Lectures in History

FEED DROP: BN+ - Bob Crawford, "America's Founding Son"

Sun, 03 May 2026 00:00:00 -0000

This week, Lectures in History is taking a break— So we’re bringing you Booknotes+. Hosted by Brian Lamb, this episode features Bob Crawford—of The Avett Brothers—on his book America’s Founding Son.

Bob Crawford plays upright bass, bass guitar, and violin with the Grammy nominated Americana band, the Avett Brothers. He's been with the band for 25 years. Since 2016, Mr. Crawford has had his own podcast called The Road to Now, along with Ben Sawyer. Their focus is about history. Six years ago, during his band's tour, Mr. Crawford received his master's degree online from Arizona State University. The focus again was history. Now comes his first serious book titled "America's Founding Son: John Quincy Adams, from President to Political Maverick." Bob Crawford spends a significant amount of time discussing the 17 years Adams spent in the House of Representatives, after he was president, trying to stop the spread of slavery in the United States

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FEED DROP: America's Book Club with Beverly Gage

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0000

Historian and Yale University Professor Beverly Gage joined David M. Rubenstein to discuss her Pulitzer Prize winning biography of former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and her road trip across the U.S. to visit historic sites.

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"Whiteness" & U.S. Citizenship

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0000

USC lecturer Nora Lessersohn looks at how racial classifications were used during the naturalization process throughout American history. This lecture takes place at University of Southern California's campus in Washington, DC.

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Allen Guelzo on Abraham Lincoln

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0000

University of Florida professor Allen Guelzo teaches a class on Abraham Lincoln's intellectual interests and how the 16th president was more than just a talented politician.

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FEED DROP BN+: Investigative Journalist Seth Harp Explores The Fort Bragg Cartel

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0000

Seth Harp is a lawyer and an Iraq war veteran and an investigative writer and journalist. His first book, "The Fort Bragg Cartel," is about drug trafficking and murder in the Special Forces. Near the end of his book, Harp writes: "Between January 2017 and September 2022, a total of 15,293 active duty service members suffered drug overdoses, and 322 of those were fatal. The Defense Department data showed that Fort Bragg had far more overdoses than any other military base in both absolute and per capita terms." Fort Bragg is located in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and is the largest populated army base with close to 50,000 soldiers. It is headquarters of the secret Delta Force.

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2002 George W. Bush Speech Making the Case for Military Action in Iraq

Sat, 28 Mar 2026 22:00:00 -0000

The October 2002 speech by George W. Bush making the case for military action in Iraq was the topic of a class taught by University of Kansas political communication professor Robert Rowland. The University of Kansas is in Lawrence.

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President Jimmy Carter's Impact On the End of the Cold War

Sat, 21 Mar 2026 22:00:00 -0000

Gonzaga history professor Robert Donnelly argues that Jimmy Carter's role in ending the Cold War has largely been overlooked. He looks at how the 39th president's policies weakened the Soviet Empire.

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FEED DROP: BN+ David Sirota "Master Plan"

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0000

David Sirota, who is based in Denver, Colorado, has some very strong views about money and politics. His book is called "Master Plan: The Hidden Plot to Legalize Corruption in America." There are 11 chapters which reflect the 11 episodes of his podcast, "Master Plan." In order to tell his story, he points his finger at the 1971 Powell secret memo. That's former US Supreme Court Associate Justice Lewis Powell, who served on the Supreme Court from 1972 to 1987. He died in 1998 at age 90. Author Sirota, who is 50, writes that the Powell memo laid out a comprehensive step-by-step strategy for corporate America to regain control, protect its interests, and reshape the political and legal system of the United States to favor business.

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Hawaiian History and Culture

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 01:00:00 -0000

Gonzaga University professor Veta Schlimgen chronicles the history of Hawaii and how it maintained its culture after becoming a U.S. state in 1959. Gonzaga University is located in Spokane, Washington.

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Supreme Court Cases and Privacy

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 01:00:00 -0000

History professor Lawrence Cappello analyzes Supreme Court cases that address the right to privacy, focusing on police and phone wiretaps.

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The Spanish-American War

Sat, 21 Feb 2026 09:00:00 -0000

University of Louisville history professor Matthew Goldberg chronicles the 1898 Spanish-American War, fought primarily in Cuba, Guam, and the Philippines.

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Reaganomics

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 01:00:00 -0000

Brigham Young University professor Grant Madsen examines supply-side economics which was termed "Reaganomics." Brigham Young University is located in Provo, Utah.

