A woman in a white robe, the symbol of 'Manifest Destiny,' floating over the prairie as Native Americans and bison run in front of her, followed by signs of western expansion.

H. W. Brands holds the Jack S. Blanton Sr. Chair in History at the University of Texas at Austin. A New York Times bestselling author of more than 30 books, he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in biography for The First American and Traitor to His Class.

H. W. Brands

H. W. Brands holds the Jack S. Blanton Sr. Chair in History at the University of Texas at Austin. A New York Times bestselling author of more than 30 books, he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in biography for The First American and Traitor to His Class.

H. W. Brands Archives | HISTORY

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HISTORY

America’s Founding Fathers decided that one elected civilian—the U.S. president—would lead the executive branch of the federal government, a governmental structure that has remained in place for more than 200 years.

U.S. Presidents

World War II was the biggest and deadliest war in history, involving more than 30 countries. Sparked by the 1939 Nazi invasion of Poland, the war dragged on for six bloody years until the Allies defeated the Axis powers of Nazi Germany, Japan and Italy in 1945. Explore the battles, leaders and atrocities from the war and its impact on geopolitics and humankind.

World War II

Though the 19th century saw the rise of populism, the labor movement and Jacksonian democracy, it also ushered in the Gilded Age, when men like Cornelius Vanderbilt and J. P. Morgan wielded vast control over politics and business.

H. W. Brands

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How Playing a Pilot in WWII Docs Helped Reagan Launch His Political Career

Why Have Americans Always Been So Obsessed with the Land?