From the Lemelson Center website:
"Andy Bozanic talks about his research, supported by a fellowship from the Lemelson Center, on the history of the acoustic guitar. In this podcast, Bozanic explains how the unique qualities of the acoustic guitar—its portability, affordability, and adaptability to different styles of music—brought it into the mainstream of American music in the 20th century."
Professor Marshall Poe interviews Charles Postel, author of The Populist Vision, which examines the Populist Party, a turn-of-the-19th-to-20th-century party anchored by western farmers.
Susan Brewer, author of Why America Fights: Patriotism and War Propaganda from the Philippines to Iraq, in this interview conducted by professor Marshall Poe, discusses presidential efforts to secure support for wars and citizens' responses.
From the Library of Congress website:
"Dimitry Lyubin, Mellon Fellow, discussed the phenomena of the artists colony in Europe and the United States at the turn of the 20th century. According to Lyubin, these colonies were located in small towns, far from big cities, and the colony residents concerned themselves mostly with subjects of peasant life and country landscapes."
From the Library of Congress website:
"In this interview from 1940, Mr. George Johnson of Mound Bayou, Mississippi, shares memories of slavery times, including his relationship with Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy."
Susan Pearson of Northwestern University, speaking at the Organization of American Historians 2009 meeting, discusses late 19th-century reimagining of the role of the family and the best interests of children, leading to reform in child protection. She holds that this change sprang from change in liberal ideology during this time period.
Donald L. Miller examines the rise of capitalism and the impulse to reform in American history from 1882 to 1901. Topics include New York as the financial capital of the U.S., Jacob Riis's photographic documentation of the Lower East Side slums, John Pierpont Morgan and his push for merging companies into corporations, the mining industry in Pennsylvania and worker abuse within it, and labor organization in response to this abuse.
Donald L. Miller, with Virginia Scharff and Louis P. Masur, looks at the settling of the American West between 1862 and 1893. Topics covered include the transcontinental railroad, conflict between Native Americans and settlers, women suffrage in the Wyoming Territory, and political and ideological conflict between farmers and industrialists.
Donald L. Miller looks at the growth of the city as an American entity from 1882 to 1894. In this presentation, Miller looks particularly at Chicago as a representative of the "new city." Topics include the World's Columbian Exposition, the development of the department store and the skyscraper, the city's transportation system, movement from cities out to suburbs, and reform efforts (including the establishment of Hull House) to address the new problems presented by slums and sweatshops.
Donald L. Miller, with Stephen Ambrose, Virginia Scharff, Waldo E. Martin, Jr., Pauline Maier, Louis P. Masur, and Douglas Brinkley, examines U.S. history from 1875 to 1906. The presentation looks at the rise of industry, including Chicago's meatpacking industry; transportation developments to support industry; Andrew Carnegie and the steel business; the unsanitary and harsh conditions of work in many factories; and the development of the skyscraper.