Harvey Sicherman, president of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, discusses Benjamin Franklin's work as a diplomat in France, securing French support of the colonists in the American Revolution.
Audio and visual options are available.
This mini documentary, produced by NBC, describes Thomas Paine's anonymous pamphlet, "Common Sense"—published shortly after the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775—that helped persuade Americans to push for full independence from Britain.
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, traces the development of religious institutions and trends in antebellum Illinois, beginning with the early days of Western exploration of North America and continuing to the mid-1800s. It focuses particularly on the importation of New England Protestant social reform ideals and the migration of Mormons to Illinois—a migration which led to the rise of the city of Nauvoo and, eventually, to the Mormon War.
This lecture, created by the Abraham Lincoln Historical Digitization Project, traces the settlement of Illinois from the early years of European exploration of North America to the 1860s. It focuses particularly on the relationship between settler groups and Native Americans, on the construction of infrastructure that linked Illinois to the rest of the emerging U.S., and on the changing culture of the state's occupants.
James O. Horton of George Washington University discusses Abraham Lincoln's consideration of establishing African colonies as a solution to race tensions in the U.S. and African-American reactions to suggestions of the establishment of such colonies.
To listen to this clip, select "Abraham Lincoln and the African-American Colonization Movement" under "Abraham Lincoln's Biography Video."
Forensic anthropologist Dr. Doug Owsley discusses the colonial remains found at Harleigh Knoll in the Chesapeake Bay area and some of the information that studies of such remains can reveal.
Professor John Smolenski describes the French and Indian War (or Seven-Year War), looking at its significance in North American history and its neglect in popular memory and understanding.
Professor Clarence Walker discusses the origins of the institution of slavery in North America and what would become the United States. He looks back in history at different forms of slavery beyond North America and at how they differ and are similar to the North American and U.S. institution.
Professor Clarence Walker reviews the life of ex-slave and abolitionist Olaudah Equiano (1745-1797), using his autobiography as a frame for discussion. He looks at Equiano's experiences of the slave trade and life as both a slave (in North America and other locations) and a free man (in England).