Historian Jayne Triber covers the military history of the Boston Harbor Islands, from colonial times to the Cold War, examining the fortifications and installations that have been built and abandoned on the islands.
Archaeologist Ellen Berkland and curator Elizabeth Carella review the history of Boston Harbor's Rainsford Island since 1636. After a brief overview of recent efforts to manage the island, they review archaeological discoveries pointing to the island's many historical uses, particularly as they relate to Boston's marginalized populations.
A series of speakers, primarily professors, open a symposium celebrating the history and impact of African-American spirituals.
A series of speakers, primarily professors, open a symposium celebrating the history and impact of African-American spirituals. This presentation continues from the presentation "Celebration of Negro Spirituals, Part One."
A series of speakers, primarily professors, open a symposium celebrating the history and impact of African-American spirituals.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon John Kelly speaks on the historical background that has led to and grounds the current situations in Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon and the U.S.'s involvement in the Middle East. He looks at what possible courses the U.S. could take now.
Audio and video options are available.
Author Mark Kurlansky reviews the history of New York City, using the perspective of the wildlife that once lived in the area as a framing device—particularly that of the eastern oyster.
The lecture audio is available separately for download.
Author Zoe Trodd follows the history of protest literature in the United States, looking at its use in movements ranging from pre-Revolutionary War to the present day. The presentation also includes Adoyo Owuor reading the Emancipation Proclamation, Timothy Patrick McCarthy reading Eugene v. Debs Statement to the Court, John Stauffer displaying a collection of 20th-century protest photography, and Doric Wilson presenting excerpts from his play Street Theater.
An mp3 of the presentation may be downloaded.
Director of the Center for Ethnicity and Race at Columbia University, Gary Okihiro, delivers the keynote speech for the opening ceremonies of Boston College's Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month. He discusses the difficulty of establishing an identity as an Asian-Pacific American and the history of Asian-Pacific Americans and Asian immigration to the U.S.
From the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American history website:
"University of Maryland Distinguished University Professor Ira Berlin suggests that the unique circumstances of American slavery continue to shape the nation even today. Unlike most other slave-holding countries, the United States had a large indigenous slave population and one of the most stringent definitions of race—the '"one drop" rule'—in the world. The result is a society whose very fabric is bound up in the legacy of human bondage."