Metropolitan State University professor Douglas Rossinow teaches a class on the Iran-Contra affair, which took place in the mid-1980s during the Reagan Administration. The Iran-Contra affair stems from Reagan administration officials funding the Contras - who were fighting against the Sandinista regime in Nicaragua - with money from the sale of arms to Iran. The arms were being sold to Iran in the hope of gaining the release of American hostages held in Lebanon - hence the reason the affair is sometimes called as the “arm-for-hostages” scandal. Metropolitan State University is in St. Paul, Minnesota.

More Info »

Saul Cornell discusses his book "A Well-Regulated Militia: The Founding Fathers and the Origins of Gun Control in America."  He explores the opposing sides of the gun control debate, arguing that both base their opinions on a flawed understanding of the second amendment.

More Info »

In this program, Georgetown University professor Michael Kazin teaches a class on 1920s culture and society. He discusses Prohibition and the exploits of the gangster Al Capone, who eventually went to prison on tax evasion charges. Professor Kazin also talks about the motion picture industry and the new production codes that sought to tamp down on sexuality in films. In addition, he addresses the 1925 Scopes Trial, in which a high school teacher faced charges of unlawfully teaching evolution in a state-funded school. Georgetown University is in Washington, DC.

More Info »

Matthew Wasniewski, U.S. House of Representatives Historian, talks about the book he edited, “Black Americans in Congress, 1870-2007.”  It examines the role African Americans played in Congress after Reconstruction and during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement.  The book includes comprehensive biographies of members including Joseph Rainey, Oscar De Priest, Adam Clayton Powell, and Shirley Chisholm.  This program was recorded in the Rayburn House Office Building.

More Info »

Florida State University Professor Andrew Frank discusses the Creek Indians and the First Seminole War, which took place in the early 19th century in the southeastern part of the U.S. and Spanish-controlled Florida. The war was fought in part to prevent slaves from fleeing into Florida.

More Info »

On April 20th, 1999 – Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold murdered 12 of their fellow Columbine High School students and one teacher and then committed suicide.  On History Bookshelf Dave Cullen discusses his book “Columbine”, which presents a comprehensive account of the shootings at the Colorado school.  He talks about the psychology of the shooters, how they evolved into killers, and the stories of the victims and survivors.  This program was recorded at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.

More Info »

President Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation on September 22nd, 1862. It ordered the emancipation of all slaves in any Confederate state that did not return to the Union by January 1st, 1863. No Confederate states returned, and Lincoln signed and issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. Professor George Forgie discusses the evolution of Lincoln’s thinking on slavery, and the political and legal factors Lincoln considered when issuing the Emancipation Proclamation. This class is from the University of Texas at Austin.

More Info »

Jane Ziegelman discusses her book, “97 Orchard: An Edible History of Five Immigrant Families in One New York Tenement” which recounts how the culinary heritages of Jewish, Irish, German, and Italian immigrants diversified New York City’s cultural landscape and changed the way Americans eat.

More Info »

America's third president and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence - Thomas Jefferson - was born 270 years ago on April 13th, 1743.  In this program recorded in 2005, author and journalist Christopher Hitchens discusses the public and private life of Jefferson detailed in his book, “Thomas Jefferson: Author of America.”  Christopher Hitchens died in 2011.

More Info »

John Dewey (1859-1952) was a leader in the Progressive Era reform movement in education, and his writings on education are still considered influential to this day. University of Tennessee at Chattanooga professor Wilfred McClay examines the life and writings of John Dewey, with a focus on Dewey’s work in education.

More Info »