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Marion Orr "House of Diggs"

Sun, 08 Feb 2026 01:00:00 -0000

Brown University professor Marion Orr lectures on the life & legacy of Congressman Charles Diggs, Jr. The Michigan Democrat founded the Congressional Black Caucus and was the only federal official to attend the trial of Emmett Till's killers.

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The History of the Space Program

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 01:00:00 -0000

In 1957, the beeps from Sputnik, a small Russian satellite, sent the USSR & US into a space race. Teasel Muir-Harmony of the Air & Space Museum chronicles the history of space travel and how the U.S. landed on the Moon and how we're going back in 2026.

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Williamsburg Revolutionary War Encampment

Sun, 25 Jan 2026 01:00:00 -0000

William & Mary lecturer Robyn Schroeder discusses the Williamsburg, Virginia, site where colonial troops built an encampment ahead of the 1781 battle of Yorktown during the Revolutionary War.

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How Martin Luther King Jr. Used Political Strategy

Sun, 18 Jan 2026 01:00:00 -0000

Boise State history professor Jill Gill lectures on Martin Luther King Jr.'s political strategies in the Civil Rights Movement up until his assassination in 1968.

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Blake Gilpin on Reconstruction-Era Supreme Court Cases That Led to Jim Crow Segregation

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 01:00:00 -0000

Tulane professor Blake Gilpin discusses three Reconstruction-era Supreme Court cases and how they led to the establishment of Jim Crow segregation.

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Kentucky and Slavery: From Statehood to the Civil War

Mon, 05 Jan 2026 01:00:00 -0000

When Kentucky in 1792 became a state, it had a choice; keep slavery or abolish it. University of Kentucky professor Melanie Goan teaches a class on the state's relationship with the institution of slavery until the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation.

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FEED DROP: America 250 Battle of Bunker Hill Commemoration

Sun, 28 Dec 2025 01:00:00 -0000

The National Park Service and other groups held a ceremony in Boston marking the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill.

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The Barbary Pirates and Early American Foreign Policy

Sun, 21 Dec 2025 01:00:00 -0000

Carroll College professor Jeanette Fregulia chronicles the Barbary pirates' conflict with American ships during the 18th and 19th centuries.

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Gunmaking & the Roots of Mass Production

Sun, 14 Dec 2025 01:00:00 -0000

Northwestern professor Ken Alder presented an image of an 1851 Colt Navy Revolver and asked why the gun was one of the first mass produced technologies in the United States. Professor Alder chronicled the origins of American mass production through gunmaking.

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How FDR Built a 12-Million-Strong Military: Robert Brigham on America’s WWII Mobilization

Sun, 07 Dec 2025 01:00:00 -0000

Vassar College professor Robert Brigham discussed his upcoming memoir about his search for his biological father, who served as a Marine in Vietnam. This event was part of the 2025 LCpl. Benjamin W. Schmidt Symposium on War, Conflict, and Society at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth

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FEEDDROP: Chef José Andrés on Food, Humanity, and Global Relief Efforts

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 01:00:00 -0000

Chef, humanitarian, and author Jose Andres discussed his career, his global relief efforts with World Central Kitchen, his books, and his love of food with David M. Rubenstein.

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Geri Spieler on Housewife Assassin: The True Story Behind a Suburban Double Life

Sun, 23 Nov 2025 01:00:00 -0000

In September 1975, 17 days apart, two women, one in Sacramento and the other in San Francisco, attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford. The first attempt on September the 5th came from Annette Squeaky Fromm. The Charles Manson follower spent over 30 years in prison, is out on parole, and is 76 years old. The other attempt came on the non-entrance side of St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco on September the 24th, 1975. The shooter, Sara Jane Moore, served 32 years in prison and died almost 50 years to the day on September the 24th, 2025. Author Geri Spieler wrote the book "Housewife Assassin" in 2009. She talked to and exchanged letters with Sara Jane Moore on several occasions. Here's her up-to-date story about the woman who tried to kill President Ford

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The 1967 Six-Day War and America’s Role in the Arab-Israeli Peace Process

Sun, 16 Nov 2025 01:00:00 -0000

The 1967 Six-Day War, 1973 Yom Kippur War, and 2023 Israel-Hamas War have all garnered the United States' diplomatic involvement. Trinity College Professor James Stocker looks at the history of the U.S. negotiating ends to Israeli-Arab conflicts.

