William Steffe News Today

Many Americans know the famous historical Civil War anthem, the "Battle Hymn of the Republic." But did you know it was written by a female writer and suffragette? It was Julia Ward Howe, a famous author and

Julia Ward Howe's epic inspired soldiers to vanquish slavery and it rallies Americans to this day.

Julia Ward Howe's epic inspired soldiers to vanquish slavery and it rallies Americans to this day.

These ten songs, taken together, help distill the American experience and make clear both what’s great about the US and what still needs critical attention.

In an Early Republic period defined by expansion and concurrent policies such as Andrew Jackson’s Indian Removal Act, national narratives seemed to have no place for Native Americans. But the novelist and activist Sedgwick offered a different vision of that foundational American community, creating in her historical novel Hope Leslie a case for what she called (in the book’s preface) “their high-souled courage and patriotism.” And her character Magawisca, a young Pequot woman who narra...