Professors Seth Jacobs and Franziska Seraphim lecture on America's strategy in the Pacific during World War II, and how Americans perceived the Japanese enemy. They discusses America's war crimes against the Japanese, anti-Japanese propaganda, and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Historian Charles Bahne examines Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, "Paul Revere's Ride," looking at Longfellow's motivations for writing it, its writing, its publication and reception, its historical inaccuracies, and its enduring impact.
The video may be viewed with or without captions.
Former JFK advisor and historian Arthur Schlesinger, journalist Tom Wicker, and veteran political analyst and former Nixon staffer Kevin Phillips explore the varying legacies of the United State's wartime presidents.
Director of the Massachusetts Historical Society William Fowler follows the history of the French and Indian War, emphasizing its importance as a turning point in U.S. history that remains little taught and little known popularly.
NPR senior news analyst Cokie Roberts tells the stories of women who supported and took part in the Revolutionary War on the colonial side.
Director of the National Center for History in the Schools Gary Nash examines the stories of African Americans during the Revolutionary War and the early years of the United States. Nash focuses on the search to define identity by these African Americans, whether slave or free.
Harvard Professor of Surgery Kevin R. Loughlin reviews the medical histories of presidents from George Washington to the present day. Loughlin focuses on "secret" medical problems hidden from the public and on causes of death.
Director of the National Center for History in the Schools Gary Nash discusses African-American history in the Revolutionary War and memory of that history constructed by historians, the public, and researchers. Nash focuses on what is and was taught and published about African Americans in the Revolutionary War.
Historian Alfred Young, author of Masquerade, and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich examine Americans' public memory of Deborah Sampson (a woman who fought in the American Revolution disguised as a man) and other Revolutionary-era women. Performer and storyteller Joan Gatturna also brings Deborah Sampson to life in a dramatic first-person performance.
Historian Robert Allison details the life of Stephen Decatur (1779-1820), the young U.S. Navy captain who became a hero of the War of 1812 and the Barbary Wars.
Audio and video options are available.