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FEED DROP: ABC David Grann on Killers of the Flower Moon and America’s Hidden History

Sat, 08 Nov 2025 23:00:00 -0000

Author David Grann joins David M. Rubenstein to discuss his books, including "Killers of the Flower Moon" and "The Wager," and visits the vault of the Folger Shakespeare Library. This is an episode of C-SPAN's new series America's Book Club.

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The Mexican-American War: Causes, Consequences, and Legacy

Sat, 01 Nov 2025 22:00:00 -0000

On September 14, 1847, Winfield Scott's Army marched into Mexico City, marking the final stages of the Mexican-American War. University of Texas professor Aaron O'Connell chronicles the war's causes, the divisions it inflamed, and its aftermath.

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How Constitutional Order Emerged From Crisis

Sun, 26 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0000

During Reconstruction, a campaign to overthrow the South Carolina government succeeded, triggering a constitutional crisis. University of North Carolina professor and author of "Sedition," Marcus Gadson, analyzed the history behind this event.

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Gettysburg College’s Timothy Shannon on the Mystery of Roanoke

Sun, 19 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0000

This week on the Lectures in History podcast:

The mystery of the Roanoke Colony’s disappearance. In 1587, English settlers established a colony on Roanoke Island, off the coast of present-day North Carolina — only to vanish without a trace soon after. Gettysburg College Professor Timothy Shannon explores what we know about the lost colony, the people who lived there, and the theories behind one of early America’s greatest mysteries.

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The 1876 Great Sioux War and the Battle of the Little Bighorn

Sun, 12 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0000

What happened when General Custer and Crazy Horse faced off in battle? Stetson University Professor David Morton chronicles the 1876 Great Sioux War in the South Dakota Black Hills. Stetson University is located in Deland, Florida.

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World War II History: Vichy France Collaboration and the U.S.-UK Alliance

Sun, 05 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0000

United States Army War College history professor Michael Neiberg discusses Vichy France and the Anglo-American relationship during World War II.

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Kentucky and Slavery: From Statehood to the Civil War

Sun, 28 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0000

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Black Education in Colonial America: The Story of the Williamsburg Bray School

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0000

William & Mary Bray School Lab director Maureen Elgersman Lee discusses the history of the 18th-century Williamsburg Bray School for Black children and the legacies of the 300 to 400 scholars it enrolled.

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Lectures in History: 1992 Republican National Convention

Sun, 14 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0000

The 1992 Republican National Convention speeches by former President Ronald Reagan and Pat Buchanan - who had run for the GOP nomination that year against incumbent President George H.W. Bush - was the topic of a class taught by University of Kansas political communication professor Robert Rowland. The University of Kansas is in Lawrence.

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FEED DROP: BN+ Richard J. Evans, "Hitler's People"

Sun, 07 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0000

Sir Richard J. Evans has been writing about Germany and Adolf Hitler for his entire professional life. He was knighted in Britain in 2012 for his service to scholarship. From 2003-2008, Professor Evans published a trilogy of the Third Reich with a total of over 2,500 pages. His latest book is titled "Hitler's People: The Faces of the Third Reich." In his preface, Sir Richard, a former professor at Cambridge University writes: "The individuals who stand at the center of this book range from the top to the bottom, from Hitler all the way down to the lowest of the Nazi party." There are 22 chapters. Learn more about your ad choices.

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James Broussard, Colonial America Before the Revolution

Sun, 31 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0000

Professor James Broussard taught a class on the lead-up to the American Revolution. He described actions by the British government, such as the Stamp Act and stationing British troops in Boston, that American colonists began to view as an overreach of power

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Eric Hinderaker, Western Lands Before and After the American Revolution

Sun, 24 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0000

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 described the conflicts and relationships between the new federal government, settlers and Native Americans.

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Professor Joyce Lee Malcolm, Benedict Arnold

Sun, 17 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0000

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 American traitor is entirely accurate. Professor Malcolm is the author of, The Tragedy of Benedict Arnold: An American Life. This one hour talk was hosted by the University of Mary Washington as part of their Great Lives Lecture Series.

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Garrett Graff, "The Devil Reached Toward the Sky"

Sun, 10 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0000

Historian Garrett Graff discusses his oral history of the development, testing and deployment of the atomic bomb in August 1945.

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George Washington's Character

Sun, 03 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0000

Gene Allen Smith, a Texas Christian University history professor, taught a class about George Washington's character. He examined how the first president interacted with his contemporaries, how he viewed himself, and how he is remembered.

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Colonial Tensions Pre-Revolution

Sun, 27 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0000

Ithaca College professor Michael Trotti discussed the escalating tensions between colonists and the British government before the American Revolution. Ithaca College is located in New York.

