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The New RepublicNew Republic |
T-1. Abraham Lincoln (1861–1865)The Great Emancipator and the savior of the Union. And he created the national railroad and the land-grant...
1. Henry Clay“The Great Compromiser,” Clay held just about every major political job except president: senator, House speaker, and secretary of...
1. Frederick DouglassAbolitionist, gifted orator, and adviser to President Lincoln. Fun fact: He was born Frederick Bailey. “Douglass,” which he...
1. Brown v. Board of Education, 1954This school desegregation decision was so important that Chief Justice Earl Warren made sure the judges were...
1. The Birth of a Nation by D.W. Griffith (film, 1915)Racist, “Lost Cause,” Klan-glorifying propaganda, it was also the birth of modern...
1. James MadisonThe Father of the Constitution. Shows the payoff for taking copious notes. The ugly side: He owned more than 100 enslaved people.
1. The moon landing“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” and perhaps the defining image of U.S. history, a potent symbol...
1. Eleanor Roosevelt
Sports fans do it obsessively. Who’s on the Yankees Mount Rushmore? The Lakers? Kobe, Jerry West, Magic, and Kareem? What—you’re leaving off...
Because it’s America’s birthday, we decided in full ecumenical spirit to invite a few conservatives to the party. They are, as you’ll see on the...
Declaration of IndependenceThe one that started it all—the reason we’re celebrating a semiquincentennial. The Founders “embrace[d] a...
Establishment of slavery and Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)Some respondents focused on the original sin of the slave trade, others on the infamous...