Search | Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

90,986 items

Video

Emancipation and the Question of Agency: The Power of the Enslaved, the Power of Policy

Government and Civics

8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Historian James Oakes (The Graduate Center, City University of New York) addresses the timeless question of agency in emancipation—who freed the slaves?—by suggesting that the query demands greater nuance. The agency of slaves and...

Video

American Antislavery Writings: Colonial Beginnings to Emancipation

Government and Civics, Literature, Religion and Philosophy

8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

James G. Basker (Barnard College, Columbia University) discusses his latest book, American Antislavery Writings: Colonial Beginnings to Emancipation (The Library of America, 2012). Basker, who is also the president of the Gilder...

Video

The Haitian Revolution: A New Vision of Freedom in the Atlantic World

World History

6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Duke University historian Laurent Dubois discusses slavery, culture, and ideology in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, which upon the triumph of its revolution in 1804 became the nation of Haiti—the first and only nation...

Video

The Origins of the French Revolution: American Influence, Domestic Discontent

World History

6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Video

Reason and Emotion in Revolutionary America

Government and Civics, World History

5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

New York University historian Nicole Eustace discusses the "tempest of emotion" that swept through the Age of Reason, epitomized by the earliest call for a full break between the American colonies and Great Britain, Thomas Paine’s...

Video

Taxation and Representation: The Imperial Debate between Britain and the Americans

Government and Civics

6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Brown University historian Gordon Wood describes the British and American conceptions of representation during the eighteenth century, widely diverging points of view that were forged by radically different experiences with...

Video

The Lion’s Pride: Theodore Roosevelt and His Family in Peace and War

Government and Civics

6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Edward J. Renehan Jr. examines Theodore Roosevelt’s view of war and how this affected his children, based on his book The Lion’s Pride: Theodore Roosevelt and His Family in Peace and War. ...

Video

War Letters: Extraordinary Correspondence from American Wars

5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Andrew Carroll, founder of the Legacy Project, recounts his search for letters from America’s wars and reads excerpts from several.

Video

Lincoln at Cooper Union

Government and Civics

8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Author Harold Holzer discusses his book, Lincoln at Cooper Union: The Speech That Made Abraham Lincoln President.

Video

Visions of State in the New Deal Era: International Perspectives

Economics, Government and Civics, World History

8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Historian Alan Brinkley looks at the New Deal era with an international perspective, exploring the evolution of global experiments in government occurring around the world, particularly fascism, communism, and liberal democracy. ...

Video

Burr, Hamilton, and Jefferson: A Study in Character

Government and Civics

6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Roger Kennedy, former director of the National Park Service, discusses the "fatal twins," Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton, whose military, legal, and political careers intersected for nearly thirty years before they came to duel in...

Video

Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists

Government and Civics

7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Historian Carol Berkin briefly discusses the arguments put forth by Federalists and Anti-Federalists in the state ratification conventions.

Video

The Formation of Slave Culture

9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Historian Ira Berlin briefly discusses the evolution of slave culture based on African and American experiences of the enslaved.

Video

Teaching the Topic of Slavery

Government and Civics

9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Historian Ira Berlin briefly discusses ways to address slavery in the classroom and teach students how to engage in historical argument.

Video

Slavery and the Constitution

Government and Civics

9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Historian James Oliver Horton briefly examines the protections for slavery embedded in the US Constitution.

Video

Elizabeth Cady Stanton: An American Life

Government and Civics

6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Lori D. Ginzberg, professor of history and women’s studies at Pennsylvania State University, discusses her 2010 biography, Elizabeth Cady Stanton: An American Life.

Video

Lincoln’s Sacred Effort: The Role of Providence in Political Leadership

Religion and Philosophy

9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Video

The March on Washington: A Virtual Tour

Government and Civics

6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Join Dr. Clayborne Carson, Director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University, for a virtual tour of the 1963 March on Washington.

Video

The Story of America: Essays on Origins

Government and Civics, Literature, Religion and Philosophy

Historian Jill Lepore (David Woods Kemper ’41 Professor of American History at Harvard and a staff writer at the New Yorker ) discusses her 2012 book, The Story of America: Essays on Origins (Princeton University Press). ...

Video

Economic and Financial Crises in American History

Economics, Government and Civics

10, 11, 12, 13+

Video

Anti-Federalism and Dissent in Constitutional History

Government and Civics

For our first live web chat for Affiliate Schools, Fordham University historian Saul Cornell joined Gilder Lehrman Institute President James Basker to discuss constitutional history and the modern-day implications of dissent in the...

Video

Learning from Lincoln

Government and Civics, Literature

9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Video

Exchanges of Culture and Conflict in the Southwest

Economics, Geography, Government and Civics, Religion and Philosophy, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, World History

7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Professor DeLay looks at changes in thought, technology, and outlook that prompted early exploration, and Spain’s late entry into colonial pursuits.

Video

Book of Ages: The Life and Opinions of Jane Franklin

Literature

6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Historian Jill Lepore of Harvard University discusses her book, Book of Ages: The Life and Opinions of Jane Franklin, a finalist for the 2013 National Book Award, with James G. Basker, president of the Gilder Lehrman Institute. ...

Video

A Teacher’s Tour of Ford’s Theatre

Government and Civics, Literature

6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Historian Matthew Pinsker (Dickinson College) leads a tour of Ford’s Theatre campus, including the main building, the Petersen House, and the Center for Education and Leadership, to explore how history teachers can use the site’s...

Site Search

90,986 items

Emancipation and the Question of Agency: The Power of the Enslaved, the Power of Policy

American Antislavery Writings: Colonial Beginnings to Emancipation

The Haitian Revolution: A New Vision of Freedom in the Atlantic World

The Origins of the French Revolution: American Influence, Domestic Discontent

Reason and Emotion in Revolutionary America

Taxation and Representation: The Imperial Debate between Britain and the Americans

The Lion’s Pride: Theodore Roosevelt and His Family in Peace and War

War Letters: Extraordinary Correspondence from American Wars

Lincoln at Cooper Union

Visions of State in the New Deal Era: International Perspectives

Burr, Hamilton, and Jefferson: A Study in Character

Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists

The Formation of Slave Culture

Teaching the Topic of Slavery

Slavery and the Constitution

Elizabeth Cady Stanton: An American Life

Lincoln’s Sacred Effort: The Role of Providence in Political Leadership

The March on Washington: A Virtual Tour

The Story of America: Essays on Origins

Economic and Financial Crises in American History

Anti-Federalism and Dissent in Constitutional History

Learning from Lincoln

Exchanges of Culture and Conflict in the Southwest

Book of Ages: The Life and Opinions of Jane Franklin

A Teacher’s Tour of Ford’s Theatre

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