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1607 Jamestown Settlement

Sun, 20 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0000

College of William & Mary lecturer Amy Stallings discussed the history of the 1607 Jamestown fort and settlement in Virginia, and how Americans have tried to preserve and remember the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. The College of William & Mary is located in Williamsburg, Virginia

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Army Explorers of the West

Sun, 13 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0000

Texas Woman's University history professor Cecily Zander discussed the federal government's efforts to explore and control the American west from the early 1800's through the Civil War. Texas Woman's University is located in Denton.

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Weapons Technology in the Revolutionary War

Sun, 06 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0000

Wright State University professor Paul Lockhart taught a class on the development of weapons technology in the American Revolution. Wright State University is located in Dayton, Ohio.

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Gilded Age Bohemians

Sun, 29 Jun 2025 00:00:00 -0000

University of North Carolina at Pembroke professor Ryan Anderson discussed the rise of a Bohemian culture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that rejected conventional societal restraints and embraced the arts.

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World War II Interracial Relationships in Japan & Hawaii

Sun, 22 Jun 2025 00:00:00 -0000

Santa Clara University history professor Sonia Gomez discusses the intimate relationships between people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds that occurred in Hawaii and Japan during and immediately after World War II.

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America's National Pastime

Sun, 15 Jun 2025 00:00:00 -0000

Boston College communications professor Michael Serazio discussed how baseball connects Americans to their past and culture.

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Christian Nightlife in the 1970s

Sun, 08 Jun 2025 00:00:00 -0000

California State University Fullerton professor Eric Gonzaba taught a class about evangelical nightlife and Christian nightclubs in 1970s California.

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Islam & Judaism in American History

Sat, 31 May 2025 22:00:00 -0000

George Mason University religious studies department chair John Turner teaches a class on the history of Islam and Judaism in America.

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Schools of Thought on the Vietnam War

Sun, 25 May 2025 00:00:00 -0000

Hillsdale College history professor Mark Moyar discusses competing interpretations of the Vietnam War when it comes to questions about the necessity of the conflict and whether it was winnable for the United States.

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Ronald Reagan & the 1980s Conservative Resurgence

Sun, 18 May 2025 00:00:00 -0000

University of Texas history professor Mark Lawrence discusses the rise of Ronald Reagan, his impact on the conservative movement, and the Reagan Administration's performance in his first term.

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Native Americans & the American Revolution

Sun, 11 May 2025 00:00:00 -0000

Tulane University history professor Keely Smith discusses Native American alliances during the Revolutionary War and how the U.S. government and American society viewed various tribes during the early Republic.

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FEED DROP: BN+ Alexandra Richie, "Warsaw 1944"

Sun, 04 May 2025 00:00:00 -0000

As a follow up to our recent podcast regarding the life and times of Anne Frank, we asked author Alexandra Ritchie to tell us more about the horrors of World War II and Poland. Ritchie, a citizen of Canada, now lives in the city which is the title of her book, Warsaw. Her focus is on 1944 and what was called the Warsaw Uprising. In her introduction, she writes, "Himmler and Hitler had decided that the entire population remaining in one of Europe's great capital cities was to be murdered in cold blood. Himmler referred to Warsaw as the great abscess, which was to be completely destroyed."

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Winston Churchill, the Special Relationship and the Cold War

Sun, 27 Apr 2025 00:00:00 -0000

American University professor Laura Beers teaches a class on Winston Churchill and the "special relationship" between Great Britain and the U.S during World War II and the Cold War

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Cold War Refugees & the 1980 Refugee Act

Sun, 20 Apr 2025 00:00:00 -0000

Tulane University history professor Jana Lipman discusses Cold War refugees from Cuba and Vietnam and the impact of the Refugee Act of 1980.

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World War II Interracial Relationships in Japan & Hawaii

Sun, 13 Apr 2025 00:00:00 -0000

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"The Education of Henry Adams" (1918)

Sun, 06 Apr 2025 00:00:00 -0000

University of Dallas history professor Susan Hanssen discusses the legacy and cultural importance of the 1918 Pulitzer Prize winning book, "The Education of Henry Adams."

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19th Century American Landscape Painting

Sat, 29 Mar 2025 22:00:00 -0000

Santa Clara University art history professor Andrea Pappas discusses the mid-19th century American landscape painting movement known as the Hudson River School.

