Curator Richard Murray examines Emanuel Leutze's painting Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way, looking at the mythological view of U.S. westward expansion it represents and how the painting's composition and individual elements justify Manifest Destiny.

This Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition podcast outlines the life and impact of Puerto Rican baseball player Roberto Clemente (1934–1972), who, later in life, played professional baseball in the U.S. and became a hero and spokesman for Puerto Rico, as well as a civil rights activist.

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."

Professor John Smolenski describes the French and Indian War (or Seven-Year War), looking at its significance in North American history and its neglect in popular memory and understanding.

Professor Clarence Walker discusses the origins of the institution of slavery in North America and what would become the United States. He looks back in history at different forms of slavery beyond North America and at how they differ and are similar to the North American and U.S. institution.

Professor Alex Saragoza discusses the Mexican-American War following the annexation of Texas, focusing on historical interpretations and coverage of the war. He looks at issues that are both covered to excess and rarely covered.

Editor John B. Judis discusses the foreign policy of George W. Bush and his War on Terrorism in relation to previous foreign policy trends in the U.S., from the early U.S. of the Founding Fathers onwards.

Professor Dee Andrews reviews the life of Benjamin Franklin, focusing on Franklin's own written materials as a window into his personality and the culture and times within which he lived.

Professor Clarence Walker reviews the life of ex-slave and abolitionist Olaudah Equiano (1745-1797), using his autobiography as a frame for discussion. He looks at Equiano's experiences of the slave trade and life as both a slave (in North America and other locations) and a free man (in England).

Professor Caroline Cox reviews the life of Pocahontas, focusing on the difficulties in understanding Pocahontas's life from her own perspective and removing her life from the mythologies that have grown up around it.