.htm">President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated</a> from a gunshot wound to the back of ...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://americanhistory.about.com/b/2013/04/14/lincoln-shot.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://americanhistory.about.com/b/2013/04/14/lincoln-shot.htm Sun, 14 Apr 2013 08:30:00 +0000 2013-04-14T08:30:00Z http://americanhistory.about.com/b/2013/04/13/election-of-1800-jefferson-vs-burr.htm <p>Even though the <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://americanhistory.about.com/od/elections/p/election1800.htm">Election of 1800</a> is heralded as an example of how the US government was able to peacefully transfer power between two opposing political parties when Federalist <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://americanhistory.about.com/od/johnadams/a/ff_john_adams.htm">John Adams</a> was defeated by Democratic-Republican <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://americanhistory.about.com/od/thomasjefferson/a/ff_t_jefferson.htm">Thomas Jefferson</a>, the actual battle for the election was between Jefferson and Aaron Burr. Alexander Hamilton was a key player in the election, first supporting the defeated Charles Pinckney (Federalist) and then shifting to Jefferson after the election became a contest in the House of Representatives. Learn more about this fascinating election that resulted in the passage of the 12th amendment with this profile.</p> http://americanhistory.about.com/b/2013/04/13/election-of-1800-jefferson-vs-burr.htm Sat, 13 Apr 2013 06:05:33 +0000 2013-04-13T06:05:33Z http://americanhistory.about.com/b/2013/04/12/franklin-d-roosevelt-dies.htm <p>On April 12, 1945, one of the greatest political figures of the 20th century passed away at the age of 63. <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://americanhistory.about.com/library/fastfacts/blffpres32.htm"> Franklin D. Roosevelt </a>can best be remembered for ...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://americanhistory.about.com/b/2013/04/12/franklin-d-roosevelt-dies.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://americanhistory.about.com/b/2013/04/12/franklin-d-roosevelt-dies.htm Fri, 12 Apr 2013 05:04:35 +0000 2013-04-12T05:04:35Z http://americanhistory.about.com/b/2013/04/11/gideon-v-wainwright.htm <p>In 1963, the US Supreme Court ruled on Gideon v. Wainwright, a landmark decision requiring states to provide defense counsel in all criminal cases on the basis that it would be a violation of the sixth amendment rights. Due to this, the number of public defenders in the country exponentially rose. Learn more about this important case and its significance:</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://americanhistory.about.com/b/2013/04/11/gideon-v-wainwright.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://americanhistory.about.com/b/2013/04/11/gideon-v-wainwright.htm Thu, 11 Apr 2013 08:17:44 +0000 2013-04-11T08:17:44Z http://americanhistory.about.com/b/2013/04/10/top-10-things-to-know-about-john-adams.htm <p>John Adams is a fascinating character. While only serving one term as president, he had a huge impact on the formation of the United States. The HBO miniseries on John Adams based on the book <em>John Adams</em> by David McCullough met with critical acclaim and is a great look at Adams and his contributions. He truly was a fascinating character and in many ways an underrated president. This <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://americanhistory.about.com/od/johnadams/tp/johnadams_top10.htm">top 10 list of things to know about John Adams</a> gives an overview the the key items that you should know when studying the second president of the United States.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://americanhistory.about.com/b/2013/04/10/top-10-things-to-know-about-john-adams.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://americanhistory.about.com/b/2013/04/10/top-10-things-to-know-about-john-adams.htm Wed, 10 Apr 2013 10:30:32 +0000 2013-04-10T10:30:32Z http://americanhistory.about.com/b/2013/04/09/top-five-causes-of-the-civil-war.htm <p>On April 9, 1865, <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://americanhistory.about.com/od/robertelee/Robert_E_Lee.htm">Robert E. Lee</a> surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://americanhistory.about.com/od/ulyssessgrant/p/pgrant.htm">Ulysses S. Grant</a> at <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://americanhistory.about.com/od/civilwarbattles/p/cwbattle_appom.htm">Appomattox Courthouse</a>. Ironically, the site of this last major battle was owned by Wilmer McLean, a retired officer of the Virginia militia, who had moved his family into the Courthouse nearly four years earlier after his farm in Northern Virginia became the site of the first battle of Bull Run. It could be said that McLean hosted both one of the major battles at the beginning and near the end of the Civil War.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://americanhistory.about.com/b/2013/04/09/top-five-causes-of-the-civil-war.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://americanhistory.about.com/b/2013/04/09/top-five-causes-of-the-civil-war.htm Tue, 09 Apr 2013 05:52:04 +0000 2013-04-09T05:52:04Z