Learning paths
Start where
you are.
You don't need prior knowledge to start. Every path on Chain begins with a question, builds to a causal chain, and ends with a present-day consequence grounded in evidence. Pick the path that fits how you learn.
Structured paths
Choose your depth
Each path is a curated sequence of threads, encyclopedia entries, and primary sources — designed for a specific level of prior knowledge and time investment.
The Full Chain — An Overview
Start here if you're new. One thread, start to finish, that takes you from sovereign African civilizations through the slave trade, Reconstruction, federal housing policy, and the present-day wealth gap. No prior knowledge required.
Housing, Wealth & the Racial Gap
A deeper dive into the federal policies that built the racial wealth gap — from HOLC maps to the GI Bill to today's homeownership disparity. Connects structural policy decisions to present-day economic data.
Africa Before the Chain Was Broken
Start where the story actually begins — with the sovereign kingdoms, intellectual traditions, and accumulated wealth of pre-colonial Africa. Understanding what existed before the slave trade changes how you understand everything that followed.
From Emancipation to Mass Incarceration
How did the 13th Amendment's "punishment for crime" carve-out become a system that incarcerates Black Americans at five times the rate of white Americans? A path through Black Codes, convict leasing, the drug war, and mandatory minimums.
Classroom Starter — Grades 9–12
A structured 3-session sequence introducing students to causal historical thinking using the Redlining thread. Includes discussion guides, primary source excerpts, and formative assessment prompts aligned to Common Core ELA standards.
Primary Sources & Methodology
For researchers, journalists, and historians. Full source citations, methodology notes, links to primary datasets (Slave Voyages, NCRC redlining data, Census historical records), and our editorial standards for causal claims.
Question-first
Not sure where to start?
Start with a question.
Every entry on Chain is organized around a question. Pick the one that most resonates with what you want to understand.
How Chain is organized
Four ways to learn
Every piece of content on Chain serves a different learning mode. Use them in combination or follow one format from start to finish.
Threads
Long-form causal narratives tracing a historical chain from origin to present consequence. Summary-first, evidence throughout, causality explicit at every step.
Encyclopedia
Short-form entries on people, policies, events, and places. Each entry states what it was, why it mattered, and which threads it connects to.
Maps & Timelines
Spatial and temporal views of the full historical arc. See where things happened and when — and how geography shaped consequence.
Today in History
One event per day, with its causal context and present-day consequence. A small daily habit that builds historical literacy over time.
Go deeper
Essential reading
The books that shaped Chain's causal framework — each one cited across multiple threads. Start with any of them.