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Development of the Atomic Bomb

Sun, 23 Mar 2025 00:00:00 -0000

University of Texas history professor Bruce Hunt discusses the development of the atomic bomb during World War II and the role of the Army Corps of Engineers General Leslie Groves.

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FEED DROP: Q&A: Heath Hardage Lee, "The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon"

Sat, 15 Mar 2025 22:00:00 -0000

Historian Heath Hardage Lee, author of "The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon," talks about the life and times of the former First Lady (1969-74). She says that Pat Nixon, who was voted "Most Admired Woman in the World" in 1972, was largely mis-portrayed by the press, who characterized her as being elusive and "plastic."

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America & the Northern Ireland Peace Process

Sun, 09 Mar 2025 01:00:00 -0000

Georgetown University history professor Darragh Gannon discusses the Irish diaspora and the role of the United States during "The Troubles" and in the Northen Ireland peace process.

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Prison Gangs

Sun, 02 Mar 2025 01:00:00 -0000

University of Southern California sociology professor Brittany Friedman discusses the formation and evolution of American prison gangs in the 20th and 21st centuries.

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Henry Christophe & the 1791 Haitian Revolution

Sun, 23 Feb 2025 01:00:00 -0000

Yale University professor Marlene Daut discusses the life and legacy of slave, revolutionary, and king Henry Christophe and how the United States and other foreign powers reacted to the 1791 Haitian revolution.

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The U.S. Border Patrol

Sun, 16 Feb 2025 01:00:00 -0000

Indiana University history professor Juan Mora discusses the U.S. Border Patrol and how 20th century immigration laws shaped the creation and development of immigration agencies

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World War I Propaganda

Sun, 09 Feb 2025 01:00:00 -0000

Louisiana State University journalism professor John Maxwell Hamilton discusses U.S. government propaganda efforts during World War I.

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1607 Jamestown Settlement

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 01:00:00 -0000

College of William & Mary lecturer Amy Stallings discusses the history of the 1607 Jamestown settlement in Virginia and efforts over four centuries to preserve and remember the first permanent English settlement in the Americas.

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History of Latinos in the South

Sun, 26 Jan 2025 01:00:00 -0000

Duke University professor Cecilia Marquez discusses Latino migration trends in the 20th and early 21st centuries and how Latinos shaped the culture, development and economics of the American South.

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World War I Propaganda

Sun, 19 Jan 2025 01:00:00 -0000

Louisiana State University journalism professor John Maxwell Hamilton discusses U.S. government propaganda efforts during World War I.

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American Civil Religion During the Cold War

Sun, 12 Jan 2025 01:00:00 -0000

Hillsdale College professor Richard Gamble teaches a class on civic faith, and how American nationalism incorporated religious elements and symbolism during the Cold War.

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John Kennedy's 1961 Inaugural Address

Sun, 05 Jan 2025 01:00:00 -0000

President John Kennedy's 1961 inaugural address was the topic of a class taught by University of Kansas political communication professor Robert Rowland. The University of Kansas is in Lawrence.

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SHORT SERIES:Women's Sports and Title IX

Sun, 29 Dec 2024 01:00:00 -0000

Georgetown University professor Bonnie Morris talked about discrimination against women in sports and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any federally funded education program or activity.

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SHORT SERIES: Women Journalists at the Turn of the 20th Century

Sun, 29 Dec 2024 01:00:00 -0000

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 Dorothy Dix, and the societal pressures for women writers to balance traditional femininity and a career in journalism.

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SHORT SERIES: Women's Political Power in Early America

Sun, 29 Dec 2024 01:00:00 -0000

York College professor Jacqueline Beatty discussed women’s rights and changing political power during the American Revolution and the early years of the Republic. York College is located in York, Pennsylvania.

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SHORT SERIES: Satchel Paige, Negro Leagues Baseball, and Civil Rights

Sun, 22 Dec 2024 01:02:00 -0000

Professor Donald Spivey talked about the legacy of pitcher Satchel Paige and Negro Leagues baseball. Satchel Paige was the first Negro Leagues player to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Professor Spivey also explained the ways that Paige and other Negro Leagues players and owners contributed to the struggle for civil rights, including fighting Jim Crow laws, financially supporting groups like the NAACP, and fostering friendships with white players in Major League Baseball.

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SHORT SERIES: Baseball in the Gilded Age

Sun, 22 Dec 2024 01:01:00 -0000

Professor Joan Waugh talked about the rise of baseball as a national activity, spectator event, and business. She described the efforts of baseball club owners to codify the rules of the games, establish a national league, and attract a broad middle class audience.

