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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Professor Robert Johnston and his class examine the 1890s American Populist movement. The discussion centers on Charles Postel’s book, “The Populist Vision,” which follows the Populist movement from the rise of the Farmer’s Alliance to its transformation into the People’s Party. This class took place at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

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In 19th century America, east coast port cities such as Boston, New York and Baltimore matured and grew in population and industry. With the building of railroads and the creation of canals that linked up waterways, westward expansion took hold, establishing new cities like St. Louis and Chicago. In this program, Professor Alan Lessoff looks at the growth of U.S. cities in the 19th century. The class took place at Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois.

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Professor Robert Rydell of Montana State University examines the history of eugenics in early 20th century America. Eugenics is a science that advocates improving the hereditary qualities of a race through controlled mating. Professor Rydell talks about some of the eugenics studies and experiments that took place in the U.S., as well as eugenics-based forced sterilization laws passed by several states that targeted the "feebleminded."

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Professor Robert Watson of Lynn University discusses the 1824 and 1828 elections, which resulted in victories for John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson - respectively the sixth and seventh Presidents of the United States. According to Professor Watson, these two elections were among the most important - and scandalous - in American history.

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Professor Douglas Bradburn of Binghamton University in New York looks at the development of American politics in the 18th century. Professor Bradburn examines why Colonial America was unsuccessful in duplicating the British political system, and instead devised its own style of politics. Binghamton University is part of the State University of New York system.

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