Videos

Historian and legal scholar Paul Finkelman recounted the presidential tenure of Millard Fillmore, who took office following the death of President Zachary Taylor in 1850. Professor Finkelman…

Historian Seymour Drescher talked about slavery being abolished throughout the British Empire in 1833. He noted that the Slavery Abolition Act became one of the driving forces toward emancip…

Professor Jenny Wahl argued that the institution of slavery was essentially an economic phenomenon. She used PowerPoint during her presentation and then responded to questions from members o…

The Emancipation Proclamation is considered to be one of the most important documents in American history. Paul Finkelman spoke about Abraham Lincoln and the constitutionality of the proclam…

Michael Burlingame talked about Abraham Lincoln’s pre-presidential dealings with slavery and his abolitionist tendencies. “Abraham Lincoln: Reluctant Emancipator?” was part of the U.S. Capit…

Diane Barnes spoke about Frederick Douglass, the most prominent civil rights activist in the 19th century. His relationship with Abraham Lincoln helped convince the president that he must ac…

Despite a federal law banning black soldiers from serving in the U.S. Army, they nonetheless fought during the Civil War in both northern and southern regiments. John Stauffer spoke about th…

Historian Gary Gallagher argued that the primary motive of the North during the Civil War was to preserve the “Union"-not to emancipate the slaves, but that Union forces were crucial in adva…

Professor Daniel Farber delivered his argument for the case of Dred Scott v. Sandford being the top entrant in the “Hall of Shame” for United States Supreme Court decisions. The decision in …

Professors G. Edward White and Paul Finkelman made closing remarks at a symposium exploring the United States Supreme Court decisions nominated for a “Hall of Shame.” Professor White gave an…

Dean Chemerinsky delivered his argument for including Korematsu v. United States in the “Hall of Shame” as one of the worst United States Supreme Court decisions. The 1944 decision concluded…