David S. Reynolds, Professor of English and American Studies at the City University of New York, discusses Ralph Waldo Emerson, the American philosopher and lecturer who, in his day, commanded crowds like a modern rock star.
This feature is no longer available.
Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin discusses the inaugurations of Presidents George Washington and John Adams, and the significance of those speeches.
This feature is no longer available.
This institute explores the primary pictorial forms in American art from the British colonial settlement to the aftermath of the Civil War. The three units—portraiture, history painting, and landscape—will include a particular focus on works drawn from the National Endowment for the Humanities' new initiative "Picturing America." This NEH poster series, which has already been distributed to thousands of schools, captures 40 canonical works of American art that reflect the artistic and cultural history of the United States. Through the institute, participants will come to a deeper understanding of these works in their historical contexts and explore different methods of visual analysis. They will develop strategies and tools to use the "Picturing America" series in their classrooms.
The years between 1850 and 1855 saw the publication of The Scarlet Letter, Moby Dick, Walden, and Leaves of Grass. David S. Reynolds, Professor of English at the City University of New York, accounts for this outpouring of American literature.
This feature is no longer available.
This iCue Mini-Documentary describes how, beginning in the 19th century, middle-class American children were offered more education. However, the majority of children were still working on farms and in factories.
This feature is no longer available.
This iCue Mini-Documentary introduces the first real test of the new government since George Washington was appointed to the presidency: the presidential election of 1800. Many expected chaos to ensue as one president was expected to peacefully hand power to a new president.
This feature is no longer available.
Author David McCullough talks about his book John Adams and the significance of Adams's term in office as the second president of the United States.
This feature is no longer available, although a very similar, shorter version appears to have replaced it.
This iCue Mini-Documentary introduces Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton's creation of a Bank of the United States, modeled after the Bank of England, where all federal deposits were held.
This feature is no longer available.
Professor David Tucker discusses the ideal "American character" and government, as suggested by several of the Founding Fathers, including Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Alexander Hamilton.
To listen to this lecture, scroll to session four, and select the RealAudio link to the left of the main body of text.
Between c. 1500 and c. 1800, the lands bordering the Atlantic Ocean saw the creation, destruction, and recreation of communities as a result of the movement of peoples, commodities, institutions, social practices, and cultural values. This seminar will explore the pan-Atlantic webs of association linking people, objects, and beliefs across and within the region. The best Atlantic history is interactive and crosses borders. The hope is that the seminar will enlarge participants' horizons by placing the standard early North American story in a larger framework.