Professor Mackubin T. Owens looks at the role of African-American soldiers in the Civil War and the effects of the Emancipation Proclamation on the U.S. African-American population in general.
Professor Lucas E. Morel looks at the presidential campaign and election of 1860, in which Abraham Lincoln was elected President. The lecture also includes some examination of the 1858 Senate campaign debates between Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas.
Professor Allen Guelzo examines Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, looking critically at its use of language and Lincoln's motivations in writing it.
Professor Lucas E. Morel details the debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas in the 1858 campaign for an Illinois seat in the United States Senate. Morel looks at the discussion of slavery in these debates.
Professor Mackubin T. Owens traces the flow of antebellum history, up to the Civil War, examining the many changes and pushes for more change that characterized this period.
Professor Mackubin T. Owens looks at perceptions of Abraham Lincoln, both during his presidency and over the course of American history.
Professor Gordon Lloyd examines the U.S. Bill of Rights, its wording, its drafting and acceptance, and the arguments that sprang up surrounding it during its creation.
Taking a fresh perspective on the Revolution, this seminar asks why we still generally concentrate on the lives and thoughts of the Founding Fathers when in fact ordinary people carried the burden of the American Revolution. How should the people be restored to narratives of Revolution? Were the political ideas that energized their participation the same as those of the celebrated leaders? Did the people stake out more radical positions than did the elite planters and lawyers? What exactly did the Revolution involve for ordinary Americans who lived in small communities?
The seminar will consist of three sessions. The first two, featuring lecture and discussion, will focus on the close analysis of images and primary documents. The third will concentrate on the integration of seminar ideas and material into lesson plans using the Center's Seminar-to-Classroom Guide.
Professor Esther Katz of New York University talks about the role of women during the Civil War.
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This seminar will explore a controversial era shrouded in myths and memories. Among the topics it will examine are the presidencies of John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon; the civil rights movement; the Vietnam War; the New Left; the counterculture; the women's movement; the gay movement; the conservative movement; the international dimension of youth protest; and the legacies of the 1960s. The aim of the seminar is to provide a balanced history of a turbulent time that continues to influence American politics, society, and culture.