Videos

Historians responded to audience questions on the Shenandoah Valley during the Civil War. Topics included the burning of towns and destruction of property in the valley by both the Union and…

American History TV was LIVE from Appomattox Court House National Historical Park for a ceremony marking the exact time on April 9, 1865, that Generals Grant and Lee met at the McLean House …

Panelists talked about the pro-Confederate “Lost Cause” view of the Civil War and its legacy in postwar American politics and culture. “The Lost Cause” was a panel discussion at “Causes W…

Panelists from the morning sessions of a symposium on the end of the Civil War responded to questions submitted from the audience. “Causes Won and Lost: The End of the Civil War” was a sy…

Panelists talked about Mary Elizabeth Bowser, a former slave who became a Union spy in the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia. She was part of a pro-Union spy ring run by Elizabeth Va…

Each year, Time magazine selects a single person who had the most influence on events during the previous twelve months. If the same question had been posed in the year 1863, who would Time …

James Oakes talked about his book, Freedom National: The Destruction of Slavery in the United States, 1861-1865, in which he examines the efforts, ranging from the militaristic to the legisl…

Panelists at the American Historical Association’s annual conference in New Orleans talked about how the Internet, YouTube, and Twitter have changed the way historians present their material…

Duke University History Professor Thavolia Glymph and University of Richmond President Edward Ayers were among the historians who explored the circumstances, outcomes, and ongoing considerat…

Three historians held a discussion on race and the role it played leading up to and during the Civil War and how the persistence of resentment and unhealed wounds from the war’s outcome and …

Edward Ayers gave the keynote address at a commemorative ceremony for the 150th anniversary of the First Battle of Bull Run, also known as First Manassas. The ceremony was held at Henry Hill…

The evening before the 150th anniversary of the attack on Fort Sumter, historians spoke about leadership and the troubling issues of 1861. Edward Ayres projected some graphics as he talked a…

Edward Ayers gave a talk “Making the Civil War New.” He included pictures from a celebration in Richmond, Virginia, for the centennial of the Civil War and views from University of Richmond …

Edward Ayers moderated a roundtable discussion on the international implications of the Civil War, including diplomatic negotiations and naval conflicts. The panelists also responded to ques…

The Society of Civil War Historians opened their second biennial meeting with a keynote address by Edward Ayers and Gary Gallagher at the Richmond Marriott. Their presentation was called “Fi…

Supreme Court Justice David Souter talked about how history explains why current judges see the facts of court cases differently from their predecessors. Following Justice Souter’s remarks, …

Supreme Court Justice David Souter talked about how history explains why current judges see the facts of court cases differently from their predecessors. Following Justice Souter’s remarks, …