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.

In this presentation, representatives from the National Archives and Records Administration and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum join staff from several Library of Congress divisions to discuss and display a selection of materials from their New Deal holdings.

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.

In this presentation, representatives from the National Archives and Records Administration and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum join staff from several Library of Congress divisions to discuss and display a selection of materials from their New Deal holdings.

Author Danny Cassidy describes the origins of the word "dude," which he claims first came into use in late 19th-century New York among the Irish immigrant community.

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.

Don Vitale of Archiving Early America narrates an overview of Benjamin Franklin's early life and his scientific, social, and inventive accomplishments prior to the Revolutionary War.

Captioned and uncaptioned versions of the film are available.

According to Constitutional Connections, "Athan Theoharis, Professor Emeritus of History at Marquette University, draws from his expertise in FBI history to paint the story of federal surveillance policy during the Cold War. He guides listeners through a reading of case study documents that reveal central threads of the story but also speak to the challenges of studying history. Speaking of the Patriot Act, Theoharis discusses ways in which the Cold War story has contemporary resonance."

To listen to this lecture, select the second link under either "Presentation Audio" or "Presentation Video."

According to Constitutional Connections, "Athan Theoharis, Professor Emeritus of History at Marquette University, draws from his expertise in FBI history to paint the story of federal surveillance policy during the Cold War. He guides listeners through a reading of case study documents that reveal central threads of the story but also speak to the challenges of studying history. Speaking of the Patriot Act, Theoharis discusses ways in which the Cold War story has contemporary resonance."

To listen to this lecture, select the first link under either "Presentation Audio" or "Presentation Video."

According to Constitutional Connections, Dr. Marie E. Montoya of New York University focuses "on the collision of legal regimes regarding property rights that followed the U.S.-Mexican War. She guides viewers through interrogation of primary documents, looking at two versions of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Taking as its starting point the fictionalized account projected by the American Girl doll Josefina Montoya, she discusses both the benefits and challenges of many children's first engagement with that history: One which takes place in an idyllic age, uncomplicated by questions of contingency and enamored with the myth of progress."

According to Constitutional Connections, Dr. Marie E. Montoya of New York University focuses "on the collision of legal regimes regarding property rights that followed the U.S.-Mexican War. She guides viewers through interrogation of primary documents, looking at two versions of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Taking as its starting point the fictionalized account projected by the American Girl doll Josefina Montoya, she discusses both the benefits and challenges of many children's first engagement with that history: one which takes place in an idyllic age, uncomplicated by questions of contingency and enamored with the myth of progress."

To view this lecture, select "The Real Story of Josefina Montoya American Girl" under "Presentation Video."

Jack Rakove of Stanford University looks at the Founding Fathers' thoughts on government and specifically at the position James Madison presents in his "Vices of the Political System."

To listen to this lecture, select "Madison's Vices of the Political System" under "Listen to Dr. Rakove's lectures."