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 Lucas E. Morel looks at the history of slavery in the U.S., examining the Founding Fathers' attitudes towards slavery and the policies on slavery written into the founding documents of the U.S.
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.
Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man (1952) is the great American novel about race, perhaps even the great American novel. It considers and affirms the principle—that "mysterious binding force"—that holds the U.S. together as a people and that is tied to its own history. In doing so it raises all the important political questions about equality, freedom, rights and justice; the legacy of slavery and white supremacy; our "human and absurd diversity." The novel's deliberate attempt, in Ellison's words, "to return to the mood of personal moral responsibility for democracy" makes perfectly clear the connection between literature and politics. The seminar will also consider a few of Ellison's essays bearing directly on Invisible Man.
One way citizens of large republics are educated in the principles of government is through novels. With this in mind, this course examines selections from the work of Mark Twain. Not only is Twain America's most enduringly popular author, but his novels depict important aspects of the American character and have much to say about such themes as equality, slavery, freedom, modern science, Christianity, and democratic leadership, all of which are crucial for understanding American history and politics. The main texts will be Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court; if time permits, participants will also consider The Adventures of Tom Sawyer or The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson.
Participants in this workshop will travel throughout the Delta as they visit sites where significant events occurred. They will discuss and learn about issues involving civil rights and political leadership, immigrants' experiences in the Delta, the Blues, the great migration, agriculture, and the Mississippi River, among other things. They will sample Delta foods, visit local museums, and listen to the Blues. Field trips will roam as far as Greenville, Greenwood, and Memphis, with stops in between.
Join the staff at the world famous Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City to experience the works of renowned African-American artist Jacob Lawrence. For more than 65 years, Jacob Lawrence was both an impassioned observer and storyteller who explored the diverse aspects of the African-American experience.
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