New Ad for the Republican Party Hopes You've Never Met the Republican PartyÂ
A new ad from the Republican National Congressional Committee warns of a “civil war” in the Democratic Party, something that Republicans could never understand.
White House Chief of Staff: Robert E. Lee Was An 'Honorable Man'Â Â
Welcome to Barf Bag, a daily politics roundup to help you sort through the chaotic Trumpian news cycle.
After Defending Neo-Nazis, POTUS Makes Sure to Promote Trump Winery
Welcome to Barf Bag, a daily politics roundup to help you sort through the chaotic Trumpian news cycle.
Why This Romance Writer Decided to Tackle the American Civil War, After AllÂ
It’s 1862, and Elle Burns is not what she seems. Ostensibly a slave working in a Confederate senator’s Richmond home, she’s actually a plant gathering intel to aid the Union cause—when she encounters Malcolm McCall, another spy, a dashing Scotsman by way of Kentucky, who simultaneously infuriates and interests her.
Several States Still Celebrate 'Confederate Memorial Day'
Here’s your annual reminder that there are still a handful of states in America that celebrate the former existence of the Confederacy, a dark chapter in American history when black people were considered three-fifths of a human being and were enslaved to make rich white men richer. State governments in Mississippi…
GOP Lawmaker Calls Abe Lincoln the 'Same Sort of Tyrant' As Hitler, Thinks the Civil War Was 'Unnecessary'
North Carolina rep. Larry Pittman was evidently not in great spirits yesterday after his unconstitutional bill to restore a same-sex marriage ban in the state was slapped down by the Republican House Speaker. And what do Republican officials apparently love to do when the going gets tough? Make an extremely offensive…
A New Photo of a Young Harriet Tubman Was Discovered in an Abolitionist's Journal
Harriet Tubman was born into slavery in Maryland in the early 1820s. She escaped and became one of our nation’s most famous abolitionists, who led hundreds of other slaves to freedom via the Underground Railroad. She was also a nurse and a spy who led a successful campaign to liberate 727 slaves during the Civil War.…
Kentucky Governor Suggests That a Clinton Election Will Lead To Bloodshed, Maybe Civil War
Governor Matt Bevin is not afraid to say what unhinged, lightly treasonous fear mongers are thinking, and he said it to a crowd of them at the Value Voters Conference in D.C. on Saturday.
Syrian Refugees Stranded At Jordanian Border With No Food, Little Water
Last week, after a suicide attack, Jordan sealed its borders in an effort to heighten security measures. But now 64,000 Syrian refugees seeking sanctuary are stranded in the desert without food and with a meager water supply.
Mississippi Governor Proclaims That April Is Now 'Confederate Heritage Month'
In Mississippi, Governor Phil Bryant has declared April as Confederate Heritage Month, and the last Monday in April as Confederate Heritage Day. Unfortunately, this is not an April Fool’s joke.
Today Is the 150th Anniversary of Juneteenth
Today is Juneteenth.
Fun Fact: Ben-Hur Was Originally About Jesus, Not Chariot RacingÂ
Thanks to the astronomically famous 1959 movie, Ben-Hur is known mostly for its sick-ass chariot race (and the gruesome-though-debunked urban legend that somebody's death appears on film). But here's a fun Easter fact: It was originally based on a hugely popular novel published in 1880, written by a Civil War general.…
Go On, Cop a Bottle of That Civil War Wine
Grey sludge some are calling wine was drudged up from a US Civil War shipwreck. The wine was found 4 years ago on the Mary-Celestia off the coast of Bermuda. According to the Independent the wine was tasted yesterday after 151 years:
​Washington Post Dismisses 500-Page Civil War Nonfiction Book As Girly
Last month, New York Times bestselling author Karen Abbott published a nonfiction book called Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy, with its subject four fascinating women who became spies during the Civil War—Belle Boyd, teenage rebel and "Secesh Cleopatra"; Emma Edmonds, dressed as a soldier, her nom de guerre "Frank";…
Here’s Your Primer on the (Civil War) History of Mother’s Day
Maybe this brief history of Mother’s Day (which owes itself to the Civil War) will inspire those giftless procrastinators among you to swing by your local grocery store and dig through the discount DVD bin until you (inevitably) find a two-disc combo pack of Gettysburg and Gods and Generals you can give to your mom. …
The Piss and Grit of Mary Edwards Walker, First Female Surgeon in the Civil War
Most of us remember Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to receive a medical degree in the U.S. I named my first fish after her when I was in the fifth grade! No joke. Blackwell had to put aside her dreams of being a surgeon and stay with her regular practice after catching a baby patient's eye infection and going…
Search For Civil War Artifacts Turns Up Soldier's Sad Valentine
To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, several states have launched campaigns to have people bring their family artifacts to museums to be scanned. Archivists from the Library of Virginia have been traveling around the state, cataloging objects that tell stories about the people who are often…
History Will Teach Us Nothing
[Charleston, South Carolina; May 10. Image via Getty]
Look At This F-cking Hipster
[West Hollywood, May 1. Image via Flynet]
Women Withhold Sex To Achieve Peace In Award-Winning Film
Pray the Devil Back to Hell is a new documentary about how the woman of Liberia came together to end their country's long and bloody civil war. In 2002, Christian and Muslim women formed an alliance to demand peace; armed only with matching white t-shirts, the activists staged silent protests and organized a summit…