This 20-minute video shows Penn State University's experimental iron smelting and how a small two-foot chimney can replicate a medieval/colonial iron furnace.

The video can be viewed as one file or as six separate smaller sections.

According to Penn State, "In 1974, in preparation for the American Bicentennial, the American Iron and Steel Institute made a half-hour film in cooperation with Walt Disney to promote an understanding of industrial society. The film told the story of American steel making from its primitive beginnings to recent practices and future needs. Scenes of colonial iron manufacture, modern steel plants, and steel products are interspersed with scenes of Donald Duck doing what he does best: being a good worker, getting run over by wheelbarrows, and getting frustrated. This scene, about 10 minutes into the film, explains how iron is mined and smelted in the Middle Ages—and it ends with Donald's literal transformation into a colonial ironmaster."

Jack Rakove of Stanford University discusses the influences that shaped early American political thought, including the move to rebellion and the formation of the U.S. government at the American Revolution's end.

To listen to this lecture, select "250 Years of Political Theory: Machiavelli, Locke, and Montesquieu" under "Listen to Dr. Rakove's lectures."

Michael Johnson of Johns Hopkins University discusses slavery from an educator's perspective, looking particularly at his own techniques for teaching the subject. He examines the topic from a broad view, establishing context for his later discussion of Frederick Douglass. This lecture was delivered as part of "America in the Civil War Era: A History Institute for Teachers," held May 17-18 at Carthage College in Kenosha, WI, sponsored by the Foreign Policy Research Institute's Wachman Center and by the Clausen Center for World Business, Carthage College and Adult Education, Carthage College.

Audio and video options are available.

Kyle Zelner of the University of Southern Mississippi discusses the military history of British North America prior to the Revolutionary War, arguing for the significance of this history to both military and general U.S. history overall. Zelner also covers the Revolutionary War itself. This lecture was part of "What Students Need To Know About America's Wars, Part I: 1622-1919: A History Institute for Teachers," held July 26-27, 2008, at the First Division Museum in Wheaton, IL, sponsored by the Foreign Policy Research Institute's Wachman Center and by the Cantigny First Division Foundation.

Video and audio options are available.

This lecture, created by the Abraham Lincoln Historical Digitization Project, traces the development of law and legal institutions in Illinois, beginning with early colonization and ending with the mid-1800s. It focuses particularly on the laws dealing with land and property ownership.

This lecture, created by the Abraham Lincoln Historical Digitization Project, traces the development of religious institutions and trends in antebellum Illinois, beginning with the early days of Western exploration of North America and continuing to the mid-1800s. It focuses particularly on the importation of New England Protestant social reform ideals and the migration of Mormons to Illinois—a migration which led to the rise of the city of Nauvoo and, eventually, to the Mormon War.

This lecture, created by the Abraham Lincoln Historical Digitization Project, traces the history and status of African Americans in Illinois, beginning with the early years of North American exploration and continuing on to the Civil War.

This lecture, created by the Abraham Lincoln Historical Digitization Project, traces the settlement of Illinois from the early years of European exploration of North America to the 1860s. It focuses particularly on the relationship between settler groups and Native Americans, on the construction of infrastructure that linked Illinois to the rest of the emerging U.S., and on the changing culture of the state's occupants.

Dianne Swann-Wright, Director of African American and Special Programs at the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, looks at what artifacts found at Monticello reveal about the personal lives of slaves on the estate.

To view this video, select "Scholars," followed by "Dianne Swann-Wright." Choose one of the Windows Media options.