Videos

Professor Judkin Browning talked about the 1862 Civil War Peninsula Campaign and Seven Days' cattles. He reviewed Union General George McClellan’s failed attempt to take the Confederate…

Professor Ruth MacDonald talked about the history of nutritional standards and government dietary guidelines. She described the shift from preventing disease to promoting optimum health…

William Rorabaugh, who teaches a class on the counterculture of the 1950s and 1960s in America, talked about the literature, clothing, music and world view of the beats and beatniks of the…

Douglas Rossinow talked about the Iran-Contra affair. The scandal stemmed from Reagan administration officials funding of the Contras, who were fighting against the Sandinista regime in…

Arizona State University professor Jonathan Barth talked about the rise of Andrew Jackson and his presidency. He focused on Jackson’s clashes with Whig party members such as Henry Clay and Daniel…

Professor Darren Dochuk talked about mid-20th century American oil interests. He described the east Texas oil boom and the expansion of U.S. oil businesses abroad to places such as Saudi…

Professor Paul Moreno talked about 1950s American culture. He described how post-World War II society changed due to the Baby Boom, suburbanization, and the emergence of teen culture. He…

Professor Adrian Lewis talked about about Omaha Beach and the 1944 D-Day landings in Normandy, France, during World War II. He described the German and Allied military strategies as well as…

Professors Shauna Devine and Neville Thompson talked about President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s time in office. Professor Devine described Roosevelt’s domestic policies, such as the New Deal and other…

Professor Cotten Seiler talked about the emerging definitions of whiteness and blackness in Colonial America and how it impacted the origins of country music. He described how 17th century…

Professor Bruce Stewart talked about how the national perception of the Appalachian region and its people was formed in the late 1800s. He described how journalists known as “local color” writers…

Professor Benjamin Bankhurst talked about Appalachia in the American imagination. He described how the regional stereotype has changed over time, from the view of “backwards hillbillies”…

Professor Brian Taylor talked about the military strategy and political policy goals of emancipation during the Civil War. He spoke about how ending slavery became a major goal for the…

Professor Margaret O’Mara talked about the 1968 presidential election and the events that affected the outcome. She spoke about how the Vietnam War eroded political support for President…

Professor John Fea talked about the people and ideas that shaped the Pennsylvania Constitution, written in 1776. Thomas Paine’s pamphlet Common Sense was published the same year the Pennsylvania…

Professor Akim Reinhardt talked about Victorian Era culture in the United States in the last half of the 19th century. He described the societal customs of the upper and emerging middle…

Professor Allen Guelzo talked about Abraham Lincoln, his views on slavery, and the Dred Scott Supreme Court decision. Professor Guelzo described Lincoln’s upbringing and the career path…

Professor Jeffrey Johnson talked about the 1916 bombing of a parade in San Francisco that killed 10 and wounded 40. The bombing took place on what was called “Preparedness Day,” organized…

Professor Krystyn Moon talked about anti-immigration laws in the 19th century, focusing on Chinese immigrants. She described how an influx of Chinese immigrants on the West Coast during the…

Iowa State University professor Tracy Lucht talked about women journalists in the late-19th and early 20th centuries. She described the careers of some pioneers, such as Nellie Bly and…