Videos

University of Maryland History Professor Richard Bell talked about the Declaration of Independence, its origins, purpose, and global significance during and after the American Revolution.…

Joseph Wheelan explores the Mexican-American War of 1846 to 1848. The author chronicles President James Polk’s desire to acquire California via war and the popular dissent that followed the start of the war…

Executive director Cathy Gorn described the National History Day contest. Then, three middle school students presented a 10-minute performance titled, “From the Tragedy of Slavery to the Triumph…

Historian H.W. Brands profiled Aaron Burr, the former vice president to Thomas Jefferson. Aaron Burr is most remembered for killing former Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton in a duel on…

University of Utah Professor Eric Hinderaker taught a class about western settlement before, during and after the American Revolution. Using the Kentucky territory as an example, he…

Baylor University Professor Julie Anne Sweet taught a class on the American military during the Revolutionary War, including a look at the equipment and capabilities of both the Continental…

Providence College Professor Edward Andrews taught a class on early English missions in Colonial America. He described the efforts of Protestant preachers, such as John Eliot, to convert Native Americans in…

Shannon Withycombe, professor at the University of New Mexico, talked about pregnancy in the 19th century. She described the experience of childbirth, which often occurred at home, and the…

Yale University historian Joanne Freeman talked about The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War. In her book she describes 70 violent incidents, meaning incidents…

University of Alabama Professor Joshua Rothman taught a class on abolition and pro-slavery movements in the early 1800s. He highlighted the way that both sides used printing presses and…

Law professor and author Joyce Lee Malcolm discussed Benedict Arnold’s triumphs as an American army general in the Revolutionary War and questioned whether his legacy as a notorious…

Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Jon Meacham looked at critical moments in American history and how they relate to today. He spoke at the Rancho Mirage Writers Festival in California.

The Society of the Cincinnati’s deputy director and curator Emily Parsons displayed a recently acquired portrait painting of American loyalist Colonel James DeLancey in his British uniform. Ms.…

In 1793, President George Washington selected architect William Thornton’s design for the U.S. Capitol. In this program, former diplomat Gordon Brown talked about Thornton’s life and work,…

In 1793, President George Washington selected physician, painter and architect Dr. William Thornton’s design for the U.S. Capitol building. In this concluding session of a Thornton symposium…

Cornell University history professor Mary Beth Norton presented a talk titled “Reflections on Gender in Anglo-America.” The lecture was based on four books she published between 1980 and 2011:…

This plenary panel was part of a symposium called “Pocahontas: Her Life, Legend, and Legacy,” co-hosted by the Virginia Museum of History and Culture and American Evolution, the…

Author Patrick Spero told the story of the “Black Boys,” 18th-century frontiersmen from Western Pennsylvania who rebelled against the British and attempted to sabotage their efforts to make…

Between July 1824 and September 1825, Revolutionary War hero the Marquis de Lafayette toured America, visiting all 24 states and the District of Columbia. Fifty years after the revolution, the…

Author Gregory May talked about Albert Gallatin, who served as the nation’s fourth Treasury Secretary from 1801-1814. He explored Mr. Gallatin’s early political career, his overhaul of Alexander…