The National Portrait Gallery's Warren Perry tells the story of a portrait of author and photographer Eudora Welty (1909-2001).

In this episode of the weekly San Francisco Timecapsule, Richard Miller presents some of the reminiscences of author Charles Warren Stoddard (1843-1909) on his childhood in San Francisco.

Ben Click looks at the National Portrait Gallery's portrait of Mark Twain by John White Alexander and tells the stories of some of Mark Twain's portrait sittings.

According to the Key West Literary Society's journal homepage, Historian Eric Foner "explores the social and political implications of historical inquiry, and the role of the imagination in the historian's work. Drawing on sources as diverse as Jane Austen, Friedrich Nietszche, Newt Gingrich, and Diane Feinstein, Foner says society's understanding of history is both reflected in and shaped by contemporary thought. Rebutting a popular claim regarding 'facts' in the historical record, Foner argues that 'the constant search for new perspectives [is] the lifeblood of historical understanding.'"

The lives and works of 13 renowned American poets are interpreted through dramatic readings, archival photographs, dance, performances, and interviews in this inspiring series. Illustrative poems in each program are accompanied by insights into their historical and cultural connections. The series covers the terminology of poetry and the larger role of poets in American and world literature studies. Poets include Langston Hughes, Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, and Elizabeth Bishop. This video instructional series on American poetry is appropriate for college and high school classrooms and adult learners; it consists of 13 one-hour video programs and coordinated books.

"American Passages: A Literary Survey" is a 16-part American literature course. The video programs, print guides, and website place literary movements and authors within the context of history and culture. The course takes an expanded view of American literary movements, bringing in a diversity of voices and tracing the continuity among them. The materials, which are coordinated with the Norton Anthology of American Literature, can be used as the basis of a one- or two-semester college-level course or for teacher professional development.

The story of the infamous Salem witch trials of 1692 has served as a dramatic moral tale in American culture since the late 17th century. Narrated in history textbooks since the early 18th century and fictionalized in later works of literature, the Salem witch trials tragedy has been interpreted in different ways, suited to changing social and cultural circumstances over time.

Dr. Benjamin Ray of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Virginia explores the role of religion in early America through this iconic narrative. This talk focuses on the most recent historical research and indicates the new shape the story is taking. It discusses the changing nature of historical accounts and shows how students can directly engage the primary source documents and develop their own conclusions.

Eighth grade American history educator Eric Langhorst reviews the book Abraham Lincoln: Great American Historians on Our Sixteenth President, edited by Brian Lamb and Susan Swain, suggesting it for classroom use during the Lincoln Bicentennial and to compliment the 2009 Presidential inauguration.

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.