History

Politics & Government

James Madison Museum Will Now Have Input From Descendants Of People He Enslaved

10:44am July 17, 2021

Scott Simon talks to James French of the Montpelier Descendants Committee. It has gained structural parity in the administration of the Montpelier museum at President James Madison's home.

National

Right To Vote: Historians On What Voting Restrictions Mean For Democracy's Future

4:50pm July 16, 2021

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with historians about the impact new restrictive voting measures might have on democracy and whether they could potentially change the course of the American experiment.

National

Right To Vote: Civil Rights Activists Say We've Been Here Before

4:28pm July 14, 2021

NPR's Audie Cornish talks with civil rights activists about what it was like to fight for the Voting Rights Act in the '60s — and the rights that are in jeopardy now.

Politics & Government

It's Been 5 Decades Since States Ratified The 26th Amendment

6:14am July 14, 2021

It was 50 years ago this month that the 26th Amendment was signed, giving 18-year-olds the right to vote. Now, a movement to lower the voting age to 16 is gaining momentum.

The Right To Vote: The Impact Of Shelby County V. Holder On Voting Rights

5:13pm July 13, 2021

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with lawyer Debo Adegbile about how the Supreme Court case Shelby County v. Holder, which gutted Section 5 of The Voting Rights Act, lets states pass restrictive voting laws.

Apple's massive" spaceship" campus designed to centralize work and foster collaboration in 2017 may have to make way for satellite offices and other remote work.

Why Remote Work Might Not Revolutionize Where We Work

2:48pm July 13, 2021

by Greg Rosalsky

Apple joins the ranks of tech firms freeing many employees from Silicon Valley offices. What this might mean for the geography of the American economy.

Lake Mead, the nation's largest reservoir, has been hit hard by rising temperatures and downstream demands.

Amid A Megadrought, Federal Water Shortage Limits Loom For The Colorado River

12:49pm July 13, 2021

by Luke Runyon

The government is expected to issue its first water shortage declaration for the river, which supplies more than 40 million people. That will mean hardships for farms, recreation and Indian tribes.

Claypoole's Revolutionary War Diary Is On Display At A Philadelphia Museum

5:58am July 13, 2021

John Claypoole was the third husband of Betsy Ross. Although the diary predates his relationship with the famed flagmaker, it does give a snapshot into the drama that was the American Revolution.

NPR's History Podcast 'Throughline' Explains The Influence Of Neoliberalism

4:25pm July 12, 2021

by Laine Kaplan-Levenson

For over 40 years, one of the biggest influences on U.S. politics has been the ideology known as neoliberalism, which has reshaped the relationships that ordinary Americans have to their government.

New Survey Shows What Parts Of U.S. History Kids Across America Are Actually Learning

4:25pm July 12, 2021

by Cory Turner

Amidst the heated debate around critical race theory, a new survey of states' U.S. history and civics standards sheds new light on what students are actually learning about race and racism.