Lincoln's Ambitions and Attitudes Toward Frontier Life

Description

Gerald Prokopowicz of the Lincoln Museum considers reasons Abraham Lincoln may have left rural frontier life for law and politics, including the influence of his female family members and a possible near-religious sense of being called to do great deeds.

To listen to this lecture, select "Lincoln's Ambitions and Attitudes Toward Frontier Life" under "Abraham Lincoln's Biography Video."

Vacuum Evaporator

Description

Cultural resources manager of the Anacostia Museum Portia James discusses Creole inventor Norbert Rillieux's invention of the vacuum evaporator, a device that increased the efficiency of water evaporation and boosted the growth of the sugar industry.

To view this lecture, select "Scholars," followed by "Portia James." Select one of the Windows Media options.

Georgetown University

Description

Historian Carroll Gibbs looks at the relationship of Georgetown University to the Georgetown African-American community, from the school's 1789 founding to the present day. He focuses particularly on the arrival of Patrick Healy, the first head of a U.S. university to be acknowledged as of African descent, in 1873.

To view this video, select "Scholars," followed by "Carroll Gibbs." Choose one of the Windows Media options.

Radio Fights Jim Crow

Description

During the World War II years, a series of groundbreaking radio programs tried to mend the deep racial and ethnic divisions that threatened America. At a time when blacks were usually shown on the radio as lazy buffoons, the federal government and civil rights activists used radio for a counter attack. Did radio unify America in the face of war? This documentary is divided into three downloadable sections.

To listen to this documentary, select "Part One," "Part Two," or "Part Three" beside the text "Radio Fights Jim Crow."

Remembering Jim Crow

Description

For much of the 20th century, African Americans in the South were barred from the voting booth, sent to the back of the bus, and walled off from many of the rights they deserved as American citizens. Until well into the 1960s, segregation was legal. The system was called Jim Crow. In this radio documentary, Americans—black and white—remember life in the Jim Crow times. The documentary is divided into three downloadable sections.

To listen to this documentary, select "Part One," "Part Two," or "Part Three" under "Listen."

Ken Burns

Description

Emmy-Award–winning documentary filmmaker Ken Burns joins Allen Weinstein, Archivist of the United States, to discuss his past work and his current project, The War, a seven-part series examining the ways in which World War II touched the lives of American families.

To listen to this video, scroll to "Ken Burns," and select "Watch the Video."