Blog

The History of Campaigning

Events in today’s presidential campaigns are televised, live-streamed, and tweeted out to the world within a matter of seconds. Campaigning is so crucial to the presidential election nowadays, thou...

Samuel Augustus Mitchell and 19th Century Map Publishing

While working as a schoolteacher, Samuel Augustus Mitchell Sr. became frustrated with the low quality and inaccuracy of school geography textbooks of the period, and thus set out to rectify this pr...

Four Western Surveys and the Romance of the Wild West

Between 1867 and 1879, Congress authorized and funded four significant surveys of the West, the Powell Survey, the King Survey, the Wheeler Survey, and the Hayden Survey. These published maps, trav...

The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854

Stephen Douglas touted his Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 as a peaceful settlement of national issues, but what it produced was a prelude to the Civil War. The conflict over slavery in the territory o...

Westward-Bound: Highlights from Our Staff

The 19th century served as the age of westward expansion and exploration in America. Borders, territories, and knowledge of geography changed so rapidly, it seems like no two descriptions are alike...

The Oregon Trail and Westward Expansion

The Oregon Trail served as the lone path connecting the West Coast to the rest of America. Despite its hazardous nature, settlers were determined to migrate to Oregon Country and beginning in the 1...

Why Are Printed Flags So Rare?

What exactly does it mean when an antique flag is ‘printed?’ Why are they so rare? Read this week’s blog to learn about this fascinating subset of American flags!

Mark Twain: The Adventures of a Small Town Steamboat Pilot

Delve into the story of America's first great novelist. Riddled with wit, criticism, sarcasm, and blunt observations, Mark Twain's writings have remained some of the most beloved stories in America...

Semper Fi: Our U.S. Marine Corps Leather Journals

A perfect gift for the Marine in your life going back to school, back to work, or who is away from home, our U.S. Marine Corps leather journals are one-of-a-kind! Created in collaboration with the ...

Rare Book Collection: Highlights from Our Staff

This month, we at The Great Republic are highlighting our extensive collection of rare and unique books. Take a look at our staff top picks!