United States History

The Freedmen’s Bureau and the Education of the Freedmen
In March of 1865, just before the ending of the Civil War, the Federal government created the Freedmen’s Bureau.1 Initially set up to help the

John Peter Zenger: One Man’s Struggle for Free Press, Part I
In the media today, every public figure is being scrutinized through a magnifying glass. People are openly, and at times brutally, expressing their opinions about

John Peter Zenger: One Man’s Struggle for Free Press, Part II
When the news of the content of Zenger’s newspaper spread, Cosby was informed of the allegations being printed against him, and became outraged by these

Witches: The Hocus Pocus in Salem
Why would adults in Salem, Massachusetts in the 1690s take the accusations of nine year old girls seriously? During the seventeenth century, New England had grown diverse.

Is Heyward and Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess American’s first operatic piece or a glorified minstrel show?
In 1924, George Gershwin, a famous American composer, premiered “Rhapsody in Blue,” which became hailed as a “highbrow jazz” piece. Gershwin enjoyed taking common art,

To The One I Loathe: Chicago’s 1929 St.Valentine’s Day Massacre, Part I
Winner of the Fall 2016 StMU History Media Award for Best Descriptive Article Orders were given and on a cold morning on February 14, 1929, five

To The One I Loathe: Chicago’s 1929 St.Valentine’s Day Massacre, Part II
Jack McGurn would soon learn that of the seven men killed the morning of Feburary 14, 1929, George “Bugs” Moran was not one of them.

The First Great Depression: The Panic of 1873
Many Americans remember the Great Depression that left our country in financial ruin during the 1930’s.1 However, many of them are oblivious to the depression that

John D. Rockefeller: Industrialist & Philanthropist
Born in 1839, John D. Rockefeller was an American industrialist and philanthropist who built an oil empire by guaranteeing a uniform quality grade for his