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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...

Video

What Would Lincoln Do? How Lincoln’s Legacy is Used and Abused in Today’s Washington

Government and Civics

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

During the partial government shutdown of 2013, an expert panel of historians and policy analysts convened in Washington, DC, to discuss the presence of Abraham Lincoln’s legacy in contemporary politics. ...

Video

The Idea of America: Reflections on the Birth of the United States

Government and Civics

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

Bancroft and Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Gordon S. Wood, the Alva O. Way University Professor and Professor of History Emeritus at Brown University, discusses his 2011 essay collection, The Idea of America: Reflections on the...

Video

A Teacher’s Tour of the Battle of Gettysburg

Government and Civics

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

Historian Matthew Pinsker leads a virtual teacher’s tour of the Battle of Gettysburg, highlighting key moments and individuals to illustrate the broad story of the battle, its implications for the Civil War, and its legacy in...

Video

The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery

Government and Civics

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

Columbia University historian Eric Foner discusses his most recent work, The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery , with James G. Basker, president of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Professor Foner was...

Video

Jim Crow Wisdom: Memory and Identity in Black America since 1940

Literature

9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Yale University historian Jonathan Holloway discusses his 2013 work, Jim Crow Wisdom: Memory and Identity in Black America since 1940, with James Basker, President of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Professor...

Video

"Let the Word Go Forth": Symbols and Images in JFK’s Inaugural Address

Government and Civics

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

University of Virginia historian Barbara Perry describes John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address, including background information on the President’s life and family, the writing of the speech, and major accomplishments of his...

Video

The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks

Government and Civics

9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Brooklyn College historian Jeanne Theoharis discusses the life of Rosa Parks with Gilder Lehrman president James G. Basker. Professor Theoharis's 2013 biography of Parks is the first academic study of the activist's life, and noted...

Video

New Spirits: Americans in the Gilded Age

Government and Civics

9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Vassar College historian Rebecca Edwards discusses some of the complexities of the Gilded Age with Gilder Lehrman President James Basker. Professor Edwards's 2006 study, New Spirits: Americans in the Gilded Age, offers a nuanced view...

Video

Earth Day 1970: The Teach-In That Made the Green Generation

Government and Civics

9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

University of Delaware historian Adam Rome discusses the origins of the modern environmental movement in an interview about his book, The Genius of Earth Day: How a 1970 Teach-In Unexpectedly Made the First Green Generation. ...

Video

America’s Emergence as a Global Power

Geography, World History

9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Jeremi Suri, a historian at the University of Texas at Austin, argues that Americans have never been isolated from international politics and military conflicts, but rather have projected power on the world stage since before the...

Video

Supreme City: How Jazz Age Manhattan Gave Birth to Modern America

Art, Literature

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

Lafayette College historian Donald Miller discusses his new book, Supreme City: How Jazz Age Manhattan Gave Birth to Modern America, in an interview with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. ...

Video

Roundtable discussion on American Antislavery Writings

Government and Civics, Literature, Religion and Philosophy

9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

On December 2, 2014, four scholars joined Gilder Lehrman president and Barnard College professor James G. Basker for a roundtable discussion on American antislavery writings. The panel included Elizabeth Alexander (Yale), Christopher...

Video

Historians Now: The Fiery Trial by Eric Foner

Government and Civics

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

Eric Foner discusses his book The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery. The book begins with Lincoln's youth and through his career The book follows Lincoln's personal and political positions on slavery from childhood...

Video

Historians Now: Mourning Lincoln by Martha Hodes

Government and Civics

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

Martha Hodes discusses her book Mourning Lincoln. Hodes is the first historian to delve into personal and private responses—of African Americans and whites, Yankees and Confederates, men and women, soldiers and civilians, rich and...

Video

Historians Now: Founders’ Son: A Life of Abraham Lincoln by Richard Brookhiser

Government and Civics

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

Richard Brookhiser discusses his book, Founders' Son: A Life of Abraham Lincoln . Brookhiser traces Lincoln's quest to follow in the footsteps of the Founding Fathers.

Video

Historians Now: The Radical and the Republican by James Oakes

Government and Civics

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

James Oakes discusses his book, The Radical and the Republican: Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln and the Triumph of Antislavery Politics.

Video

Historians Now: Lincoln’s Selected Writings edited by David S. Reynolds

Government and Civics, Literature

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

David S. Reynolds talks about editing the Norton Critical Edition of Lincoln's Selected Writings. The volume not only includes an wide range of annotated texts, but perspectives on Lincoln's writings from his contemporaries and...

Video

Historians Now: The Wright Brothers by David McCullough

Science, Technology, Engineering and Math

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

David McCullough discusses his new book The Wright Brothers.

Video

Inside the Vault: British Troops Landing in Boston Harbor

Art, Government and Civics, World History

9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Explore just one of the fascinating items from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History collection!

Video

Historians Now: "The American Revolution: Writings from the Pamphlet Debate 1764-1776"

Government and Civics

9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Gordon Wood discusses the book "The American Revolution: Writings from the Pamphlet Debate 1764-1776".

Video

Davie Jeems Stands Up to the KKK: Document in a Minute

Gilder Lehrman Collection curator Beth Huffer discusses a 1868 Ku Klux Klan threat written to Davie Jeems, a black Republican recently elected sheriff in Lincoln County, Georgia.

Video

Henry Knox's orders for Washington's crossing of the Delaware: Document in a Minute

Gilder Lehrman Collection curator Beth Huffer discusses General Washington's 1776 orders for troops to march to Trenton. This copy of Washington’s orders, with a map of Trenton drawn on the back, belonged to Henry Knox, chief...

Video

John Adams Describes the "Ten Talents" of George Washington: Document in a Minute

Gilder Lehrman curator Beth Huffer discusses a letter from John Adams to Benjamin Rush in which Adams describes Washington's greatest talents as a "handsome Face," an "elegant Form," and "graceful Attitudes and Movement." ...

Video

Slave Tags: Document in a Minute

Gilder Lerhman curator Beth Huffer discusses slave tags from the collection. Owners of slaves wishing to rent out their slaves, or slaves with extra time available to hire themselves out, were required to pay an annual tax to the...

Video

The Calhoun School Cyanotype Album: Document in a Minute

Gilder Lehrman curator Beth Huffer discusses a cyanotpe album from the Calhoun Industrial School around the turn of the century. The Calhoun School was a social experiment of the Hampton Institute in Virginia, in which local...

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