From the Lincoln Online Conference website:

"For a nation at war over slavery, President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation was inevitable. Its timing and content, however, were not without great struggle. The 'how' of the proclamation was just as critical as the 'when,' but it began a chain of events that changed not just our Constitution but the face of the nation. Lonnie Bunch, Founding Director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, will examine Lincoln's challenges to introduce a document that became a cornerstone event for communities of all races for generations to come."

Free registration is required to access the webcast.

From the Lincoln Online Conference website:

"Abraham Lincoln nursed a life-long fascination with technology. William Herndon, his friend and law partner, called attention to his 'decided bent toward machinery or mechanical appliances.' Lincoln is the only President to have been awarded a patent; handled several patent cases during his years as an attorney; and offered public lectures on invention and innovation. During the American Civil War President Lincoln seldom missed an opportunity to investigate new weapons, or to sponsor what seemed to him to be a useful innovation. In the summer of 1861, at the urging of Smithsonian Secretary Joseph Henry, Lincoln made the acquaintance of balloonist T.S.C. Lowe, and witnessed demonstrations of the role that observation balloons might play in providing improved reconnaissance for the Union Army. The President not only encouraged Lowe's plan to form a Balloon Corps to serve with the Army of the Potomac, but intervened on his behalf when military officials proved less than enthusiastic about the experiment. With the help of the President, Lowe was able to create and equip the Balloon Corps, which saw extensive service from 1861 to 1863. Students and teachers at a variety of levels will find something of interest and value in this session, which will explore the problems encountered in introducing a conservative military establishment to a new technology. In the process, we will shed new light on an unfamiliar side of Abraham Lincoln. The session will be led by Tom Crouch, Senior Curator, Aeronautics Division, National Air and Space Museum."

Free registration is required to access the webcast.

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 Louis P. Masur, looks at the institution of slavery in the United States, from 1819 to 1854. The presentation examines economic differences between the North and the South; slave culture; slave resistance, including Turner's Insurrection; and the depiction of slavery and slaves in art and media.

Donald L. Miller and Louis P. Masur trace the American impulse to reform from 1800 to 1848. They look at the development of political parties, including the Democrats and the Whigs; reform associations and movements, including changes in attitudes toward education, alcohol, and punishment of criminals; women's rights efforts; the fervor of the Second Great Awakening; and the continuing debate over slavery.

Donald L. Miller, with Virginia Scharff, Louis P. Masur, and Pauline Maier, follows the new United States from 1776 to 1826, examining the development of the new country's government, from the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution.

According to the Foundation of U.S. History website:

"Dr. Allida Black discusses FDR’s April 28, 1935, Fireside Chat focused primarily on the Works Relief Program."

The presentation is divided into 10 short clips.

In 12 short video clips, ranging in length from approximately one minute to over three minutes, Brown University professors Gordon Wood and Michael Vorenberg look at the U.S. Constitution, the environment in which it was conceived, and its evolution over time. Intended to accompany the Choices Program's curriculum A More Perfect Union: American Independence and the Constitution, these clips may still be used independently.

Registration is required, but free.

In 37 short video clips, ranging in length from 43 seconds to over three minutes, scholars James Campbell, Keith Stokes, Joanne Pope Melish, Gordon Wood, and Michael Vorenberg look at the triangle trade that brought Africans to the U.S. as slaves and at perceptions of slavery in colonial New England, particularly examining the views of abolitionists. Intended to accompany the Choices Program's curriculum A Forgotten History: The Slave Trade and Slavery in New England, these clips may still be used independently.

Registration is required, but free.

Journalist Kirstin Downey talks about Frances Perkins, the subject of her book The Woman Behind the New Deal: The Life of Frances Perkins, FDR's Secretary of Labor and His Moral Conscience. As secretary of labor during FDR's presidency, Perkins initiated social-welfare reforms in areas including unemployment, child labor, immigration, and work-week length.