Voter participation in presidential elections soared from just over 20 percent in 1824 to over 80 percent in 1840. It stayed near 80 percent until the early 1900s and then plummeted to between 50 and 60 percent for most of the 20th century. Compared to its peer nations, American voter turnout sits at the bottom of the list, with other nations consistently seeing voter participation at or over 80 percent. Professor Paul Martin of the University of Virginia explains why citizen involvement in electoral campaigns has changed so much in the United States over the past, why U.S. voter participation is so low compared to peer nations, and offers parting thoughts on why low citizen participation matters and why the 2008 presidential election might see an increase in voter involvement.

Many Americans think Lewis and Clark were sent west simply to explore the newly-acquired Louisiana Purchase. In fact, the Lewis and Clark Expedition was part of an international contest to control North America and exploit its wealth and an important part of Thomas Jefferson's plan for the development of the United States and the future of its Native American population.

Dr. Dan Thorp of Virginia Tech explores the nature of earlier European activities in the North American West and how they shaped the timing and nature of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Dr. Michael Klarman of the University of Virginia School of Law analyzes and interprets the Brown case and its impact on the Civil Rights Movement. He annotates Justice Douglas's conference notes on Brown, tells stories about the justices, details how justices decide cases, explains why Brown was a hard case for many of the justices, and makes conclusions on why they were nonetheless eventually able to reach a unanimous outcome. He discusses the various ways in which Brown mattered and did not matter by linking Brown with the rise of southern massive resistance, violence, and ultimately the enactment of civil rights legislation in the mid-1960s. Klarman includes lessons on how and why Court decisions matter, how historians tend perhaps to overemphasize the importance of the Court's contributions to racial change in the U.S., and important reminders about how violence was necessary to prompt most whites to care about the civil rights of southern blacks.

Dr. Tom Ewing of Virginia Tech talks about the difficulty and complexity of searching out cause and effect in the events of the Cold War.

To listen to this lecture, select "Part 2" under the March 1st listing.

Dr. Tom Ewing of Virginia Tech talks about perceptions of foreign threat during the Cold War, in discussion format.

To listen to this discussion, select "Podcast Part 1" under the March 1st listing.

Dr. Marc Selverstone, of the Miller Center of Public Affairs, UVA, examines the role of the President as Commander-in-Chief, particularly how presidential powers are exercised and defined in wartime. Selverstone focuses on presidents of the 20th century.

To listen to this lecture, select "Part 2" under the December 7th listing.

Dr. Marc Selverstone, of the Miller Center of Public Affairs, UVA, examines the role of the President as Commander-in-Chief, particularly how presidential powers are exercised and defined in wartime. Selverstone focuses on presidents of the 20th century.

To listen to this lecture, select "Podcast Part 1" under the December 7th listing.

Dr. Gary Gallagher, University of Virginia, discusses themes and strategies for teaching the Civil War and the Reconstruction.

To listen to this podcast, select "Podcast" under the November 2nd listing.

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 Library of Congress website, "Street addressing is one of the most basic strategies employed by governmental authorities to tax, police, manage, and monitor the spatial whereabouts of individuals within a population. Despite the central importance of the street address as a "political technology," few scholars have examined the historical and contemporary practice of street addressing with respect to its broader social, political, and ontological implications. When, where, and why did the technique of house numbering historically emerge as a mechanism of spatial ordering? How did it come to be so taken for granted as part of everyday life in post-industrial societies?

In this presentation, Kluge Fellow Reuben Rose-Redwood explores the cultural and political history of street addressing in the United States, from the late 18th century to the present, including the recent shift from rural route and box numbering systems to 911 addresses."