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SHORT SERIES: Baseball During the Depression

Sun, 22 Dec 2024 01:00:00 -0000

Pepperdine University professor Loretta Hunnicutt taught a class about baseball during the Great Depression. She looked at the role of baseball in American culture and the origins of sports journalism.

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1893 Lizzie Borden Trial, Part 2

Sun, 15 Dec 2024 01:00:00 -0000

University of Maryland history professor Michael discussed, in the second of a two part lecture, the 1893 trial of Lizzie Borden. She was accused of murdering her father and stepmother with an axe. The murders and trial received widespread publicity at the time and Lizzie Borden became a lasting figure in American popular culture.

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1893 Lizzie Borden Trial, Part 1

Sun, 08 Dec 2024 01:00:00 -0000

University of Maryland history professor Michael Ross discussed the 1893 trial of Lizzie Borden, who was accused of murdering her father and stepmother with an axe. The murders and trial received widespread publicity at the time and Lizzie Borden became a lasting figure in American popular culture. This is the first of a two-part lecture.

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FEED DROP: Booknotes+: Richard Brookhiser, "Glorious Lessons"

Sat, 30 Nov 2024 23:00:00 -0000

Richard Brookhiser has written and edited for National Review magazine for over 50 years. He has also written books about George Washington, James Madison, John Marshall, Alexander Hamilton, and "gentleman revolutionary" Gouverneur Morris. Now comes his latest, "Glorious Lessons: John Trumbull, Painter of the American Revolution." Trumbull, who lived between 1756 and 1843, was most famous for his 4 very large paintings about the Revolutionary War on the walls of the rotunda in the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, DC.

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FEED DROP: Booknotes+ Erik Larson, "The Demon of Unrest"

Sat, 23 Nov 2024 23:00:00 -0000

In the first week of publication of Erik Larson's latest book, "The Demon of Unrest," sales put it at the very top of the bestseller list. It's about the start of the Civil War, with a focus on the five months between Abraham Lincoln's election and the day of the first shot fired on Fort Sumter, which is off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina. That was April 12, 1861. In his introduction, Erik Larson writes: "I invite you now to step into the past, to that time of fear and dissension…I suspect your sense of dread will be all the more pronounced in light of today's political discord…"

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FEED DROP: Booknotes+: Howard Blum, "Night of the Assassins"

Sat, 16 Nov 2024 23:00:00 -0000

In 1943, in the middle of World War II, the Allied leaders FDR, Winston Churchill, and Josef Stalin were planning to meet secretly in Tehran. The Nazis wanted to kill them.

In his book "Night of the Assassins," author Howard Blum tells the story of "Operation Long Jump," the code name for the Nazi plan to assassinate the Allied leaders. In telling this story, author Blum says: "I wanted to write a suspenseful character-driven story of men, heroes, and villains caught up in a tense, desperate time, who needed to find courage and cunning to do their duty for their countries and to fulfill their own sense of honor."

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The Great Depression

Sun, 10 Nov 2024 01:00:00 -0000

Indiana University history professor Carolina Ortega discussed the 1929 Great Depression, President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, and the impact that the economic crash had on various populations, including Mexican- Americans.

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Road to the 1787 Constitutional Convention

Sun, 03 Nov 2024 00:00:00 -0000

University of Dallas history professor William Atto discussed the decade leading to the 1787 Constitutional Convention and the key compromises that led to the ratification of the United States Constitution.

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Ryan White & the AIDS Epidemic

Sun, 27 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0000

Florida State University history professor Paul Renfro discussed the life and death of Indiana teenager Ryan White, who emerged as one of the faces of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s.

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America's National Pastime

Sun, 20 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0000

Boston College communications professor Michael Serazio discussed how baseball connects Americans to their past and culture.

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Southeast American Indians During the 18th Century

Sun, 13 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0000

University of North Carolina at Pembroke history professor Jamie Myers discussed Southeast Native American tribes during the 18th century and the impacts of colonialism, the American Revolution, and the emergence of the United States.

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Schools of Thought on the Vietnam War

Sun, 06 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0000

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Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood"

Sun, 29 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0000

Georgetown University English professor Christopher Shinn discussed the history and cultural reception of Truman Capote's 1967"In Cold Blood" as well as its impact on the genres of pulp fiction and true crime novels.

