We can’t let the former home of one of the great heroes of the American Revolution be demolished. “One of the great truths of history is that no past event was preordained,” wrote David McCullough in American Heritage. “Every battle, election, and revolution could have turned out differently at any point along the way.” John Glover's courage and sacrifice were crucial in winning the fight for our freedom and independence. Proof of that observation is the number of times that General George Washington and the fledgling American army were saved from disaster by John Glover and his Marblehea ..read more

John Glover and the men of Marblehead saved the Continental Army several times, and then helped it cross the Delaware to victory at Trenton and Princeton. Editor’s Note: The author of 13 books, Patrick K. O’Donnell is one of our leading military historians. His fascinating book about the crucial role that John Glover and the Marblehead men played in the Revolution, The Indispensables: The Diverse Soldier-Mariners Who Shaped the Country, Formed the Navy, and Rowed Washington Across the Delaware, reads like David McCullough’s 1776 and Stephen Ambrose’s Band of Brothers. We are delighted to publi ..read more

Many historians and the author of a recent book have seriously misjudged the influential former vice president and cabinet secretary. The World That Wasn’t: Henry Wallace and the Fate of the American Century, by Benn SteilEditor’s Note: Derek Leebaert is the author of several books on American history and the military, including Unlikely Heroes: Franklin Roosevelt, His Four Lieutenants, and the World They Made. He is a founder of the National Museum of the United States Army ..read more

Two hundred years ago, the conflict in which the U.S. seized the Deep South from its Native inhabitants was a turning point in American history, but it is largely forgotten today. Editor’s Note: One of the most respected historians of the Civil War and America’s westward expansion, Peter Cozzens has written 17 books and recently published the third volume of his trilogy about the Indian wars in the United States. This essay consists of vignettes adapted from A Brutal Reckoning: Andrew Jackson, the Creek Indians, and the Epic War for the American South. The previous two books in the trilog ..read more

Holt helped create PBS and National Public Radio before becoming chairman of American Heritage. Sam Holt (1936-2023) Samuel C. O. Holt, the long-time chairman of American Heritage Publishing, passed away on October 11, 2023. He was the first to join me as a director and investor to save the 60-year-old magazine in 2007, after Forbes suspended its publication. Sam was a legend in the broadcasting industry. He helped to create and define the public broadcasting system in the U.S. as the programming director of PBS for its first seven years. He was also the author of a landmark report that o ..read more

In an instant on November 22, 1963, morning in America became mourning in America. Images of JFK's funeral were broadcast across the nation after the president's death, including photos of his family - Caroline, Jacqueline, and John Jr. in front and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and his sister Jean Kennedy Smith behind them leaving the U.S. Capitol. JFK Library If you are like me of a certain age, you remember exactly where you were, what you were doing, and how you felt when you heard the news 60 years ago: John F. Kennedy, our vibrant, young 35th president had been assass ..read more

Sixty years ago, Jack Ruby shot Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald. What was his motive? The Warren Commission lawyer who investigated Ruby reveals the killer’s state of mind. Jack Ruby liked to kibitz with cops and had easy access to the main Dallas police station when Oswald was to be transferred to the county jail. He shouted "You rat son of a bitch, you killed my president!" before shooting Oswald in the gut. Wikipedia Commons ..read more

Once a scene of tragedy, Georgia's 200-year-old Indian Spring Hotel now offers a venue for learning about the past – including the controversial Creek leader who built it. Chief William McIntosh was murdered by militant Creeks after he signed a treaty ceding massive portions of the tribe's land to Georgia. The Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa On February 12, 1825, in the alcove of a second-floor room in a grand, white, Federal-style stagecoach inn and tavern, Chief William McIntosh, the half-Scottish, half-Creek leader of the Lower Creek Indians, along with five fellow Lower Creek chiefs and federal ..read more

Our classrooms are failing to pass down the essentials of what it means to be an American, a citizen of the United States. Once widely taught in schools across the U.S., civics is no longer a teaching requirement in most states. Library of CongressEditor's Note: Richard Haass was a senior diplomat in the State Department and has been president of the Council on Foreign Relations since 2003. A frequent television commentator, Haass has written over a dozen books including the recently published The Bill Of Obligations: The Ten Habits Of Good Citizens, from which this essay was adapted ..read more

The spirit of Chief McIntosh, a controversial leader of the Creek Indians, lives on at a historic inn and tavern in Georgia that just celebrated its 200th anniversary. Chief William McIntosh was murdered by militant Creeks after he signed a treaty ceding portions of the tribe's land to Georgia. Gilcrease Museum On February 12, 1825, in the alcove of a second-floor room in a grand, white Federal-style stagecoach inn and tavern, Chief William McIntosh, the half-Scottish, half-Creek leader of the Lower Creek Indians gathered with five fellow Lower Creek chiefs and federal representatives to sign ..read more