Dinner parties in the capital have long been a path to power, but Perle Mesta had her eye on a different prize.

“How do you like our new Constitution?” Thomas Jefferson wrote to John Adams in mid-November 1787. Jefferson mostly wanted to ...

Data show that recent presidents especially have started their terms with unifying language. Words like "together," "us," ...

Monday’s change of Oval Office occupants is a ritual full of traditions and customs. One of the more modern ones began in 1989, when Ronald Reagan left a note for George H.W. Bush on stationery with a ...

On the eve of Trump’s second inaugural address, Americans wonder whether he will follow the path of Jefferson and Lincoln ...

Revisiting Dwight Eisenhower’s 1953 inauguration, from the vantage point of George W. Bush’s 2001 inauguration.

As President Joe Biden gets ready to leave office, we consider his accomplishments, failures, and what his legacy will be.

Some years back, I was talking with my dinner companion when a young woman of color interrupted with an excited query. “Are ...