From the Library of Congress website:
"In this interview from 1940, Mr. George Johnson of Mound Bayou, Mississippi, shares memories of slavery times, including his relationship with Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy."
Douglas Brinkley and Donald L. Miller look at the U.S. from 1913 to 1929, focusing on the rise of the automobile. The presentation begins with the career of Henry Ford and examines mass production and the development of competition to match Ford, before continuing to Los Angeles and its growth as transportation took off; the movie industry; and the Stock Market Crash of 1929.
Douglas Brinkley, with Donald L. Miller, examines the presidencies of Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, focusing on their views of the United States' place in the world. Brinkley and Meyer also look at Socialist Eugene Debs's campaigns for the Presidency from 1900 to 1920.
Donald L. Miller examines the rise of capitalism and the impulse to reform in American history from 1882 to 1901. Topics include New York as the financial capital of the U.S., Jacob Riis's photographic documentation of the Lower East Side slums, John Pierpont Morgan and his push for merging companies into corporations, the mining industry in Pennsylvania and worker abuse within it, and labor organization in response to this abuse.
Donald L. Miller, with Virginia Scharff and Louis P. Masur, looks at the settling of the American West between 1862 and 1893. Topics covered include the transcontinental railroad, conflict between Native Americans and settlers, women suffrage in the Wyoming Territory, and political and ideological conflict between farmers and industrialists.
Donald L. Miller looks at the growth of the city as an American entity from 1882 to 1894. In this presentation, Miller looks particularly at Chicago as a representative of the "new city." Topics include the World's Columbian Exposition, the development of the department store and the skyscraper, the city's transportation system, movement from cities out to suburbs, and reform efforts (including the establishment of Hull House) to address the new problems presented by slums and sweatshops.
Donald L. Miller, with Stephen Ambrose, Virginia Scharff, Waldo E. Martin, Jr., Pauline Maier, Louis P. Masur, and Douglas Brinkley, examines U.S. history from 1875 to 1906. The presentation looks at the rise of industry, including Chicago's meatpacking industry; transportation developments to support industry; Andrew Carnegie and the steel business; the unsanitary and harsh conditions of work in many factories; and the development of the skyscraper.
Donald L. Miller, with Pauline Maier and Louis P. Masur, looks at the institution of slavery in the United States, from 1819 to 1854. The presentation examines economic differences between the North and the South; slave culture; slave resistance, including Turner's Insurrection; and the depiction of slavery and slaves in art and media.
Donald L. Miller and Louis P. Masur follow the growth of American capitalism and industry from 1776 to 1861. They look at Samuel Slater's introduction of factories to the U.S.; the textile factory community of Lowell; transportation development and the creation of the Erie Canal; and the growth of Chicago, including quality of life and pollution issues it faced and its integration into the country's rail system.
According to the Foundation of U.S. History website:
"Dr. Allida Black discusses FDR’s April 28, 1935, Fireside Chat focused primarily on the Works Relief Program."
The presentation is divided into 10 short clips.