An interview with William Melvin Kelley, “the lost giant of American literature.”

Thomas Jefferson held faith in the “blessings of self-government.”

How did Thomas Jefferson’s death affect the families he enslaved?

Ralph Ellison arrived in New York a virtually penniless aspiring artist; but Ellison was charismatic, blessed with a richness of imagination and a dogged work ethic, and open to being lucky.

Eric Foner’s newest work is an urgent reminder that freedom, equality, and issues of representation, so germane to the Reconstruction Amendments, should remain central to our debates about politics and history.

Romare Bearden’s devotion to his subjects and his craft, his drive to collaborate with other artists, and his unerring compassion for his fellow man, characterized his life and career.