The Second Amendment has sparked centuries of debate: Is it about militias, individual rights, or both? From its 18th-century origins to modern Supreme Court rulings, this question remains central to America’s most heated constitutional argument.

After the Civil War, the United States faced the enormous task of reintegrating the South, securing rights for freedpeople, and redefining citizenship and equality. Reconstruction (1865–1877) was a bold experiment in democracy—filled with groundbreaking laws, historic firsts, and fierce backlash.

From gold mines in North Carolina to textile mills and telegraphs, discover how the Market Revolution transformed the way Americans lived, worked, and connected in the early 19th century.