Annika Neklason
Ralph Waldo Emerson’s American Idea
He co-founded The Atlantic 162 years ago this month. His vision of progress shaped the magazine—and helped define American culture, in his time and in ours.
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The Conspiracy Theories That Fueled the Civil War
The most powerful people and institutions in the South spread paranoia and fear to protect slavery. Their beliefs led the country to war—and continue to haunt our politics to this day.
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The Atlantic Daily: ‘The Memory Shall Be Ours’
This Memorial Day, revisit the work of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, John Muir, and more.
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The Atlantic The Atlantic Daily: A Coronavirus-Free Reading List
In this special edition of The Atlantic Daily: a biblical mystery unwound; a con man brought to justice; an ancient species coming back to life; and more.
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Alfred Eisenstaedt / Getty A Historical Lesson in Disease Containment
Tuberculosis sanatoriums offered patients fresh air, entertainment, and socialization—for those who could afford them.
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Sait Serkan Gurbuz / AP How Canada’s ‘Minister of Everything’ Sees the World
With Prime Minister Justin Trudeau going into quarantine, more responsibility may fall to his deputy, Chrystia Freeland. Her writing for The Atlantic offers a glimpse into her thinking.
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Shannon Stapleton / Reuters Hitchens Remembered
On the occasion of this year’s Hitchens Prize, a look back at tributes to Christopher Hitchens by Atlantic writers at the time of his death
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Associated Press Prohibition Was a Failed Experiment in Moral Governance
A repealed amendment and generations of Supreme Court rulings have left the constitutional regulation of private behavior in the past. Will it stay there?
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Lee Jin-man / Reuters Watching the 2010s Become History
Here are some of the stories from The Atlantic’s archives that shaped my understanding of the past decade.
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HBO HBO’s New Documentary Asks You to Talk About Death
Alternate Endings explores how a new generation of elderly Americans is making dying more personal and more open.
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AFP / Getty Economics Is Broken
A former economic adviser to Bill Clinton and Barack Obama argues that the field should be focused on maximizing people’s happiness and fulfillment.
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Andrew Harnik / AP A Linguist’s Case Against Socialism
History has made the term vague and unproductive. Should it be retired?
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Yorgos Karahalis / Reuters Philanthropy Serves the Status Quo
What if powerful foundations pushed for radical, large-scale change?
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Lucy Nicholson / Reuters A Practical Approach to Police Bias
Can changing officers’ default protocols help change minds?
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Andrey_Popov / Shutterstock The Architects Redefining Aesthetics
Building design isn’t just about visual appeal.
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Jeff Chiu / AP How to Remember Everything
The world’s most accomplished memorizers insist their powers aren’t an innate gift, but rather a skill that anyone can hone.
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R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Juul’s New Marketing Is Straight Out of Big Tobacco’s Playbook
The e-cigarette giant is relying on some awfully familiar tactics to distinguish its products.
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Trent Nelson / AP The ‘Death Penalty’s Dred Scott’ Lives On
In 1987, the Supreme Court came within one vote of eliminating capital punishment in Georgia based on evidence of racial disparities. Instead, it created a precedent that civil-rights advocates have been fighting for decades.
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Library of Congress How The Atlantic Covered the Fight for Women’s Suffrage
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, magazine contributors debated whether women should have the right to vote—and whether they truly wanted it.
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Carlos Osorio / AP The ‘Broken Windows’ Debate Survives Its Creators
The theory, introduced in a 1982 Atlantic article, that maintaining order could reduce the incidence of serious crimes remains contentious 35 years later.
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Kevin Moloney / Liaison / Getty / ERIC … The Columbine Blueprint
As the first school shooting to become a nationwide media spectacle, Columbine shaped a generation of mass-consumed tragedies.
