Videos

Columbia University American Studies professor Andrew Delbanco looked at slavery reparations from a variety of perspectives. This was the annual Jefferson Lecture hosted by the National Endo…

Panelists talked about diversity in historical films. They spoke about to what extent there is a lack of diversity in historical films as well as how and why this issue should be addressed. …

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…

A discussion was held on the expansion of executive power during a time of war. President Lincoln’s successors have raised much more controversy than he did as they have sought to expand pre…

John Updike, the Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist and critic, delivered the 37th Annual Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities, “The Clarity of Things: What Is American about American A…

Mr. Cole read a message from President George W. Bush, followed by a brief video and reading commemoration of President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. A medal was presented for the best stude…

Second Lady, Lynne Cheney, talked to students from Francis Scott Key Elementary School about some books chosen by the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of its continuing “We the …

The National Endowment for the Humanities issued a new list of recommended books for young readers (K-12) on the theme of “courage” as part of the Endowment’s We the People initiative. Lynne…

President and Mrs. Bush presented medals to the recipients of the National Medal of Arts and the National Humanities Medal for the year 2001. The evening also featured entertainment includin…

Henry Louis Gates talked about Thomas Jefferson’s reactions to the poetry of a Boston slave girl. Among the topics he addressed were controversy over the originality of the poems, attitudes …

Panelists of varied backgrounds, including Charles Murray, co-author of “The Bell Curve” sought ways to explain bigotry and racism in the U.S. and to replace them with a sense of community a…

Mr. Percy examines the importance of language and ideas in a speech titled "The Fateful Rift: The San Andreas Fault in the Modern Mind". He is the author of Lost in the Cosmos.

President George H. W. Bush spoke to teachers in the East Room about the National Endowment for the Humanities' Teacher-Scholar Program.

Professor Robert Nisbet spoke about progress in the early 20th century.

Professor Forrest McDonald spoke about education and beliefs of the founding fathers.