James O. Horton of George Washington University describes Abraham Lincoln's reaction to first viewing slavery in action on plantations, and discusses his changing views on slavery and what that ability to change says about him as a man and a president.
To view this clip, select to "Abraham Lincoln's Changing Attitude Towards Slavery" under "Abraham Lincoln's Biography Video."
Julie Roy Jeffrey of Goucher College compares the lifestyle of Mary Todd Lincoln, accustomed to middle-class comfort and entertaining, to that of frontierswomen of the same time period.
To view this clip, select "Mary Todd Lincoln's Frontier Life" under "Abraham Lincoln's Biography Video."
John Mack Faragher of Yale University describes the religious environment in central Illinois during Abraham Lincoln's lifetime, focusing on the importance of church involvement to communities.
To view this clip, select "Lincoln's Religious Beliefs" under "Abraham Lincoln's Biography Video."
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.
Dianne Swann-Wright, Director of African American and Special Programs at the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, discusses the living quarters of slaves at Monticello, looking particularly at the dependencies in the building, which served the kitchens, and at what life would have been like there.
To view this video, select "Scholars," followed by "Dianne Swann-Wright." Choose one of the Windows Media options.
Dianne Swann-Wright, Director of African-American and Special Programs at the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, discusses the columns at Monticello and the life of the slave, Jupiter, who carved them. She also mentions the railings, carved by a slave artisan.
To view this video, select "Scholars," followed by "Dianne Swann-Wright." From there, scroll to the feature, and choose one of the two Windows Media options.
Dianne Swann-Wright, Director of African American and Special Programs at the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, discusses the slave gardens at Monticello, where slaves grew extra food to supplement their rations.
To view this video, select "Scholars," followed by "Dianne Swann-Wright." Choose one of the two Windows Media options.
Dianne Swann-Wright, Director of African American and Special Programs at the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, introduces Mulberry Row at Monticello, along which slave quarters and workshops which supported the estate stood.
To view this video, select "Scholars," followed by "Dianne Swann-Wright." Choose one of the Windows Media options.
Historian Gail Sylvia Lowe discusses the importance of artifacts in preserving and interpreting history. She uses a church fan as a theoretical example, looking at what could be gleaned from examining such an object.
To view this video, select "Scholars," followed by "Gail Sylvia Lowe." Choose one of the Windows Media options.
Historian Mark P. Leone looks at the hoodoo artifacts found at the Annapolis home of Charles Carroll, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and to the coming-together of the lives of the Founding Fathers and their African and African American slaves that the artifacts represent. Leone discusses the significance of the artifacts, as the first discovery of a hoodoo cache in the area, and the later discovery of caches elsewhere dating up to the 1920s.
To view this video, select "Scholars," followed by "Mark P. Leone." Choose one of the two Windows Media options.