This presentation, narrated partially from the perspective of Oglala Lakota Sioux medicine man Black Elk, describes the Battle of the Little Bighorn and the seizing of Native American land and the forcing of Native Americans onto reservations that followed.

This presentation, narrated partially from the perspective of cowboy and rancher Teddy Blue Abbott, describes the life of the cowboy driving cattle along the Cattle Trail and the end of the cowboy's way of life as settlers occupied the American West.

This presentation, told partially from the perspective of a prospector's wife, Annie Tallent, looks at the push of prospectors into the American West to find gold, focusing on the expedition of Tallent, her husband, and several other prospectors into the South Dakota Black Hills and on the tension between prospectors, the military, and Native Americans.

This presentation, narrated partially from the perspectives of Uriah and Mattie Oblinger, 1872 homesteaders, describes the efforts of pioneers to settle the Great Plains and their belief in Manifest Destiny and personal ownership.

This presentation, narrated partially from the perspective of Sallie Hester, a young girl heading across the U.S. to California with her family, looks at the journey of settlers across the American West.

This presentation, narrated partially from the perspective of historian and explorer Francis Parkman (1823-1893), looks at the lifestyle of the Oglala and Parker's perception of it.

Narrated from the perspective of Black Elk, a holy man of the Lakota Sioux, in the 1930s, this presentation describes contact between his people and white explorers, settlers, and soldiers. It also examines life on the Pine Ridge reservation today.

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.

Paul Englesberg of Western Washington University unveils the work of the Asian American Curriculum and Research Project, detailing outrages afflicting immigrants in Washington State.

Audio and video options are available. To listen to this lecture, scroll to "Paul Englesberg's Presentation Audio" or "Paul Englesberg's Presentation Video"; and select either, according to your needs.

John Lloyd of California State Polytechnic University looks at the political and ideological conflicts between the North and South that led up to the Civil War, including the extension of slavery into the territories and debate over the Fugitive Slave Law.