Videos

This program featured five views of President James K. Polk’s politics and times, from his relationship with predecessor Martin Van Buren to his role as a wartime chief executive. This panel was…

President Bill Clinton announced his economic program in his first address to a joint session of Congress. He proposed a stringent system of tax increases and spending cuts intended to reduce the federal…

President Ronald Reagan delivered his economic address to a joint session of Congress. This was President Reagan’s first speech before the House and Senate.

The grandchildren of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal cabinet members and advisers talked about the actions taken in the 1930s and early 1940s to bring the country back from the Great…

Sculptor Gordon Kray talked about his artistic process in creating a statue of James Monroe for the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. The fifth president attended the college until he…

Historian Scott Harris talked about James Monroe’s life, including the fifth president’s Revolutionary War service, his work as a lawyer, his path to the presidency, and the Monroe Doctrine that…

James Monroe and George Washington shared a bond forged in the Revolutionary War. Each man would serve his country as president. But the politics of the young nation drove a wedge between them. In this lecture…

To mark the 2021 Presidents Day holiday, the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum became a stage for historical interpreters portraying Presidents Washington, Lincoln, Coolidge --…

Historian H.W. Brands talked about humor in the White House and the role it plays in presidential politics. From George Washington to Donald Trump, he considered how funny American chief…

University of Central Arkansas historian Marcus Witcher explored conservatives' criticism of President Reagan’s foreign policy toward the Soviet Union during the 1980s. He also explained how…

Ronald Reagan’s White House political affairs director, Frank Donatelli, sat down with historian Craig Shirley to go behind-the-scenes of the 40th president’s campaigns for the White House. This conversation,…

From Thomas Jefferson’s books to Saturday Night Live’s parody of Joe Biden, Tevi Troy talked about how popular culture influences presidents -- and how, in turn, presidents leave their imprint on…

From the days of Martha Washington, America’s first ladies have been public figures. Betty Boyd Caroli talked about how Mrs. Washington and her successors defined their unique position. She is the…

Paul Sparrow looked at the personal and political partnership between Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt that captivated the nation and transformed how the federal government interacted with…

The presidential library tradition began in 1940 with the completion of the Franklin D. Roosevelt library in Hyde Park, New York.  Since then, former presidents have built libraries to…

Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower grew up within 180 miles of each other in America’s heartland. But these two-term presidents and one-time allies diverged politically during the…

This was a look back at President Nixon’s reforms of Native American government policies that led to the restoration of Indian lands and inaugurated a new era of self-government. His…

This was a discussion about President George W. Bush’s 2007 decision to increase American troop levels in Iraq. Former Bush administration officials Meghan O’Sullivan and Peter Feaver recounted their roles in the…

This is the third and last program that looked back at President George W. Bush’s 2007 Iraq surge decision to increase American troop levels. A panel of scholars responded to previous…

Former George W. Bush administration officials talked about the planning leading up to the 2007 surge of American troop levels in Iraq, including what they described as myths and misunderstandings…