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Gilded Age Bohemians

Sun, 22 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0000

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The American Presidency and Foreign Policy

Sun, 15 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0000

Presidential historian Lindsay Chervinsky discussed how presidential foreign policy and warmaking powers evolved from the time of George Washington to the modern era

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Narratives of the Civil Rights Movement

Sun, 08 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0000

Ohio State University history professor Hasan Kwame Jeffries discussed historical narratives of the Civil Rights Movement and modern understandings of victories, defeats and what the movement was trying to achieve. Professor Jeffries is the brother of House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).

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Rise of Industry in the Gilded age

Sun, 01 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0000

College of the Ozarks professor David Dalton, who teaches a class on 19th Century American history, discussed the rise of American industry in the Gilded Age. College of the Ozarks is located in Point Lookout, Missouri.

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When Polls Go Bad

Sun, 25 Aug 2024 00:00:00 -0000

American University Professor Joseph Campbell taught a class on public opinion and election forecasting. He spoke about some of the most significant polling misses in American politics. American University is located in Washington, D.C.

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Obama's 2004 DNC Keynote

Sun, 18 Aug 2024 00:00:00 -0000

Former President Barack Obama’s keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention was the topic of a class taught by University of Kansas political communication professor Robert Rowland. The University of Kansas is in Lawrence, Kansas.

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Nixon, Ford & the Constitution

Sun, 11 Aug 2024 00:00:00 -0000

Duquesne University president Ken Gormley taught a class looking at constitutional issues that arose during the presidencies of Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. He gave particular focus to the Watergate investigation and questions of control over Nixon’s secretly recorded White House tapes, as well as issues surrounding Ford’s pardon of Nixon following the 37th president’s resignation in August 1974. Duquesne University moved its classes online due to the coronavirus pandemic, and video of the class is courtesy of the school.

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American Churches During World War 1

Sun, 04 Aug 2024 00:00:00 -0000

Hillsdale College Professor Richard Gamble taught a class on American churches and religion during World War I. He discussed how American pastors, ministers, and rabbis spoke about the Great War before and after the U.S. entered the conflict. This lecture was part of a course titled “The U.S. from the Great War to the Cold War.” Hillsdale College is located in Hillsdale, Michigan.

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The Red Scare 1940s-1950s

Sun, 28 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0000

University of California, Davis, history Professor Kathryn Olmsted taught a class on how the ‘Red Scare’ evolved into a wide-ranging conspiracy theory in the United States in the 1940s and 1950s.

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Appalachia in the American Imagination

Sat, 20 Jul 2024 04:00:00 -0000

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” during the Industrial Revolution to a people respected for their folk culture in the early 20th century.

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Eisenhower & 1950s Political Advertising

Sun, 14 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0000

Purdue University Professor Kathryn Brownell taught a class about political advertising in the 1950s, highlighting Dwight Eisenhower’s presidential campaigns. She compared radio and early televised ads and examines what components made them successful.

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Civil War Weaponry

Sun, 07 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0000

Guilford Technical Community College Professor Jeff Kinard taught a class about Civil War weaponry and shared artifacts such as muskets, carbines, and revolvers. He described technological advances, such as breech loading and rifled barrels, that allowed soldiers to fire faster and with more accuracy.

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Army Explorers of the West

Sun, 30 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0000

Texas Woman’s University history professor Cecily Zander discussed the federal government’s efforts to explore and control the American west from the early 1800's through the Civil War. Texas Woman’s University is located in Denton.

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History of Abortion

Sun, 23 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0000

University of California, Davis, law professor Mary Ziegler discussed the history of abortion and contraception laws in the United States.

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20th Century Fundamentalism & Pentecostalism

Sun, 16 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0000

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill professor Molly Worthen taught a class about the history and the intellectual underpinnings of Protestant fundamentalism in 20th century America. She began with the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial, which pitted the teaching of evolution versus creationism in public schools and gained national attention. Later she delved into the origins and growth of Pentecostalism, which strives for a personal connection with the Divine and includes such aspects as faith healing and speaking in tongues.

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D-Day & Omaha Beach

Sun, 09 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0000

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 the command structure on each side. He also enumerated the challenges American troops faced when trying to land on Omaha Beach and argued that the outcome was not inevitable.

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C.S. Lewis

Sun, 02 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0000

Calvin University Professor Micah Watson discussed C.S. Lewis’s views on law, politics, and government and how they connected to his Christian beliefs. This lecture took place at the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

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WWII Battle of the Atlantic

Sun, 26 May 2024 00:00:00 -0000

University of Notre Dame military history professor Ian Ona Johnson discussed the contest for control of Atlantic sea routes during World War II. The University of Notre Dame is located in Indiana.

