Literary Hub » 18th century

White Sugar, Black Bodies: How Slavery Fueled an 18th-Century British Obsession

White Sugar, Black Bodies: How Slavery Fueled an 18th-Century British Obsession

Mathelinda Nabugodi Explores the Violent Shared History of a Popular Consumer Product and Colonial Power in the Caribbean

By Mathelinda Nabugodi | July 29, 2025

The Artists Who Joined the Fight For American Independence"> Painting the Revolution: <br

Painting the Revolution: <br

The Artists Who Joined the Fight For American Independence">

The Artists Who Joined the Fight For American Independence">Painting the Revolution:
The Artists Who Joined the Fight For American Independence

Zara Anishanslin on the Forgotten History of the Transatlantic Artists Who Promoted the Patriot Cause

By Zara Anishanslin | July 17, 2025

On America’s First Highway: Preparing For a Trip Along the Great Wagon Road

On America’s First Highway: Preparing For a Trip Along the Great Wagon Road

James Dodson Explores the History and Legacy of Early Colonial Expansion

By James Dodson | July 7, 2025

How the Rattlesnake Almost Became an Emblem of a Nascent America

How the Rattlesnake Almost Became an Emblem of a Nascent America

Stephen S. Hall on the Centuries-Long Historical Evolution of a Serpentine Symbol

By Stephen S. Hall | April 24, 2025

How the Cherokee Nation Used Diplomacy to Resist Subordination

How the Cherokee Nation Used Diplomacy to Resist Subordination

David Narrett Explores Native American Strategies of Self-Preservation in Colonial North America

By David Narrett | April 17, 2025

The Incendiary Feeling of Freedom: On Phillis Wheatley Peters and the Poetry of Survival

The Incendiary Feeling of Freedom: On Phillis Wheatley Peters and the Poetry of Survival

Tiana Clark: “I believe it is through our collective imagination where we can remain free and where no one can touch us.”

By Tiana Clark | April 14, 2025

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Tracing America’s Obsession With Conspiracy Theories Back to Its Founding

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Still Fighting For Liberty and Justice For All: A Visual History of Black America

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Benjamin Franklin: As Much Scientist As Statesman

Benjamin Franklin: As Much Scientist As Statesman

Richard Munson Considers the Founding Father’s Long-Overlooked Passion for Scientific Inquiry

By Richard Munson | November 14, 2024

Suffering, Grace and Redemption: How The Bronx Came to Be

Suffering, Grace and Redemption: How The Bronx Came to Be

Ian Frazier on the Early History of New York City's Northernmost Borough

By Ian Frazier | September 6, 2024

Giants’ Bones? Fossilized Testicles? How Humans Reacted to the Discovery of Dinosaurs

Giants’ Bones? Fossilized Testicles? How Humans Reacted to the Discovery of Dinosaurs

Edward Dolnick on Rigorous Yet Humorously Misguided Scientific Inquiry in the 17th and 18th Centuries

By Edward Dolnick | August 8, 2024

How the Labor of Enslaved Black Men Built the White House

How the Labor of Enslaved Black Men Built the White House

Corey Mead on the Construction of America's New Capital City

By Corey Mead | June 5, 2024

Heart of Darkness"> “Invasion is a Structure Not an Event.” On Settler Colonialism and Joseph Conrad’s <em

“Invasion is a Structure Not an Event.” On Settler Colonialism and Joseph Conrad’s <em

Heart of Darkness">

Heart of Darkness">“Invasion is a Structure Not an Event.” On Settler Colonialism and Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness

Robert G. Parkinson on Historicizing Imperial Encounters at Home and Abroad

By Robert G. Parkinson | May 29, 2024

How Colonial Powers Fought for Economic Dominance in North America

How Colonial Powers Fought for Economic Dominance in North America

Hampton Sides on Britain’s Generations-Long Search for the Northwest Passage

By Hampton Sides | April 15, 2024

How Samuel Adams Fought for Independence—Anonymously

How Samuel Adams Fought for Independence—Anonymously

Stacy Schiff on the Journalistic Pseudonyms of an American Revolutionary

By Stacy Schiff | November 3, 2022

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