Birmingham and the Civil Rights Movement

Listen and Subscribe in iTunes Other ways to Listen and Subscribe With just a week left in office, President Barack Obama signed a proclamation declaring the Birmingham, Alabama Civil Rights District a national monument. Birmingham played a pivotal role in the civil rights movement in America in the 1950s and ‘60s. Prominent figures like Rev. … Read more

The Civil War Defenses of Washington, D.C.

Civil War photograph of Ft. Stevens, Washington, D.C. Officers and men of Company F, 3rd Massachusetts Heavy Artillery, in Fort Stevens. William Morris Smith [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Listen to the Episode “The Civil War Defenses of Washington, D.C.” Subscribe in iTunes Other ways to listen & Subscribe For American history buffs, the Civil War can feel like covered ground. But if you put aside the big battles and turning points, there are still so many smaller, fascinating stories deserving to be told. … Read more

Why Skyline Drive is My Favorite American Highway

Why Skyline Drive is My Favorite American Highway

Skyline Drive is a stunning section of Shenandoah National Park in the middle of Virginia, easily accessible for those driving from Charlottesville to Washington, DC. The drive overlooks the Blue Ridge Mountains and stretches for a little over a hundred miles. This length makes it a short enough to enjoy in the middle of a longer … Read more

How to Visit the Statue of Liberty, NYC’s UNESCO World Heritage Site

UNESCO World Heritage Site #2: The Statue of Liberty

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,With conquering limbs astride from land to land;Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall standA mighty woman with a torch, whose flameIs the imprisoned lightning, and her nameMOTHER OF EXILES. From her beacon-handGlows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes commandThe air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. “Keep, ancient lands, your storied … Read more

How to Visit Independence Hall, Philadelphia’s UNESCO World Heritage Site

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes … Read more

How to Tour the White House

I have had the privilege of getting to tour the White House twice–once when I was 11 on an epic family road trip in a minivan from Oklahoma to Washington and again this week. Both times it was my mother, a lover of all things American history, who put in the ticket applications.   Since … Read more

15 Books about Gettysburg to Inspire Your Civil War Travels

The Virginia Memorial at Gettysburg

I wrote yesterday about my visit to Gettysburg over the weekend.  While browsing the gift shop at the Visitor’s center, I stopped to check out their extensive selection of Civil War inspired nonfiction and novels.  Between visiting Gettysburg and seeing Margaret Mitchell’s house in May, I’ve spent a lot of time this year thinking about the Civil War and … Read more