According to Confederate leaders, the defense of slavery was the primary reason for secession.

Abraham Lincoln's election in 1860 triggered a cascade of Southern secessions and the formation of the Confederacy, culminating in the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter in Charleston, SC.

The final shots of the Civil War were fired in the Arctic over 2 months after the South's surrender.

Abraham Lincoln had to sneak into Washington in disguise for his 1861 inauguration after a detective uncovered a plot to assassinate him in Baltimore.

The first newspaper to report the Declaration of Independence was a German-language Philadelphia publication, simply because it was the only one that published on July 5.

Three of America's first five presidents—Jefferson, Adams, and Monroe—died on July 4.

In the early 1900s, Fourth of July celebrations were so dangerous that a reform movement emerged to make them safer.

The trans-Atlantic slave trade brought over 10 million enslaved people to the Americas.

View animated battle maps from every major skirmish of the American Civil War.

Lin-Manuel Miranda was inspired to create 'Hamilton' after reading a biography while on vacation.

Thomas Jefferson displayed a bust of his political rival, Alexander Hamilton, in the entrance hall of Monticello, placed opposite his own likeness.

Since World War II, formal declarations of war and peace treaties have become increasingly rare, replaced by cease-fires, authorizations of force, and "special military operations."

The 1783 peace treaty with Britain formally ended the Revolutionary War and nearly doubled the size of the United States.

The Electoral College is the system the United States uses to elect its president, allocating 538 electors across the states rather than relying on a single national vote.

A single 1803 Supreme Court case, Marbury v. Madison, gave courts the power to strike down acts of Congress.

A court designed to be the least powerful branch of government became one of the most influential institutions in America.

Explore an interactive map of battles from the American Revolution, along with detailed summaries of each engagement.

The National Archives protects billions of historical documents, including the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution.

The 2004 blockbuster National Treasure takes some liberties with history—discover what the movie gets wrong and right about the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution.

Congress actually voted to approve independence on July 2, 1776, leading many Founders to believe that would be the date Americans would one day celebrate.

The Declaration of Independence was not only a statement of principles but also an appeal for military allies that the struggling colonists needed to survive.

The Stamp Act of 1765 was a key stepping stone toward the American Revolution, igniting colonial resistance to British taxation.

Since 1776, the Declaration of Independence has served as a model for more than 100 nations and freedom organizations writing their own declarations.

When the Treaty of Paris ended the Revolutionary War in 1783, British officials refused to pose for the portrait of the negotiations, leaving the painting partially unfinished.

Americans view the National Park Service more favorably than any other federal agency.

George Washington's Farewell Address, delivered at the end of his presidency, warned that political factions and foreign entanglements were the greatest threats to the American Republic.

Explore the life and presidency of George Washington, whose two terms in office were defined by precedent-setting, restraint, and institution-building.

The American Society of Civil Engineers' infrastructure report card gave the US a C in 2025, its highest grade since the project launched in 1998.

Electric grids worldwide must double their power delivery capacity by 2050 to meet surging demand from AI and electric vehicles.

Learn how critical services, infrastructure, and people would be impacted by a US-scale blackout—a nationwide, long-term failure of the electric grid.

Explore fun facts from the USPS, including unique post office buildings, a stamp that traveled past Pluto, and more.

Mark Twain spent decades feuding with the US Postal Service, convinced its costs and regulations were bureaucratic overreach.

The USPS spent $3.97B in 2024, accounting for .058% of the federal budget.

Hear about the 250-year history of the United States Postal Service, complete with some of its strangest deliveries, important innovations, and the figures that made it an American institution.

Before the current East Wing ballroom project, only two White House renovations in the past 100 years cost more than $10M.

44% of Americans say they pray at least once a day—discover how your state's religiosity stacks up against the rest of the country.

After the Boston Tea Party, colonists switched to coffee, which became the main morning drink for revolutionaries.

The power and influence of the American presidency have expanded significantly over time—far beyond what the founders envisioned.

Meet the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence—most of whom didn't put pen to paper until August 2, 1776—and see their original signatures.

The rivalry between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson centered on federalism—the question of how much power the federal government should hold relative to the states.

Many legends about George Washington, including his supposed wooden teeth and the story of cutting down the cherry tree, lack evidence.

Gerrymandering works through two techniques: cracking opposing voters across districts to dilute their power, and packing them into a few to waste their votes in lopsided majorities.

The United States is one of only around two dozen countries with a fully federal system of government, in which power is divided between national and state governments.

The original copy of the Declaration of Independence is not a pristine document, and even features a smudged anonymous handprint in the bottom left corner.

Despite being favored by 87% of Americans, Congress does not have term limits.

Trace how the Bill of Rights, inspired by centuries of political theory, took shape between 1774 and 1789.

The US Constitution is widely regarded as the longest-standing written national constitution still in force—see how it has influenced rights worldwide.