Videos

Legal historian Paul Finkelman and Harvard law Professor Randall Kennedy presented talks on the role of the U.S. Supreme Court in the Reconstruction era. Paul Finkelman detailed why he belie…

University of California, Irvine English Professor Brook Thomas delivered a talk titled, “The Politics of Popular Portrayals of Andrew Johnson’s Impeachment.” Professor Thomas discussed thre…

University of Kentucky history professor Mark Summers talked about the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson. This event was part of a symposium hosted by the U.S. Capitol Historical Socie…

Clemson University history professor Orville Vernon Burton talked about the origins of the 14th Amendment, and why it was essential and necessary to ratify after the South’s defeat in the Ci…

Clemson University history Professor Vernon Burton recalled his experiences as an expert witness for plaintiffs in voting rights cases in South Carolina and Texas. Professor Burton also disc…

A panel of historians took questions on the 14th Amendment and Reconstruction era. This question and answer session was part of a symposium hosted by the U.S. Capitol Historical Society comm…

The 14th Amendment was ratified in 1868 in the aftermath of the Civil War during the Reconstruction era. The amendment’s first clause, known as the “Citizenship Clause,” states that “All per…

Author and law professor Rebecca Zietlow looked at the life and work of James Mitchell Ashley, an abolitionist and Republican congressman from Ohio during the Civil War and early Reconstruct…

Eric Foner talked about the challenges of establishing civil rights for freedmen in the Reconstruction period and beyond. This talk was part of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society’s annual s…

Ron Duquette portrayed Albert Gallatin and spoke about the experiences of the Swiss founding father and immigration laws in the early American republic. Geneva native Albert Gallatin immigra…

Professor Gabriel Chin talked about whether the initial intent of the 1965 Immigration Act was to diversify America, or if it was an unintended consequence. Professor Chin argued that despit…

Professor Mariela Olivares talked about the effects of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 on Latinos, specifically from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. She argued t…

Andrew Gyory talked about the origins of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act and how popular culture helped shape negative Chinese stereotypes throughout the late 19th century. The lecture wa…

Professor Emeritus Paul Finkelman delivered the keynote address at a symposium focused on the history of immigration in America. He compares the roles of Congress, states, and the president …

Rabbi Lance Sussman talked about Representative Emanuel Celler (D-NY), who served in the House from 1923 to 1973. Professor Sussman detailed Celler’s career-long fight against immigration re…

Renee Redman talked about the history of Asylum Law in the United States. She argued that prior to the Refugee Act of 1980, the application process for asylum or refugee status was based on …

Paul Finkelman talked about the military trial of Henry Wirz, the Confederate commander of Andersonville Prison, where approximately 13,000 Union prisoners died. The concept of war crimes wa…

Gregory Downs talked about the role of Congress following the end of the Civil War. Professor downs said that when Congress met in December of 1865, occupation of the South, resignation of w…

Virginia Tech history professor Peter Wallensetin talked about the reconvening of Congress following the Civil War and how it attempted to address the end of slavery. “Restoration’s Unfin…

Carole Emberton talked about the pervasion of poverty among freed slaves during Reconstruction. She described the government’s attempt to provide aid by establishing the Freedmen’s Bureau, a…