Walter A. McDougall, Co-chair of the Foreign Policy Research Institute's History Institute for Teachers explores the U.S. attitude towards war—in which the nation simultaneously claims to be peace-loving and finds itself seeking out or being drawn into conflicts time after time.

Brian McAllister Linn of Texas A&M University examines the importance of many of the less-memorialized, smaller-scale, and less often taught military actions in U.S. history. He looks at how military tactics have been adapted to local conditions in these wars and the varying success of these adaptations (and failures to adapt).

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.

Paul Rahe of the University of Tulsa argues that Herodotus's coverage of classical Greek military history presents a "near ideal template for the analysis of American military history," in that it records the military struggles of republics Rahe interprets Herodotus's depictions of political and military heroes and considerations of relative cultural values as supporting "political liberty and the rule of law"— values which he suggests the U.S. has held and must continue to hold.

A transcript is available on the series page.

Paul H. Herbert, Executive Director of the Cantigny First Division Foundation, discusses his views on and recommendations for teaching military history. He argues that military history needs to be taught in order for students to understand the country's past; that students need particularly to come away from school with a basic understanding of the make-up of the U.S.'s military institutions and their relationship with society and of change in the conduct of war over time; and that teachers need to understand and be familiar with the basic vocabulary of war and military actions in order to teach military history.

Pulitizer Prize-winning author Rick Atkinson discusses his experiences while writing his trilogy on World War II—including the books An Army at Dawn and The Day of Battle—focusing on writing history texts as narratives, not as simple sequences of events.

Williamson Murray of the Institute for Defense Analyses reviews the history of Western warfare, from classical times to the present day. This lecture was conducted for "Teaching Military History, Why and How: A History Institute for Teachers," held on September 29–30, 2007. The event was sponsored by the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Marvin Wachman Fund for International Education and the Cantigny First Division Foundation, and held at the Cantigny First Division Museum in Wheaton, IL.

Audio and video options are available.

Paul Herbert of the First Division Museum discusses why it is important to teach military history and explores the history of the U.S. Army's First Infantry Division as an example of military history. This lecture was conducted for "Teaching Military History, Why and How: A History Institute for Teachers," held on September 29–30, 2007. The event was sponsored by the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Marvin Wachman Fund for International Education and the Cantigny First Division Foundation, and held at the Cantigny First Division Museum in Wheaton, IL.

Audio and video options are available.

Martin van Creveld of Hebrew University examines the intimate relationship between warfare and technological development—including the essential change in the nature of war that the development of nuclear weapons brought about (a new warfare in which victory did not ensure survival) and the U.S.'s emphasis on technological superiority in warfare (regardless of the effectiveness of this approach). This lecture was conducted for "Teaching Military History, Why and How: A History Institute for Teachers," held on September 29–30, 2007. The event was sponsored by the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Marvin Wachman Fund for International Education and the Cantigny First Division Foundation, and held at the Cantigny First Division Museum in Wheaton, IL.

Audio and video options are available.

Anthony Codevilla of Boston University explores the definitions of war and diplomacy and the relationship between the two, as tools of statecraft. This lecture was conducted for "Teaching Military History, Why and How: A History Institute for Teachers," held on September 29–30, 2007. The event was sponsored by the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Marvin Wachman Fund for International Education and the Cantigny First Division Foundation, and held at the Cantigny First Division Museum in Wheaton, IL.

Audio and video options are available.