Historian Dorris Fanelli discusses the site of the first presidential "White House" in Philadelphia and the discovery that George Washington brought many of his slaves to work there. This discovery led to a new kind of public history and the creation of a commemorative site near the Liberty Bell Center.
A panel including Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., adviser to JFK, examines the impact of John F. Kennedy's presidency in retrospect. The presentation includes film excerpts from JFK's speeches.
A panel discussion including former U.S. secretaries of state Henry Kissinger and Alexander Haig, special counsel to JFK Theodore Sorensen, and special assistant to LBJ Jack Valenti looks at presidential policies during the Vietnam War. This discussion follows the discussion "Vietnam and the Presidency: Inside the White House I."
34th president Jimmy Carter (through a taped interview) discusses his experiences with the aftermath of the Vietnam War during his presidency. A panel discussion including former U.S. secretaries of state Henry Kissinger and Alexander Haig, special counsel to JFK Theodore Sorensen, and special assistant to LBJ Jack Valenti on presidential policies at the time follows. Daughter of JFK and JFK Library Foundation president Caroline Kennedy introduces the event.
A panel including newsanchors Brian Williams and Dan Rather, former correspondent Steve Bell, and Pulitzer-Prize-winning author Frances Fitzgerald discusses media coverage of the Vietnam War and public opinion on the war, both during the war and today.
A series of professors and historians look at the presidential tape recordings of John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, and Lyndon B. Johnson, focusing on what these tapes reveal about the presidents' decisions and roles during the Vietnam War. The panel also discusses the significance of such recordings in general—to memory, to the press, to historians—and what they reveal about the character of individual presidents.
Audio and video options are available.
Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter David Halberstam delivers the keynote address to the national conference "'Vietnam and the Presidency," describing his experiences as a reporter during and on the Vietnam War and speaking on the war and its effects from this perspective.
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A panel discusses the uncovering and content of the Presidential Tapes and what these recordings say about these presidents, their choices, and their personalities. The presentation includes excerpts from the Presidential Tapes.
PhD candidate Margot Minardi discusses Boston abolitionist activity, particularly its use of Revolutionary War resonances in its propaganda and oratory. The presentation includes slides.
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A slideshow gives examples of presidential photography by three White House photographers: Cecil Stoughton, photographer for Kennedy and Johnson; David Hume Kennerly, for Ford; and Diana Walker, for Reagan and Bush, Sr. The presentation also includes photo coverage and commentary on other presidents, including Clinton and a discussion with the photographers which follows the slideshow.