Ike Skelton of Chair of the House Armed Services Committee discusses the civilian-military relationship in the U.S., and expresses concern over the current relationship between military officers and Congress, in which pressure is placed on officers to express opinions that may be acted on politically.

Audio and video options are available.

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.

Produced by Jeffrey Chown of the Northern Illinois University Department of Communication, this documentary chronicles the Black Hawk War of 1832, looking also at the events that led up to it and its repercussions. It focuses on the roles of Sauk war chief Black Hawk and a young Abraham Lincoln. The documentary is divided into 18 short downloadable videos.

To view this documentary, scroll to the set of 18 links separated from the main Abraham Lincoln's Biography Video selections, and choose a section to view.

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."

Professors Mackubin T. Owens and Lucas E. Morel discuss Lincoln's second Inaugural Address and his second election as President. They examine what Lincoln's view for the future of the nation was, and also discuss the Northern and Southern troops' and generals' views of each other.

To listen to this lecture, scroll to the Friday, June 25th, 10:45 am-12:15 pm session; and select either the RealAudio image or link in the gray bar to the left of the main body of text.

Older versions of this lecture, from newer to older, can be found here and here.

Professor Mackubin T. Owens looks at the role of African-American soldiers in the Civil War and the effects of the Emancipation Proclamation on the U.S. African-American population in general.

To listen to this lecture, scroll to the Friday, June 25th, 9:00 am-10:30 am session; and select either the RealAudio image or link in the gray bar to teh left of the main body of text.

Older versions of this lecture, from newer to older, can be found here and here.

Professor Steven E. Woodworth examines the "Lost Cause" view of the Civil War—as the South as justified in going to war. Woodworth also looks at the religious life and beliefs of Civil-War-era soldiers and civilians and how religion contributed to the war and the perspectives of those waging it. He refers to the film Gods and Generals and scholarly criticism of it.

To listen to this lecture, scroll to the guest lecture after session four, and select the RealAudio link to the left of the text.