Why Study Reconstruction?
The Reconstruction era was a pivotal moment in American history. Civil rights were set in motion as Americans grappled to rebuild after the division and trauma of the Civil War, raising essential questions about freedom and democracy.
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Why Study the Nanjing Atrocities?
Scholar Rana Mitter explains the importance of studying the Nanjing atrocities.
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Witnessing Antisemitic Violence
Edith Reiss, from Bolton, England, describes witnessing antisemitic violence on the streets of Göttingen, Germany, when she was a visitor there in 1939.
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Monsters and Men: The Nazis at Nuremberg
Social psychologist James Edward Waller uses the stories of the Nazis at Nuremburg to discuss human capacity for evil.
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The Gravity of the Second Sino-Japanese War
Dr. Hong Zheng recalls the fate of his uncle’s family in Hong Kong during the Second Sino-Japanese War, when Japanese soldiers enter and search their home. Another family, thousands of compatriots, and British POWs, also cannot escape the violence.
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Roosevelt Williams Recalls Voting in Alabama
Roosevelt Williams describes voting in segregated Alabama in the 1930s and 1940s.
![Voters at the voting booths, 1945.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/1945_VotersAtTheVotingBooths_FH224203.jpg?h=6355ac16&itok=Y6NFJuGl)
The Spirit of Liberty
Judge Learned Hand, a federal judge and legal thinker, reflects on the roles of the law and citizens’ hearts and minds in upholding liberty.
![Portrait photograph of Judge Learned Hand.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/1910_BillingsLearnedHand_FH2170280.jpg?h=7f023bc4&itok=rMERs7hl)
Stanford Sexual Assault Victim’s Statement
Read an excerpt from Chanel Miller's powerful and courageous victim statement, which she read out in court during her attacker Brock Turner's trial.
"Where I'm From" by Melanie Poonai
In her poem, Melanie Poonai reflects on her identity, and all the factors that have helped shape who she is.
![Woman educator of color reads to the classroom.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-09/London_School_Classroom_Educator_%20of_Color_2019_FH2117924.jpg?h=56d0ca2e&itok=JbFgqzT_)
Working Class Creatives: Excerpt One
Read an excerpt from journalist Eleanor Halls article which describes the problems faced by working-class artists and the barriers preventing them from engaging with the arts.
![Women painting outside.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/yale-cohen-Kz1Wr3Ls37Y-unsplash.jpg?h=c274347c&itok=ayI5mF6S)
Working Class Creatives: Excerpt Two
Read an excerpt from journalist Eleanor Halls article which describes the barriers preventing working-class people from engaging with the arts.
![Women painting outside.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/yale-cohen-Kz1Wr3Ls37Y-unsplash.jpg?h=c274347c&itok=ayI5mF6S)