Paul Finkelman of Albany Law School presents a wide-ranging discussion of the Constitutional history of citizenship in the United States. In the first part of the presentation, Finkelman traces the story back to the earliest recorded anti-immigrant references during the time of a legal "open door," through the persecution of Chinese immigrants, to today.

Video and audio options are available.

Eric Arnesen, Professor of History and African American Studies at the University of Chicago addresses the interplay between the African-American experience between Reconstruction and the Great Migration, the U.S. Constitution, and shifting democratic ideals.

Video and audio options are available.

This podcast from the Milwaukee Public Museum describes the life of an early African-American family in 1800s Milwaukee.

To listen to this lecture, scroll to "The Sully Watson House" under "2007 Milwaukee Digital Media Conference," and select "Download File."

Mark Grimsley of Ohio State University discusses the soldiers who fought in the Civil War from a social history perspective, looking at who they were, where they came from, and why they fought. He looks particularly at African-American experiences and participation in the war, at conscription, and at the manipulation and suppression of aspects of the war's social impact and breadth.

Michael Johnson of Johns Hopkins University discusses slavery from an educator's perspective, looking particularly at his own techniques for teaching the subject. He examines the topic from a broad view, establishing context for his later discussion of Frederick Douglass. This lecture was delivered as part of "America in the Civil War Era: A History Institute for Teachers," held May 17-18 at Carthage College in Kenosha, WI, sponsored by the Foreign Policy Research Institute's Wachman Center and by the Clausen Center for World Business, Carthage College and Adult Education, Carthage College.

Audio and video options are available.

Vance Skarstedt of the National Defense Intelligence College examines the frontier wars that took place as U.S. settlers and military forces spread westward across North America into Native American lands. This lecture was part of "What Students Need To Know About America’s Wars, Part I: 1622-1919: A History Institute for Teachers," held July 26-27, 2008 at the First Division Museum in Wheaton, IL, sponsored by the Foreign Policy Research Institute's Wachman Center and by the Cantigny First Division Foundation.

Audio and visual options are available.

Kyle Zelner of the University of Southern Mississippi discusses the military history of British North America prior to the Revolutionary War, arguing for the significance of this history to both military and general U.S. history overall. Zelner also covers the Revolutionary War itself. This lecture was part of "What Students Need To Know About America's Wars, Part I: 1622-1919: A History Institute for Teachers," held July 26-27, 2008, at the First Division Museum in Wheaton, IL, sponsored by the Foreign Policy Research Institute's Wachman Center and by the Cantigny First Division Foundation.

Video and audio options are available.

This lecture, created by the Abraham Lincoln Historical Digitization Project, examines several years of Abraham Lincoln's life, including Lincoln's continued opposition of Stephen Douglas's political views; his rise to presidential candidacy; the fevered presidential race that followed; the secession of Southern states in reaction to his election; and his First Inaugural Address. This lecture continues from the lecture "Lincoln's Biography, Part Seven: Debating Douglas on the National Stage, 1857-1858."

To view this documentary, scroll to "Multimedia Slideshows," and select "The Campaign of the Century, 1859-1861."

This lecture, created by the Abraham Lincoln Historical Digitization Project, examines several years of Abraham Lincoln's life, including his campaign for U.S. Senate against Stephen Douglas; his arguments against Douglas; the content of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates; and his failure to win the Senate position. This lecture continues from the lecture "Lincoln's Biography, Part Six: Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Rise of the Republican Party, 1854-1856."

To view this documentary, scroll to "Multimedia Slideshows," and select "Debating Douglas on the National Stage, 1857-1858."

This lecture, created by the Abraham Lincoln Historical Digitization Project, examines several years of Abraham Lincoln's life, including his return to politics in reaction to the passing of the Kansas-Nebraska Act and his election to the state legislature and resignation to run for the Senate. The lecture describes both Lincoln's and the nation's reactions to the Kansas-Nebraska Act and to the possibility of extending slavery into the territories that it represented. This lecture continues from the lecture "Lincoln's Biography, Part Five: Return to the Law, 1850-1853."

To view this documentary, scroll to "Multimedia Slideshows," and select "Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Rise of the Republican Party, 1854-1856."