Patrick Manning, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of World History at the University of Pittsburgh seeks to widen Constitutional understanding by situating the Constitution's foundation in a global context. He urges listeners to consider social movements from around the world in the quest to understand ways in which the U.S. Constitution was both unique and representative of the era.

To listen to this lecture, select "Lecture Audio: Patriots, Revolution and Constitutions Presentation" under "Presentation Materials."

To navigate the Kansas River in the 1820s, you needed the right equipment—a keelboat. Curators and experts at the Kansas Museum of History look at the history behind a steering oar which helped a fur trader's keelboat stay the course on the mighty Kaw.

Don Vitale of Archiving Early America narrates an overview of Benjamin Franklin's accomplishments as a diplomat, politician, and thinker during and after the Revolutionary War.

Captioned and uncaptioned options are available.

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 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.

Scholar James Lewis contrasts the early French fur traders' cooperation and cultural exchange with Illinois's Native Americans with the exclusionary policies of U.S. settlers following the American Revolution.

To view this clip, select "Native Americans and the French Empire in the Illinois Country" under "Native American Relations Video."

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 Steven Forde talks about the life and beliefs of Benjamin Franklin, using Franklin's writings to explore these issues. Forde looks at the ways in which Franklin was both different from and similar to the other founders, at the written legacy he has left, and Franklin's religious beliefs. This lecture continues from the lecture "Benjamin Franklin, Part One."