Thomas Jefferson

Their wealthy successors are still waging class war.

The American rebellion was, in many ways, a sideshow to a far greater imperial drama.

America's 50th birthday was marked with toasts and parades. Over time, anniversary celebrations became more extravagant — and more controversial.

Thomas Jefferson's declaration might be the most famous, but it wasn't the first.

The physical journey of the Declaration of Independence tells its own story. Its imperfections and endurance reflect those of the America it helped create.

What Oliver Cromwell and the English Revolution meant to America’s revolutionaries.

The Founders' ideas of where law comes from, and who does and does not have the authority to make it, can guide us today as our grievances parallel theirs.

Black radicals read the Declaration of Independence.

It is a momentous expression of republican principles and true religious liberty.

How a printer's risky defiance of a colonial governor, and his attorney's creative defense, laid the foundation for the US's commitment to freedom of the press.

History helps explain the particular faith that now rules our religious marketplace.

John Adams’ maneuvering at the Continental Congress brought the independence debate to a head 250 years ago this week.

More so than at any point in the last century, U.S. independence now seems like a parochial affair.

What 1826, 1876, 1926, and 1976 tell us about 2026.

Ken Burns talks about his new documentary, The American Revolution; the ongoing project of 1776; and why the war was more than a revolt of wealthy slaveholders.

Donald Trump’s aversion to admitting fault suggests that we will not see events that grapple with the nuanced nature of the nation’s history this July 4th.

Slam Frank and musical theater’s Hamilton bind.

Lewis and Clark's influence on a nascent American literature.

After a brutal dog attack, a historian rethinks how to write about Lewis and Clark, focusing on lived pain, emotion, and the limits of understanding the past.

Lucy Worsley’s PBS series highlights the emotional fallout of the conflict, with a focus on the British perspective.