Letters From the Archives
A time capsule from The Atlantic’s past, highlighting archival stories and responses from readers at the time.
-
![]()
Dean Conger / Getty What Do We Owe Our National Parks?
In 1961, Atlantic readers debated a question Americans are still asking today.
-
![]()
Raul Arboled / Getty What Atlantic Readers Thought About Marijuana in the ’90s
In 1994, Eric Schlosser made the case for decriminalizing marijuana and eliminating mandatory minimum sentencing. Readers had a wide array of responses.
-
-
![]()
Bettmann / Getty Atlantic Readers Respond to Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘Letter From Birmingham Jail’
In the August 1963 issue, The Atlantic published King’s famous letter under the title “The Negro Is Your Brother.” Readers’ responses were largely positive.
-
![]()
Ivan Chermayeff / The Atlantic ‘Unwanted Sex,’ 20 Years Later
The author of a radical proposal in The Atlantic’s October 1998 issue revisits his argument—and the negative reactions to it.
-
![]()
Joe Marquette / AP Decades of Atlantic Readers Debating Abortion
A window into a long-running national conversation, as experienced—and argued—by our readers
-
![]()
AP What Did Atlantic Readers Think of Watergate?
As the investigation wore on, The Atlantic’s coverage garnered telling responses.
-
![]()
Corbis / Getty What Should the Girl Scouts Stand For?
In 1955, readers weighed in on changes made to the Girl Scout Handbook and the international objectives of the organization.
-
-
![]()
Ted Streshinsky / Corbis / Getty Images Atlantic Readers Had Mixed Feelings About Hippies
In the fall of 1967, readers responded to an article about the hippies of Haight-Ashbury.
-
![]()
Bettmann / Getty Harry Truman Explains Why He Dropped the Bomb
In 1947, the then-president wrote to the editors regarding his decision to use atomic warfare during World War II.
-
![]()
The Atlantic A History of The Atlantic’s Reader Correspondence
Since 1877, the publication has garnered and published letters in various forms. We’ve traced the timeline.
