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Homer Plessy—a man of seven-eighths Caucasian descent and one-eighth African descent who was nevertheless considered black under Louisiana law—boar...

The slave Dred Scott claimed that his residence in a free state transformed him into a free man. When the Court decided otherwise,...

This postcard tour of a bygone era offers views of Independence Boulevard (Kansas City’s first boulevard) and the rugged beauty of the city’s only...

Named for a prominent turn-of-the-century business mogul, the area around Jacob Loose Park is still one of Kansas City’s most beautiful areas large...

The lake in Troost Park was once an encampment used by Mormons migrating to Independence. Linked together by Linwood Boulevard and The Paseo, Kansas C...

Taking the old Independence Road through the eastern environs of Kansas City toward Independence, it’s easy to miss some of Kansas City’s richest h...

Eli Paul, manager of the Library’s Missouri Valley Special Collections, examines the stories behind some of the 200 locally made p...

Author Robert W. Merry wraps up the presidential election – and the Hail to the Chiefs series – with a fresh, playful, and challen...

With his thick spectacles, big teeth, and boundless energy, President Theodore Roosevelt was a cartoonist’s dream subject. Rick Marschall...

For all his accomplishments and advanced thinking, Thomas Jefferson could not get beyond his own limited perspective in matters of race. Drawing from...