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The Road to Brown v. Board of Education

Sun, 19 May 2024 00:00:00 -0000

Prairie View A&M history professor Malachi Crawford discusses the evolution of civil rights law from efforts to dismantle Jim Crow and racial segregation to the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision.

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The West Virginia Mine Wars

Sun, 12 May 2024 00:00:00 -0000

Virginia Tech lecturer Taulby Edmondson discussed unionization efforts in the West Virginia mining industry that led to a series of armed conflicts in the 1910s and 1920s. Virginia Tech is located in Blacksburg.

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Confederate Monuments & Labor Integration in New Orleans

Sun, 05 May 2024 00:00:00 -0000

Tulane University History Professor Rien Fertel discusses the erection of Confederate monuments in New Orleans at the turn of the 20th century at the same time as efforts to integrate and unionize Black and white dock laborers.

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Reagan's 1982 Address to Parliament

Sun, 28 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0000

President Ronald Reagan's 1982 address to the British Parliament was the topic of a class taught by University of Kansas political communication professor Robert Rowland. The University of Kansas is in Lawrence.

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HBCUs & Student Activism in North Carolina

Sun, 21 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0000

North Carolina Central University history professor Jasmin Howard discussed student activism and the civil rights movement at Historically Black Colleges and Universities in North Carolina. North Carolina Central University is located in Durham.

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Women & Employment Laws in the Early 20th Century

Sun, 14 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0000

University of Maryland, Baltimore County, political science professor William Blake discusses early 20th century Supreme Court cases on laws regulating minimum wages and maximum hours for female workers.

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Mamie Till-Mobley & Remembering Emmett Till

Sun, 07 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0000

University of Kentucky writing and rhetoric professor Brandon Erby discussed the legacy of Mamie Till-Mobley and her efforts to bring awareness to the 1955 murder of her son Emmett Till. The University of Kentucky is located in Lexington.

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Richard Nixon & the 1968 Election

Sun, 31 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0000

Chapman University history professor Luke Nichter discusses Richard Nixon’s 1968 campaign and the issues in that year’s presidential election.

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The Development of the Early Republic

Sun, 24 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0000

Prairie View A&M history professor Ronald Goodwin discussed the early Republic and how Americans tried to define equality and interpret the Constitution in the first decades of the United States. Prairie View A&M University is an historically black university located in Prairie View, Texas.

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Abortion and Reproductive Rights

Sun, 17 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0000

University of California, Davis, law professor Mary Ziegler discussed the history of abortion and contraception laws in the United States.

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1970s Labor & Working Class

Sun, 10 Mar 2024 01:00:00 -0000

Wayne State University Professor Elizabeth Faue discussed the American working class and labor movements during the 1970s. Wayne State University is located in Detroit.

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Army Explorers of the West

Sun, 03 Mar 2024 01:00:00 -0000

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History of Emergency Medical Services

Sun, 25 Feb 2024 01:00:00 -0000

University of Maryland, Baltimore County lecturer Jae Yang discussed the history of emergency medical services from the pre-industrial era through the development of 911 and modern state EMS agencies.

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1909 Missoula Labor & Free Speech Fight

Sun, 18 Feb 2024 01:00:00 -0000

University of Montana history professor Leif Fredrickson discusses the 1909 labor protests in Missoula, Montana that sparked a high-profile fight over free speech and police violence.

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The Story of Public Health

Sun, 11 Feb 2024 01:00:00 -0000

Boston College nursing professor Lindsey Camp discussed the individuals and events that shaped American and global public health systems.

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1925 Scopes Monkey Trial Part 2

Sun, 04 Feb 2024 01:00:00 -0000

University of Maryland history professor Michael Ross discussed the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial about teaching evolution and its cultural significance in 1920s America. This is the second of a two-part lecture.

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1925 Scopes Monkey Trial Part 1

Sun, 28 Jan 2024 01:00:00 -0000

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Presidential Scandals

Sun, 21 Jan 2024 01:00:00 -0000

University of Houston political science professor Brandon Rottinghaus discussed presidential scandals and how public reaction to them has changed over time.

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History of Artificial Intelligence

Sat, 13 Jan 2024 23:00:00 -0000

Princeton University history professor Matthew Jones taught a class on

the history of artificial intelligence and the debates over its development.

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Cults & American Culture

Sun, 07 Jan 2024 01:00:00 -0000

Santa Clara religious studies professor Jim Bennett taught a class on the formation of cults and the history of notorious American cults. Santa Clara University is a Jesuit university located in California.