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.

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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.
19th Century

Why Have Americans Always Been So Obsessed with the Land?

Land symbolized opportunity to generations of Americans, starting with colonists.

Ronald Reagan in WWII
U.S. Presidents

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

Timing is everything—for an actor, and for a president.