Donald L. Miller, with Pauline Maier; Waldo E. Martin, Jr.; and Stephen Ambrose, looks at the growing tensions, from 1846 to 1861, that finally led to the Civil War. The presentation examines the issue of slavery and its expansion; the Compromise of 1850; the publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin; reactions to the Fugitive Slave Act and the U.S. Supreme Court Case Dred Scott vs. Sandford; John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry; and the election of Abraham Lincoln as leading to the South's secession.

Donald L. Miller, with Pauline Maier and Waldo E. Martin, Jr., follow American history from the end of the French and Indian War through the American Revolution. On the way, they look at taxation and the Stamp Act, the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, the Continental Congresses, the Battles of Lexington and Concord, Thomas Paine's Common Sense and its effects, the Declaration of Independence, and the war itself.

In 16 short video clips, scholar Chandra Manning looks at the song "John Brown's Body," the events it relates to, and its evolution over time.

In this Cool Things podcast, curators at the Kansas Museum of History follow the story of a revolver owned by Albert Hazlett, one of John Brown's men during the raid at Harpers Ferry.

As described on the Library of Congress website: "The assassination of the 16th president is one of the singular events in American history, and historian Anthony Pitch uses primary source material to document and reveal previously unknown facts about Lincoln's death...Pitch details the murder plots that were unsuccessful as well as the successful one by referencing hundred of sources." Most of his research was conducted at the Library of Congress, and Pitch discusses the sources he discovered and referred to while writing his book.

Paul D. Escott of Wake Forest University looks at Confederate expectations going into the Civil War that the war would be swift and decisive, and contrasts them with Jefferson Davis's expectations. He also outlines the challenges the South and Davis faced during the war, and attempts to assess Davis's performance as a leader.

Maurice Jackson discusses Anthony Benezet, the founder of the antislavery movement in America in the mid-1700s. Benezet believed the British ban on slavery should have been extended to the colonies, and worked to convince his Quaker brethren that slave-owning was not consistent with Christian doctrine.

Dr. Scot French of the University of Virginia looks at Nat Turner's Rebellion, the slave uprising of 1831—considering how the historical narrative and understanding of the Rebellion were formed and continue to be shaped.

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

Dr. Scot French of the University of Virginia looks at Nat Turner's Rebellion, the slave uprising of 1831—considering how the historical narrative and understanding of the Rebellion were formed and continue to be shaped.

To listen to this lecture, select "Podcast Part 1" under the February 1st listing.

Julie Novkov, Associate Professor of Political Science and Women's Studies at the University of Albany, SUNY, provides an overview of 230 years of struggles for equality, focusing on the role of the Constitution and the courts in movements for African American and women's rights.

Audio and video options are available.