History professor Marcus Rediker teaches a course on Colonial America at the University of Pittsburgh. Today’s lecture focuses on the origins of the slave trade to the Americas between 1640 and the early 1800s.

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Joy Beasley, Cultural Resources Program manager at Monocacy National Battlefield, describes the recent discovery and effort to excavate a 200 year-old slave quarters. The discovery took place on the National Park Service property near the site of the Best Family Farm, built in the 1790s by a family of French Caribbean immigrants who owned about ninety slaves.

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We visited George Washington’s Mount Vernon, where visitors find newly re-interpreted slave quarters and a more historically accurate and nuanced depiction of slave life in 18th century Virginia. We hear from Dennis Pogue, Vice President of Preservation, and curator Susan Schoelwer, who tell us what archaeological research reveals about the enslaved people who worked Washington’s plantation.

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American History TV travels to James Madison's Montpelier in Orange County, Virginia. In this program we learn about the Madison family cemetery, a nearby slave cemetery, and James Madison’s “temple,” a Greek and Roman inspired structure that James Madison had built in the early 1800's.  

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The twenty-six-hundred-acre estate of Montpelier was once home to the nation’s fourth president , James Madison and his wife Dolley. It lies about 90 miles south of the nation’s capital in Orange County, Virginia. American History TV visited the site for a tour with Michael Quinn, president of the private non-profit Montpelier Foundation that manages the property.

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James Madison, the fourth President of the United States & often referred to as the "Father of the Constitution," owned about a hundred slaves at Montpelier, his 4600- acre estate in Orange County, Virginia.  American History TV traveled 90 miles south of the nation's capital to learn about an archaeological project investigating the enslaved communities of James Madison's Montpelier.

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This is the story of the first African American major league baseball player in the modern era, Jackie Robinson. Raymond Doswell of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum focuses on Robinson’s athletic career, his ability to steal bases and home plate, and the racism and obstacles he faced. Over the course of his ten-season Major League career between 1947 & 1956, Robinson played in six World Series and was selected for six All-Star games. His achievements are widely viewed as an important contribution to the Civil Rights Movement. This event was hosted by the National Archives at Kansas City in Missouri.

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New York University professor Michael Gomez teaches a class on the transatlantic slave trade from the 16th century into 19th century. Professor Gomez discusses the countries involved and the methods used in the procurement of slaves, such as raiding and kidnapping. He also discusses the complex history of Africans dealing in the slave trade to pay debts and to punish neighboring factions.

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Author James Robertson discusses the life, death and legacy of Confederate General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. He talks about General Jackson’s childhood, his education at West Point, and his military career. Mr. Robertson also looks at the Battle of Chancellorsville, where General Jackson was mortally wounded on May 2, 1863, in a “friendly fire” incident. He died of medical complications eight-days later. The Hanover Tavern in Virginia and the Museum of the Confederacy co-hosted this event. 

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Jonathan Hansen presents a history of America's presence at Guantanamo Bay.  The author reports on the United States' early interest in the area, which was central to U.S. plans to control the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.  Mr. Hansen examines the creation of the U.S. naval base and prison at Guantanamo and its continued use despite calls for its closure.

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