Philadelphia History

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Whose ‘Civic Army’? Ferguson, Policing, and Early American Democracy

by Charlie Thompson on November 26, 2014

The media coverage of the decision to exonerate the policeman who killed an unarmed black teenager has focused on the ‘night of rage’ in Ferguson, Missouri. Tragedies like Michael Brown’s in Missouri and Trayvon Martin’s

A Nineteenth-Century Trojan Horse Plot: The Philadelphia Bible Riots

by Andrew Heath on June 9, 2014

The story resonates in headlines today. In the midst of a long depression, a cabal of unassimilated foreigners hatch a

Striking a chord: the launch of Faith and Fear in Philadelphia

by James Pennock on November 26, 2013

History is rife with omens. The problem is that their nature – good or bad – can only be determined with

The 8 Mile Road Divide: Detroit’s Bankruptcy and its Wealthy Neighbour

by Andrew Heath on July 19, 2013

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In the 2000 U.S. Census, Oakland County, Michigan, was by one measure the fourth-wealthiest in the U.S.; although the county

Painting history: Music and historical imagination

by Pete David on July 4, 2013

As a songwriter with a fascination for American history, I’m often in a quandary about how to balance my desire

To Hear the Past: Music, Faith and Fear in Philadelphia

by Andrew Heath on June 12, 2013

A few months ago, on the recommendation of a friend with a far more cultivated musical taste than I could ever pretend to possess, I went down to Sheffield’s Endcliffe Park to hear Pete David