Journalist Kirstin Downey talks about Frances Perkins, the subject of her book The Woman Behind the New Deal: The Life of Frances Perkins, FDR's Secretary of Labor and His Moral Conscience. As secretary of labor during FDR's presidency, Perkins initiated social-welfare reforms in areas including unemployment, child labor, immigration, and work-week length.
Two dramatically different English settlements, New England in the North and Virginia in the South, develop in the 17th century, beginning a collision of values, cultures, and economies that prevails throughout U.S. history. This presentation explores the founding of these settlements and their development.
To view this video, click the small "VoD" graphic in the left hand column. In the new window, if you cannot see the play button, try clicking near the left corner just under the video.
This presentation, narrated partially from the perspective of cowboy and rancher Teddy Blue Abbott, describes the life of the cowboy driving cattle along the Cattle Trail and the end of the cowboy's way of life as settlers occupied the American West.
This presentation, narrated partially from the perspectives of Uriah and Mattie Oblinger, 1872 homesteaders, describes the efforts of pioneers to settle the Great Plains and their belief in Manifest Destiny and personal ownership.
Dr. Tom Costa, of the University of Virginia-Wise, discusses The Geography of Slavery, an online database compiling advertisements for the capture of runaway slaves from 1736 to 1803.
To listen to this lecture, select "Part 2" under the October 12th listing.
Dr. Tom Costa, of the University of Virginia-Wise, discusses The Geography of Slavery, an online database compiling advertisements for the capture of runaway slaves from 1736 to 1803.
To listen to this lecture, select "Podcast Part 1" under the October 12th listing.
According to the lecture's page on the Library of Congress website, "The "New Deal" Franklin Delano Roosevelt had promised the American people began to take shape immediately after his inauguration on March 4, 1933. The multifaceted social, cultural, and fiscal recovery program aimed to reform and reinvigorate national life, and to end the Great Depression. Many New Deal administrators believed that art could be a part of the daily lives of all Americans, not just the elite, and could enrich the lives of all who came in contact with it. [. . . ]
Leading scholars present recent research based on New Deal materials, showcasing how innovative interpretation of the Library of Congress's archival holdings continues to inspire new revelations and reassessments of 20th-century American culture. Speakers include human rights activist Stetson Kennedy, who presents "Working for the New Deal: A Voice from the Era"; historian Michael Kazin from Georgetown University, who presents the keynote address; and Christopher Brieseth, from the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute at Hyde Park, N.Y., who provides a summation of the two days in his presentation on "Lessons from the New Deal for the 21st Century." Other scholars discuss topics as varied as the Native American contributions to the Federal Writers Project, WPA marionette theaters, and how New Deal researchers documented topics as diverse as traditional music, religion, and Puerto Rican culture."
The "New Deal" Franklin Delano Roosevelt had promised the American people began to take shape immediately after his inauguration on March 4, 1933. The multifaceted social, cultural, and fiscal recovery program aimed to reform and reinvigorate national life, and to end the Great Depression. Many New Deal administrators believed that art could be a part of the daily lives of all Americans, not just the elite, and could enrich the lives of all who came in contact with it.
Leading scholars present recent research based on New Deal materials, showcasing how innovative interpretation of the Library of Congress's archival holdings continues to inspire new revelations and reassessments of 20th-century American culture. Speakers include human rights activist Stetson Kennedy, who presents "Working for the New Deal: A Voice from the Era"; historian Michael Kazin from Georgetown University, who presents the keynote address; and Christopher Brieseth, from the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute at Hyde Park, N.Y., who provides a summation of the two days in his presentation on "Lessons from the New Deal for the 21st Century." Other scholars discuss topics as varied as the Native American contributions to the Federal Writers Project, WPA marionette theaters, and how New Deal researchers documented topics as diverse as traditional music, religion, and Puerto Rican culture.
The Lower East End Tenement Museum hosts a panel discussion with Irish American authors Frank McCourt and Pete Hamill and Irish author Nuala O'Faolain about the influence and presence of Irish Americans in U.S. culture, particularly in New York.
Michael Willrich of Brandeis University investigates the birth of the modern welfare state, exploring a time when so many ideas we now regard as "common sense" found their origins. Willrich pays special attention to two court cases: Lochner v. New York (1905) and Muller v. Oregon (1908).
Audio and video options are available.