The "New Deal" Franklin Delano Roosevelt had promised the American people began to take shape immediately after his inauguration on March 4, 1933. The multifaceted social, cultural, and fiscal recovery program aimed to reform and reinvigorate national life, and to end the Great Depression. Many New Deal administrators believed that art could be a part of the daily lives of all Americans, not just the elite, and could enrich the lives of all who came in contact with it.

In this presentation, representatives from the National Archives and Records Administration and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum join staff from several Library of Congress divisions to discuss and display a selection of materials from their New Deal holdings.

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.

Michael Willrich of Brandeis University investigates the birth of the modern welfare state, exploring a time when so many ideas we now regard as "common sense" found their origins. Willrich pays special attention to two court cases: Lochner v. New York (1905) and Muller v. Oregon (1908).

Audio and video options are available.

Michael Willrich of Brandeis University investigates the birth of the modern welfare state, exploring a time when so many ideas we now regard as "common sense" found their origins. Willrich pays special attention to two court cases: Lochner v. New York (1905) and Muller v. Oregon (1908).

Audio and video options are available.

According to Constitutional Connections, Dr. Marie E. Montoya of New York University focuses "on the collision of legal regimes regarding property rights that followed the U.S.-Mexican War. She guides viewers through interrogation of primary documents, looking at two versions of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Taking as its starting point the fictionalized account projected by the American Girl doll Josefina Montoya, she discusses both the benefits and challenges of many children's first engagement with that history: One which takes place in an idyllic age, uncomplicated by questions of contingency and enamored with the myth of progress."

According to Constitutional Connections, Dr. Marie E. Montoya of New York University focuses "on the collision of legal regimes regarding property rights that followed the U.S.-Mexican War. She guides viewers through interrogation of primary documents, looking at two versions of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Taking as its starting point the fictionalized account projected by the American Girl doll Josefina Montoya, she discusses both the benefits and challenges of many children's first engagement with that history: one which takes place in an idyllic age, uncomplicated by questions of contingency and enamored with the myth of progress."

To view this lecture, select "The Real Story of Josefina Montoya American Girl" under "Presentation Video."

The essence of urban life in Milwaukee around the turn-of-the-century is recreated from roughly the 1880s to just prior to World War I. This audio tour guides listeners through the exhibit gallery, describing the buildings along the street.

To listen to this lecture, scroll to "The Streets of Old Milwaukee," and select "Download File."

This podcast discusses the Danish House in the European Village at the Milwaukee Public Museum. It includes background information about Danish immigration to Wisconsin in the mid-1800s, exterior characteristics of the house, a brief explanation of several items inside the house, and the story of the Danish Christmas collector plates displayed on the back wall.

To listen to this lecture, scroll to "European Village - Danish House," and select "Download File."

Nicholas Lardy of the Institute for International Economics examines China's economy as it stands today, including current vast internal gaps in wealth and increasing presence in global trade. He also looks at the changes that led to China's economic growth and at the possible economic future of the country, as well as the impact of China's growth on the world at large. On October 21-22, 2006, FPRI's Marvin Wachman Fund for International Education hosted 50 teachers from 26 states across the country for a weekend of discussion on teaching about China. The History Institute, held in Kenosha, WI, was cosponsored by the Clausen Center for World Business, Carthage College.

Warren I. Cohen of the University of Maryland discusses the rise of U.S. and Chinese power on the international stage. He emphasizes the fact that China's rise is not the region's first assumption of prominence on the global level—and that the original Chinese empire was, as were Western empires, based on conquest and racism. He notes that China will likely wield its power in opposition to the U.S., just as the U.S. has opposed other global powers in the past—and that the economic future of China is still in doubt. This lecture was conducted for "China's Encounter with the West: A History Institute for Teachers," held on March 1-2, 2008. The event was sponsored by the Foreign Policy Research Institute's Wachman Center and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Asia Program, and held at UTC.

Audio and video options are available.