Videos

Law Professor Kermit Roosevelt explained how modern America traces its political sentiments to Lincoln and the Reconstruction era, rather than the Founding Fathers and the Revolution. The Co…

Rev. Al Sharpton profiled lesser-known civil rights activists and how they impacted the movement. This was a virtual event hosted by the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco.

NPR’s Steve Inskeep recounted the lives of Jessie and John Fremont, a 19th century political power couple, who promoted western settlement, women’s rights, and abolition. John Fremont was on…

Harvey Schwartz talked about his book, Building the Golden Gate Bridge: A Workers' Oral History. He showed pictures of the laborers and spoke about their testimonies of harsh weather, safety…

Richard White presented a history of the operation of the transcontinental railroads. In his book the author recounts the social and economic impact the transcontinental railroads had on the…

Barry Eichengreen talked about his book Hall of Mirrors: The Great Depression, The Great Recession, and the Uses and Misuses of History, in which he looks at the similarities and differences…

George Packer talked about his book, The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America, in which he presents a history of the United States over the past three decades by profilng numerous …

Nell Irvin Painter talked about her book Creating Black Americans: African-American History and Its Meanings, 1619 to the Present, published by Oxford University Press. She talked about how…

Mr. Kennedy talked about his book Burr, Hamilton, and Jefferson: A Study in Character, published by Oxford University Press. The book surveys the careers of three of the founders of the Unit…

Kevin Starr talked about his book Embattled Dreams: California in War and Peace, 1940 - 1950, which chronicles the period that saw California become a national player in politics, manufactu…

General Wilma Vaught (Retired )described the background of the military service of women. She stated that women started serving in the military during the revolutionary war. She talked about…

Author Robert Kanigel talked about his book, The One Best Way: Frederick Winslow Taylor and the Enigma of Efficiency. Frederick Winslow Taylor was an engineer, and one of the first U.S. effi…

Director of the National Museum of The American Indian Rick West spoke about the status of Native Americans as they approached the next century. He outlined their past, which included their …