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History

From ‘the United States are’ to ‘the United States is’
A photograph of a wheeled cannon pointing out at the horizon

The U.S. fought a bloody civil war over whether sovereign authority should reside at the state or federal level. Battles like the one at Gettysburg, pictured here, were only a small part of the ideological fight. (Photo by John Kostyk on Unsplash)

From ‘the United States are’ to ‘the United States is’

Political scientist Melissa M. Lee on how the linguistic shift from plural to singular demonstrates the evolution of sovereign authority in the U.S.

Kristina García

The history of abortion access in the U.S.
A person walks past the door at Planned Parenthood.

The history of abortion access in the U.S.

Following the Dobbs v. Jackson decision issued by the U.S. Supreme Court in June, overruling Roe v. Wade’s established right to an abortion, Penn professors describe the history that led to this moment.
A modern history of ancient trees, through the lens of climate change
jared farmer sitting on a bench on college green

Jared Farmer, history professor and chair of graduate studies. (Image: Eric Sucar, University of Pennsylvania).

A modern history of ancient trees, through the lens of climate change

Historian Jared Farmer discusses his new book, “Elderflora,” looking at why humans have no trouble looking at the ancient past but can’t seem to envision the deep future, and what trees can teach us.

Kristen de Groot