Producer Elizabeth Deane presents a "sneak preview" of her documentary American Experience: John and Abigail Adams, detailing the development of the relationship between the two, as revealed in their correspondence. The preview is followed by a panel discussion.
Audio and video options are available. The video is captioned, and a transcript is also provided.
Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Doris Kearns Goodwin explains how Abraham Lincoln rose from obscurity to become one of the most significant presidents in the nation's history.
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Lyndon B. Johnson biographer Robert Caro introduces a panel discussion on the presidency and legacy of LBJ, with the panel including writers; historians; and former adviser to President Johnson, Jack Valenti.
Audio, video, and text options are available. The video can be viewed with or without captions.
Scholar Douglas L. Wilson examines Thomas Jefferson's life and his love of books. Wilson discusses Jefferson's personal library, which eventually became the foundation of the Library of Congress.
Professor Nina Silber traces the emergence of a new sense of self and citizenship among the women left behind by Union soldiers during the Civil War. Silber argues that women found themselves at a disadvantage, with their husbands away, in a male-dominated society; but also found new, active roles for themselves in politics and support.
Preservation consultant Pamela Wilkinson Fox discusses historic country houses and mansions outlying the Boston area. Fox follows the trend of the rich and famous building country homes and communities along Massachusett's North Shore (Essex County), beginning in the 19th century. Her presentation includes slides.
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Pulitzer-Prize-winning author David McCullough talks about his book 1776, which covers the year 1776 in American history, and the corresponding Revolutionary War events. He particularly focuses on his research while writing the book.
Professor Ira Katznelson argues that U.S. government policies, beginning in the 1930s, favored white citizens over black citizens in practice, even if the policies' wordings were race-neutral. He discusses this in relation to affirmative-action policies favoring minorities today.
Audio and captioned video options are available.
Historian and lawyer Diane Rapaport recovers stories from pre-Revolutionary-War New England court records, examining cases that highlight the concerns of ordinary people and reveal the daily life of Puritans during this period. The presentation includes slides.
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Historian Russell Bourne looks at the role of waterfront "mobs" in the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party and other pre-Revolutionary events. He focuses on events of radical mass violence as precursors of the Revolutionary War.
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