Historian Charles Bahne examines Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, "Paul Revere's Ride," looking at Longfellow's motivations for writing it, its writing, its publication and reception, its historical inaccuracies, and its enduring impact.
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Professor Colleen C. Boggs talks about poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's work as a translator, popularizing European literature for an American audience. Boggs also discusses the international exchange of literature as it occurred during the time in which Longfellow lived.
Writer Charles C. Calhoun, author of Longfellow: A Rediscovered Life, shows how the American poet Longfellow Henry Wadsworth blended the Federalist politics and Unitarianism of his parents' generation with the German romanticism he discovered on his own travels. Calhoun discusses Longfellow's life and his influences.
Former JFK advisor and historian Arthur Schlesinger, journalist Tom Wicker, and veteran political analyst and former Nixon staffer Kevin Phillips explore the varying legacies of the United State's wartime presidents.
Associate director of the Boston Athenaeum John Lannon outlines the history of the Athenaeum, a leading research library founded in 1807 which houses notable artifacts from American history.
Director of the National Center for History in the Schools Gary Nash examines the stories of African Americans during the Revolutionary War and the early years of the United States. Nash focuses on the search to define identity by these African Americans, whether slave or free.
Director of the National Center for History in the Schools Gary Nash considers whether or not the Founding Fathers, in forming the United States of America, could have successfully abolished slavery.
Australian Humanities Review founder Cassandra Pybus traces the lives and experiences of slaves who fled to the British to gain freedom during the Revolutionary War.
Audio and video options are available, in addition to a lecture transcript. The video is captioned.
A panel of scholars reviews the landmark school desegregation case Brown v. Board of Education and debates whether the case led to true improvement in the life conditions of African Americans.
Scholar Emmanuel M. Obiechina talks about his research into the recorded life stories of Africans in the U.S. and England in the 18th and 19th centuries. He focuses on relating these narratives to African literature and African history.
Video and audio options are available.