Professor Lucas E. Morel reviews the life and views of Martin Luther King, Jr., examining his views of race relations, his religious beliefs, and his definition of civil disobedience, as suggested in his writings and speeches. This lecture continues in the lecture Martin Luther King, Jr., Part Two.

For the lecture, scroll down to the second seminar of Wednesday, August 4. Readings, available for download, accompany the lecture.

An older version of this lecture can be found here.

Historian Harold Holzer compares Lincoln's 1861 Address at Independence Hall and Obama's Race Speech at the Constitution Center.

To listen to this lecture, select "Historian Harold Holzer compares Lincoln's Address at Independence Hall and Obama's Race Speech at the Constitution Center" under "Supplemental Materials" in the right sidebar.

Historian Harold Holzer compares Abraham Lincoln's 1860 Cooper Union Speech and Barack Obama's 2008 Race Speech at the Constitution Center.

To listen to this lecture, select "Historian Harold Holzer compares Lincoln's Cooper Union Speech and Obama's Race Speech at the Constitution Center" from the sidebar on the right side of the page.

Eighth-grade American history educator Eric Langhorst introduces an online interactive version of the Gettysburg Address offered by the Smithsonian, suggesting it for use in the classroom.

David Herbert Donald, Charles Warren Professor of American History and Professor of American Civilization Emeritus at Harvard University, talks about the qualities and experience that made Abraham Lincoln both an exceptional and an unlikely national leader.

Gerald Prokopowicz of the Lincoln Museum very briefly describes the role of politics as entertainment in the antebellum U.S.

To view this clip, select "Antebellum Politics as Popular Entertainment" under "Political Development Video."

James O. Horton of George Washington University highlights the development of slavery into a regional issue, which came to divide the North and the South increasingly in the years prior to the Civil War.

To view this clip, select "Slavery and the Sectional Crisis of 1850" under "African-American Experience Video."

Gerald Prokopowicz of the Lincoln Museum examines Lincoln's development of a political language balanced between formal oratory and direct speech.

To view this clip, scroll to "Lincoln's Political Rhetoric and the Growth of American Democracy" under "Abraham Lincoln's Biography Video."

Gerald Prokopowicz of the Lincoln Museum outlines Lincoln's experiences as a captain in the Black Hawk War and the general ineffectiveness of militia in Lincoln's day.

To view this clip, select "Abraham Lincoln's Militia Service in the Black Hawk War" under "Abraham Lincoln's Biography Video."

Gerald Prokopowicz of the Lincoln Museum looks at Abraham Lincoln's views on slavery, contrasting them with those expressed by Stephen Douglas in the Lincoln-Douglas debates.

To listen to this clip, select "Abraham Lincoln's Attitudes Toward Race and Slavery" under "Abraham Lincoln's Biography Video."